Courtney Campbell, VM Group’s president and CEO, last night (May 4) won the coveted American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) International Award together with president and CEO of Sagicor Group Jamaica’s Chris Zacca at the Loews Cable Gables Hotel in Miami.

Below is his address to the audience:

“Heartiest congratulations to Christopher Zacca for your sterling service to Jamaica in several sectors of our economy and society. In many respects, you have been an exemplary and highly respected business leader, Chris. We salute you.

Thanks to the American Friends of Jamaica for this very special honour. I am humbled by this recognition. Thanks to all the amazing people who have served as leaders and partners of this wonderful organization that has done tremendous work for Jamaica in the areas of education, health care and economic empowerment for over 42 years. Your work is indeed inspiring. I join in especially remembering the work done by the late ambassadors Holden and Cooper. 

For the AFJ team, past and present, this has been a labour of love.

Thanks to my family – my wife Pauline and sons Adrian and Dominic – for your love, patience and support.

Thanks to my VM team led by our chairman Michael McMorris and the great team of executives and leaders, some of whom are here tonight, for the privilege of partnering with you in our work of transformation.

I am particularly proud of the work we are doing through our fairly new VM Foundation whose CEO is Samantha Charles, in the important areas of parenting, financial literacy and youth empowerment. 

My watchwords throughout my career have been love and faithfulness.

Love  – for family, colleagues, customers, Jamaica and the people of Jamaica.

Faithfulness  – I have tried to be faithful to duty in good times and bad times, to the vision, mission, purpose and values of VM. I have tried to be faithful to our business aspirations, to our pursuit of continuous improvement and to the National Pledge of Jamaica – “… to stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace, to work diligently and creatively so that Jamaica nay, under God, increase in beauty fellowship and prosperity and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race.”

I have also tried to be faithful to my commitment to financial inclusion and inclusive, equitable growth. I believe that sustainable economic growth is only possible when it is inclusive.

Finally, I celebrate Him who is faithful. I try to be faithful to a person, the Lord Jesus Christ who Himself loves us and who commands us to love each other. To Him, all the glory belongs.

AFJ team, continue your labour of love. Continue in your walk of faithfulness.

God bless you all. One Love.”