Key Insurance Company Limited (KEY) has announced the appointment of Nichole Case and Ashley-Ann Foster Horne to its Board of Directors.

Foster Horne is an attorney-at-law and managing director of Arc Properties Limited, a Jamaican real estate business. She holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Buckingham and a Masters in Commercial law from the University of Cambridge.

Case is a strategic technology executive and the Divisional Chief Information Officer of the GraceKennedy Financial Group. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Computer Science with Management Studies from the University of the West Indies, Mona and a Master of Business Administration, Banking and Finance, from the Mona School of Business and Management (UWI).

Don Wehby, chairman of KEY and group CEO of GraceKennedy, expressed confidence in the incoming directors.

“I am happy to welcome these ladies to the board, as experienced professionals they will both bring significant value to the business and its operations,” Wehby said.

“Nichole’s expertise in digital transformation, IT governance and risk management and technology operations and services will be invaluable in guiding the evolution of KEY’s operations; while Ashley-Ann’s knowledge and experience practicing law locally and internationally will complement KEY’s leadership as we continue to grow the Company and establish and strengthen key strategic partnerships.”

Both incoming directors expressed their appreciation and enthusiasm on being appointed to KEY’s Board, with Foster Horne stating that she was looking forward to participating in “the strategic oversight and monitoring of Key Insurance as it continues to exceed performance expectations”.

She continued: “KEY has an important role to play in the growth of the Jamaican economy and in the security and protection of the assets of our citizens. I look forward to its continued growth and the furtherance of its culture of caring and excellence.”

In the meantime, Case shared: “My years with the GraceKennedy family, along with my substantive experience in technology transformation, have allowed me to have a broad perspective of the financial sector in Jamaica. I consider it a privilege to be invited to join the other learned members of the Board of Directors; and I welcome the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise, to ensure the continued success of KEY’s growing insurance and investment business.”

Earlier this year, KEY announced that it had recorded its best financial performance in seven years in 2021 with profit-before-tax of $237.64 million, outperforming the prior year reported loss by $687.10 million or 152.9 per cent. KEY has also continued to deliver strong results in the first half of 2022, PBT of $17.7 million, a $2.7 million increase over the corresponding period of 2021.

“Four strategic drivers were established by the Board in 2020 – sustained growth and innovation; consumer centricity; improved business processes for greater efficiency; and a performance-driven culture. – which have been the KEY to our improved performance over the past few years. I look forward to celebrating even more successes with the entire KEY team, including our newest directors, Ashley-Ann and Nichole,” said Wehby.

KEY celebrates its 40th anniversary next month.