Audrey Hinchcliffe, founder and chair of Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited, won an award for Excellence in Healthcare and Education Workforce Leadership at a ceremony on International Women’s Day last Wednesday.

The event took place at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. 

Hinchcliffe was selected to receive the award from the Bureau of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Culture, and Gender.

The inscription on the plaque of appreciation read: “Outstanding Excellence in Healthcare and Workforce Education Leadership.”

Audrey Hinchcliffe returned to Jamaica after 19 years in the United States and six years as a health development officer for CARICOM and no one would give the highly trained professional a job.

So what did she do?

She formed her own company, Manpower & Maintainance Services Limited at the age of 50 and presided over it as CEO for 33 years before handing the baton to Don Gittens.

Today it is the leader in the janitorial and cleaning field in Jamaica and is doing well.

Of her award, Hinchcliffe said: “ The notification that I was selected to receive the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Education and Sport’s “Excellence in Healthcare and Workforce Education Leadership Award” for “Outstanding Leadership in Health and Workforce Education Leadership,” came as a pleasant and very welcome surprise. I was pleased to accept it on March 19, 2025, from the Minister Olivia Grange.

“My journey to this point has been long and interesting. As I mentioned in my book, ‘The Will to Overcome‘, courage is an indispensable element in the business of life. When we have the courage to trust God, coupled with our intuition, life begins to live itself.” 

“My journey, which began as a child in Lorrimers, Trelawny, led me to Kingston where I attended both high school and nursing school. I later emigrated to the United States of America where I acquired undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and forged a career in nursing and health management … a path that took me into health administration. After some years in the USA, I eventually went on to serve as health development officer at CARICOM.

” After a six-year tenure at CARICOM, I made the decision to return to Jamaica. This move was fraught with difficulty, as in addition to the challenges of re-settlement, I could not find gainful employment. This was my motivation to become self-employed and I started Caribbean Health Management Consultants (CHMC) in 1987. This later gave birth to Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited (MMS), a cleaning service, in 1990. 

“Thirty-five years later I can truly say that “the success that is seen today has a history which is not for the faint-hearted but thankfully, it also reinforces a principle that when you have something to do, just do it, stick to it …”

“From a client list of three companies MMS now has close to 200 clients and a 3,000-strong workforce. MMS has evolved into a group of companies, with training, sales and distribution as well as a business development arm and a foundation. The appointment of a new CEO, Don Gittens, following my retirement in 2022, has infused the organisation with new life and vigour as he enthusiastically builds on our record of service excellence, while forging new paths for future development.

“I am immensely grateful to our staff, clients, suppliers and associates who have contributed to our growth and success. This award, along with the numerous others we have received over the years, is testament to what can be achieved with a commitment to quality, service delivery, the power of prayer, resilience and the will to succeed. 

“I am immensely grateful for the support and recognition that come with this award and take this opportunity to assure Jamaica that MMS will continue to strive for excellence as it leads with innovation and creativity.”