After 17 years with telecoms giant Digicel, and ascending to the position of head of group communications, Antonia Graham is stepping down and beginning a new chapter.

During her tenure, she was the epitome of professionalism, loyalty, determination and the ultimate team player. She was always fair and had a kind word for everybody.

Graham saw many changes at Digicel. CEOs coming and going, the move to the new downtown headquarters, Digicel making forays into other businesses, CPL, challenging new technologies, but throughout it all, she remained steadfast, consistently on her game.

From Jamaica, Digicel was able to have a footprint in 32 countries across the world with operations across continents. The task of forming an effective communications network to attend to these markets must have been all-consuming, but Graham did so with aplomb.

She was one of the best in her field in Jamaica, with Winsome Callum of JPS and Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsey, the head of the Corporate Communications Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, being contemporaries who have served their respective institutions well for many years.

Those who worked in the unit Antonia Graham headed speak both fondly and referentially of Graham, noting her as a good boss who could “flex”. 

She was a Digicel stalwart who gave so much to the company. She is an example to all who aspire to be a good corporate professional. That being said, Antonia was not all about work.  That would be doing her a disservice. Nowadays, some women talk about being a ‘boss chick’, that one-dimensional existence where women give themselves only and totally to their careers, their lives defined by scaling professional heights.

Antonia is married, a mother to her daughter, Lola, takes a keen interest in current affairs, is a good, caring friend, a marvellous host, and a lady of great humour with sardonic wit.

All the top brass at Digicel loved her. She will be dearly missed. Antonia Graham defined what Digicel was all about – grit, determination, pushing the boundaries, working and playing hard, having a craic, fellowship, making a splash, and delivering beyond expectations. 

Reflecting on her time at Digicel, Antonia Graham wrote: “Well goodness me! On 13th July 2008, I arrived in Jamaica for a ‘two-year’ stint with Digicel Group. And now, 17 years later, it’s time to see what life on the outside looks like.

“I’ve always described working at Digicel as less of a job and more a lifestyle choice.IYKYK. But the beauty of that intensity is the incredible, unforgettable, life-changing experiences, challenges, achievements and friendships that come with it. I feel honoured and lucky to have been so blessed and the memories will last me a lifetime.

“To my Digicel friends across the globe-simply a heartfelt  thank you, and to borrow a phrase from our irrepressible and inspirational founder, Denis O’Brien, to whom I owe so much, ‘Keep Going.'”

Antonia, you are a trouper. Much love. What a contribution from a fine lady.