itel, the Caribbean’s largest homegrown business process outsourcer (BPO), today announced a strategic change in governance with the appointment of two new Independent Board Members.

Chris Williams, Group CEO, Co-Founder & Director of PROVEN Management Ltd., and US-based Michael L. Gerrard, CEO and Senior Managing Director at BroadSpan Capital LLC. will serve as independent Directors of the Board effective immediately.

These appointments reflect itel’s ongoing commitment to expanding its governance and leadership capabilities, increasing efficiencies and driving long-term growth and shareholder value. 

William’s pioneering achievements in the investment industry have established him as one of Jamaica’s leading business visionaries. He is a powerhouse of leadership with extensive experience providing strategic direction to drive operational excellence and revenue growth. In 2024, he announced his retirement as operational head of PROVEN, a US billion-dollar private equity company, which will be effective on January 31, 2025.

Gerrard’s distinguished career includes more than 21 years as an investment banking advisor across Latin America and the Caribbean. He has successfully advised global and regional corporations, financial institutions and government entities in a variety of complex mergers, acquisitions and restructuring assignments

“I am looking forward to the increased governance, as we work together with other members of the Board and itel’s senior management team to further enhance the company’s financial stability as we steer itel closer to where it needs to be for a successful liquidity event in the years to come,” stated itel’s Founding Chairman and CEO, Yoni Epstein, CD. “Their financial and business acumen will help to evolve our financing model and put the right deals in place at the right times.”

When asked about the mission at hand, William’s stated “Mike and I understand the assignment. itel is closing in on US$100 million of revenue. Our job is to make sure as much of that as possible hit the bottom line. Keep the operations simple and efficient. All stakeholders can rest assured that we will help the itel team to do just that.”

In October 2024, itel unveiled its newest technological innovation – itelligence®, a state-of-the-art platform, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), that will be used to enhance efficiencies within its contact centre operations and augment the performance and capabilities of human agents. This unveiling came only a month after opening the doors to itel’s newest purpose-built facility in Belize and only two months after the company announced significant investment in its sales team, which resulted in increasing its employee headcount in Jamaica to serve two new clients in the logistics and retail sectors. itel’s decisive action and resilience in the face of a rapidly evolving labour market and strong economic headwinds continue to advance the business and maintain its position as the region’s leading nearshore customer experience partner.