Keith Duncan, who, along with two others, heads the list of outstanding Jamaicans who will be honoured by the Governor-General on Heroes Day, October 20, is grateful for the acknowledgement of his decades of efforts towards nation-building.

Duncan is being recognised for his exceptional service in the field of finance, business, and social development.

The others to be conferred with the Order of Jamaica are Jamaica Stock Exchange Managing Director Marlene Street Forrest and Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie.

“To be awarded this great honour is extremely gratifying! Gratitude is a mus’. I believe in Jamaica, and I believe we really can become and are on our way to Jamaica being ‘the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business’,” Duncan told Our Today during an interview on Wednesday, August 6, after the announcement was made.

“I am really fulfilled when I am working for the advancement of our country and our people. I am always motivated to be a part of the solution to advance the best interests of our beautiful country,” he said.

Duncan added that Jamaica is on a good path, and “come what may”, Jamaicans must continue to put in the work to drive inclusive economic growth.

“So, let’s not ease up and allow our path to be derailed under any circumstances. We have built a stable and resilient macroeconomic foundation and made the investments in national security from which we are seeing great results in reduced crime levels that we should be able to sustain and continue to reduce… and once we continue the efforts in education, healthcare,
skills development and community development, we are unstoppable as a country. As our Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr Andrew Holness, recently said, and I endorse that, we can be the Singapore of the Caribbean,” Duncan told Our Today.

He believes Jamaica is a powerful brand, thus his reasons for staying over the decades and helping to build with the industrious, creative, and resilient people.

Duncan has been a leading voice in the monitoring and management of both the economic and social development of Jamaica.

Since 2005 he has been the Chief Executive Officer of JMMB Group Limited, with responsibility for the overall performance and charting the strategic direction of the business. Under his leadership, JMMB was conferred with the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Award for Excellence in Business Leadership in February 2020, and the ‘Best of Chamber Award’ from the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce in March 2011.

Duncan served as President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) between 2019 and 2022 and also served as Vice President of the PSOJ between 2012 and 2014.

Duncan, the son of late politician DK Duncan, was inducted into the PSOJ Hall of Fame in October 2024.

He is currently Co-Chair of PROJECT STAR—a partnership for social and economic transformation in Jamaica and a private sector-led initiative. Duncan is also a past president of the Jamaica Securities Dealers’ Association (JSDA) and currently chairs the Government of Jamaica’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee.

Additionally, in April 2022, Duncan received the International Achievement Award from The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) for his leadership and work in the area of National Development.

Duncan holds the Chartered Financial Analyst accreditation and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario.