She gave service to her country in the areas of industrial development, national charitable causes and commercial and community development

Leslene Davis, a Jamaican pioneer for women’s leadership in service to her country in the areas of industrial development, contributions to national charitable causes and commercial and community development, died at home in Kingston yesterday.

Between the years of 1966 and 1981, Davis served as a civil servant within the Ministry of Industry and Commerce working directly under Government Ministers Robert Lightborne, P.J. Patterson and Danny Williams. She played a key role in conceptualizing and rolling out the industrial revolution in Jamaica known as Garmex. 

This spawned the genesis of the manufacturing of clothing made in Jamaica by Jamaicans for the purposes of export. After special national events, such as Hurricane Gilbert, where the health sector needed specific crisis-related intervention, she championed fundraising activities for hospitals throughout Jamaica in 1991, as the Chairman of Health Jamaica Trust, a charitable organization endorsed by the Ministry of Health within the Government of Jamaica.

First-of-its-kind charitable concert

Davis curated a charitable concert, the first of its kind ever to be done in Jamaica, which saw the international entertainer Harry Belafonte performing on the island with proceeds to benefit the hospitals of Jamaica. The result of this provided critically needed medical supplies, hospital beds and hospital furniture island-wide. 

In 1994, she delivered to Jamaica through entrepreneurship, the first of its kind commercial development, which seeded Ocho Rios, St. Ann with over a hundred 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom condominium residences that were operated and managed by a hotel chain. The commercial development was known as Crane Ridge and entered the market branded and operated as Comfort Suites, which is known today as Mystic Ridge Resort. 

From 1996 through to 2017, Davis continued to contribute to nation-building through the creation and development of new communities, in response to the crisis of housing stock shortages for the workers of Jamaica. Through joint venture partnerships with the Government of Jamaica, she developed over two thousand housing solutions for the workers of Jamaica in the parishes of St. Elizabeth (Gazeland Meadows), St. Mary (Liberty Estates Phases 1,2,2 Annex and 3), St. Catherine (Cedar Grove Estate) and St. Andrew (Diamond Court). 

Provided market-discounted service lots 

As a Principal and Director of Landmark Developers Ltd and the Consortium Group of Companies, Davis assisted thousands of Jamaicans by providing market-discounted service lots, which made it affordable and easy for the workers of Jamaica to own their first piece of land on which to build their dream home. Through this entrepreneurial endeavour, she assisted many Jamaican workers to access loans and/or credit from financial institutions using their land titles as collateral, which would have helped in paying for the education of their children and capitalizing small and medium business enterprises for the growth of the Jamaican economy. 

Born on March 21, 1946. Davis was 77 years old when she lost her battle with cancer this yesterday. Her daughter, Melissa Silvera nee Walter; son-in-law Jolyan Silvera and grandsons: Adam, Aden and Axel carry on her legacy. Celebration of Life arrangements will be announced.