Jean Lowrie-Chin:'Follow-through sets us apart'

In recognition of Inter-American Year of Woman, Flair and the Bureau of Women's Affairs shines the spotlight on some outstanding Jamaican women making their mark in all areas of society.

Jean Lowrie-Chin wears many hats. Mother, wife, author, columnist, and philanthropist. She is the founder and managing director of PROComm Limited, an advertising and public relations agency. She followed her parent's example in starting her own business and is currently mentoring her daughter, Anita to follow in her footsteps. Lowrie-Chin's parents have also inspired her to use her business for the greater good, which is why a quarter of her business output is devoted to charity.

Lowrie-Chin is also the founder and CEO of the recently formed Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP). She established CCRP because she benefits greatly from so many senior mentors, that she wants to continue to enjoy sharing their vast store of wisdom and strong values. She also wants to ensure that their rights are protected.

Over the years, she has made professionalism the hallmark of her work. This involved accurate budgeting, detailed reporting, willingness to submit to evaluation and of course, living up to her motto: "Follow-through sets us apart".

Lowrie-Chin attributes the growth of her business to her husband, Hubie who joined the business 10 years after it was formed, contributing his Information Technology (IT) and accounting skills, as well as incredible moral support. She also has high praises for the tremendous support she receives from her staff.

She has faced many challenges in her work, so she feels responsible to ensure that the women in her organisation receive the respect they deserve. Lowrie-Chin reveals that one of her very early policies was not to be associated with beauty contests. She opines that while some fine Jamaicans have emerged from these activities, beauty contests continue to objectify women. To overcome this, she created affirmation programmes for her clients. These include the LASCO Teachers, Nurses and Police Officers of the Year awards.

She advises persons who are interested in pursuing a career in communications, to acquire the relevant degree, whether in the humanities or social sciences, and work in mainstream media. The experience exposes persons to the importance of deadlines, accuracy, credibility and what is actually newsworthy. They should also ensure that they are competent in the area of IT and uses the various types of social networks - blogging, tweeting and Facebook for the opportunity to reach a global audience.

Real reason

Lowrie-Chin believes that the real reason behind her business is not to only provide reasonable returns for her stakeholders, but also to ensure that she serves her community and country. As a result, her involvement with the Stella Maris Foundation, Food for the Poor and other charitable causes has been very rewarding. The PROComm Scholarship Fund has enabled youth in the Grants Pen area to access higher educational opportunities.

In addition to her love for writing, she has a great sense of humour and derives immense pleasure from planning and plotting out-of-the box escapades on All Fools' Day. She is an advocate for human rights and justice, which she regards as pivotal to the achievement of gender equality. She believes that women's access to justice is improving because of the advocacy of several organisations, including the Bureau of Women's Affairs, with which she works very closely. She underscores the need for increased vigilance among parents and youth regarding issues which relate to human rights and women's access to justice.

As a Justice of the Peace and member of the Lay Magistrates'Association, she is constantly reminded that without justice and peace, no enterprise can prosper. Lowrie-Chin is the beneficiary of strong family support and is grateful for the support of her husband, mother, siblings and adult children Anita and Noel. She believes that no matter how busy one may be, family comes first.