Yesterday, as downtown Kingston saw the sun begin its descent into the sea, a landmark building began a new ascent as the Digicel Delves Building, in honour of former Group CEO Colm Delves who passed away last year.

Founder and Chairman of Digicel Denis O’Brien hosted a ceremony with a few gathered (mindful of COVID-19 restrictions) to witness the auspicious occasion.

The master of ceremonies was former Group Head of HR, Pat Casey.

SERVED AS GROUP CEO FOR 13 YEARS

The Digicel Building, located at 14 Ocean Boulevard was officially opened by former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller in 2013 with the aim of housing 1,300 employees and serving as its world corporate headquarters.

Colm Delves served as Digicel’s Group CEO for 13 years. When he began his tenure, Digicel reported revenues of US$478 million. When he left, the company was posting revenues of US$2.5 billion.

It was not all about the bottom line for Colm Delves. Those who worked with him and encountered him speak of his humility, his acumen, his professionalism and the way he engendered affection and respect.

People speak of him as being a humble man – yes, he was, but he was more than that. He was a man of acute intelligence and depth. A man of vision and temperance, he strove to make Digicel a world communications player, with a presence across continents. He was always concerned about the welfare of those within the Digicel family and it is only fitting that his name is now on the building. He may have been embarrassed about all the fuss and attention but it is totally warranted.

DELVES CONTINUES TO LEAVE INDELIBLE MARK

Digicel Jamaica board member Harry Smith, former CFO Lawrence Hickey and long-standing employee Debbie Williams all spoke heartfeltly and eloquently about Colm and what he brought and meant to Digicel. He continues to leave an indelible mark on the company that began operations 20 years ago.

Colm’s brother, John Delves, gave a fitting tribute and spoke of what his partnership with Denis O’Brien had created. He noted the high regard in which Colm is held by Digicel and the people of the Caribbean. John did not fail to point out that Colm was a family man who was always there for those he loved and cherished.

Chairman Denis O’Brien drew attention to Colm’s contribution to Digicel, his work ethic and leadership qualities. He added that a day doesn’t go by without him asking himself, ‘How would Colm deal with this situation? What conclusions would he draw and how would he then proceed?’

We can all now look to the downtown Kingston skyline and remember what Colm Delves gave us.

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