Master of my own destiny - Harry Maragh

Author Peter Senge is famously quoted as saying, "In the presence of greatness, pettiness disappears. In the absence of a great dream, pettiness prevails." If one has any difficulty fully understanding the profound nature of this statement, a meeting with Harriat 'Harry' Maragh, chairman and CEO of Lannaman and Morris (Shipping) Ltd, serves not only to illuminate but also to instil a deep sense of respect for the power of a dream when coupled with hard work and strength of character. An esteemed shipping industry veteran and past president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), Maragh began his illustrious career in shipping and logistics by destiny rather than by design.

With a singular objective of pursuing a first degree in chemistry, Maragh enrolled at Humber College/York University in Canada in the late 1960s. The avid sportsman, who possessed some prowess in cricket and football, the Calabar High School 'old boy' completed two years at the institution before deciding to apply for a transfer to the University of Toronto which had developed an enviable reputation for scientific research over the years.

Fatefully, he opted to return to Jamaica for the summer until the transfer was approved, and applied for a summer job at R.S. Gamble and Sons, a shipping company based in Kingston. As he reminisces, there was very little money as there was much reliance on his mother's "little grocery shop" in the community of Greenwich Town.

CONTRACT EXTENSION

However, working at R.S. Gamble would ensure that the young Maragh earned his own spending money and could also save towards the expenses he would no doubt incur in returning to Canada. Maragh recalls that at the end of the summer break, he was presented with the opportunity to extend his contract until the end of the year, giving him another three months of salary, and a chance to put money away for school, which he expected to resume in January of the following year.

"The manager thought I was the best thing he had seen since rice and peas, man," Maragh jokes in rare acknowledgement of his excellence. When the time came to return to his studies, he made a judicious decision to transfer to the University of the West Indies at Mona in pursuing his dream of becoming a bio-chemist, while continuing work as a salesman at R.S. Gamble to fund his education. This decision would prove definitive in changing the course of his life. "It's a funny thing when you go to school thinking of being a scientist and end up becoming one of the best salesmen in the shipping industry," he muses.

As Maragh puts it, the years flew by. After five or six years in the industry, he became known as a dedicated employee, creative thinker and an astute salesman. His ambition and inherent quest for new challenges led to his decision to seek out other opportunities in the United States (US) in 1977. Like many before and after him, Maragh did not immediately find employment as the job market proved difficult.

HEADHUNTED

However, upon hearing that he was available for hire, Vance Lannaman of Lannaman and Morris Shipping in Jamaica, headhunted him in the US and the prodigious shipping salesman was offered the opportunity to interview for a position back in Kingston. Lannaman and Morris was, at the time, one of the largest shipping companies in Jamaica and managed international lines such as Evergreen. Having very little to stop him from doing so, Maragh agreed to an interview on the condition that Lannaman cover the cost of return airfare to Kingston.

Having been lured back to shipping in Jamaica, he quickly moved up the ranks at Lannaman and Morris, from salesman to sales director, then to general manager, and later managing director. In 1997 when the company's owners were interested in selling, Harry Maragh purchased the company. When asked to share his secret to advancement Maragh responded with a dismissive flip of his right hand, but an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes, "I have a conservative style." He nodded conspiratorially, "You have to be humble and careful in what you share to keep the competitive edge."

After having bought a shipping company, Maragh set his sights on sustainability and enhancing the capabilities of his business and his team. He was not satisfied with the oftentimes haphazard dealings with international shipping lines, or the inconsistency of the business.

Maragh was approached to enter a joint venture with Seafreight, one of the leading feeder carriers into the Caribbean/Central America, which moves cargo from larger ships unable to enter much smaller ports around the region.

"You can't try to build a business on uncertainty and to pay your staff and all that. And so, I became master of my own destiny."

Part two of this article will be published next week.