Donna Marie Howe Leads With Purpose

The stereotypical image of the head of a mining company is a big burly man with thick muscles and a personality to match. However, the Boss at the Jamaica Bauxite Mining (JBM) Limited certainly obliterates that widely-held view. Managing Director, Donna Marie Howe, has been at the helm of this government-owned mining company for the past two years. And clearly, it is her passion, expertise, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership style that landed her at the top of this male-dominated industry.

Acknowledging that there have been some roadblocks and hurdles, Howe declared that “I achieve with my purpose-driven approach.”

“When I sit around the table and I'm the only female in this male-dominated environment, their perspectives are very much the same; they still talk about it in the age where it was before. I bring a fresh perspective to it, about sustainability. I have a broader vision because I think about environmental issues, the softer issues. They are factors that we have to consider. The social-cultural is a substantial part of any decision that is made,” the Managing Director explained in a conversation with Caribbean Today.

The London-born British-Jamaican settled in Jamaica 12 years ago and served in the public sector before taking on the leadership role at JBM. With an MBA in finance and doctorate in global finance Howe joined global consulting firm Ernst and Young in London where she honed her skills for seven years. She then worked with Fortune 500 companies such as General Motors and CBS in corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions, building a structured corporate and international foundation. Now as Managing Director at JBM, Howe brings a new focus to what was once a bauxite trading company.

STRATEGIC FOCUS

Established in 1975, JBM acted as the government’s representative in partnership agreements with bauxite and alumina multinational mining partners. The government entity no longer participates in bauxite trading, but still holds the majority 51% equity in Jamaica Bauxite Partners operations providing oversight over all mining activities.

Howe’s mission is to realign JBM’s strategic focus in line with today’s concerns while strengthening its business model to grow revenue and repurpose some of its assets. The Managing Director noted that the bauxite mining company, which has been in operation for seven decades, is rich in bauxite resources, assets, and land. But, with the company no in longer mining operations, instead managing extraction partners, Howe redefined JBM’s core activity and purpose. She then incorporated the assets within the business plan and came up with a new strategic direction.

“We’re a government entity, 100%, but we have a private sector commercial purpose. Governments should be successful. We have these assets and we’re putting them to best use, and the wholesome parts of that is regeneration,” explained Howe.

FOUR PILLARS

One of JBM’s biggest assets is the Reynolds Pier Port in Ocho Rios once the major hub from where all bauxite was exported. It has since been used for sugar export, but has now been repurposed to export limestone, an important resource for the local and international markets. In fact, the port operations forms part of the Managing Director’s four pillars, or strategic business units, towards its new strategic direction.

The second pillar involves land development or commercial property where real estate that has been idle will be repurposed to generate additional revenue. So, the building of retail outlets, housing developments, hospitality outlets, and a commercial park are planned as part of this new focus. The third pillar also has to do with land, but will involve mined out land that will be given new uses such as agriculture, limestone activity. The fourth leg of the company’s strategic focus is

custodial management, which means managing all these operations with sustainability and environmental responsibility.

“So how do we do that responsibly? “How do we do that green? Climate action is something that we all need to address and JBM is at the forefront of that. We've got green projects on the horizon. How we use those, and the waste management, how they get recycled back in with reclamation, we’re doing all that through the different pillars of our organisation.”

She added that JBM is looking into green financing, green construction, alternative products, and reducing carbon emissions at the Port. And importantly, the mining boss warned that the extraction industry is going to be heavily regulated by governance. Critical raw materials will be regulated by US and EU laws and most of our suppliers are the EU and the US. It's inevitable that we have to be compliant. So getting ahead of the curve is really important, How stressed.

Indeed, her forward thinking has been lauded not only by her peers within the industry, but also by international organizations. Last year she was formally recognized as a Corporate Woman Leader from the London-based Caribbean Global Awards, an entity that celebrates accomplishment, leadership, and innovation amongst Caribbean nationals, descendants, and their supporters. Asked how she felt about the award, Howe noted that she doesn’t purposely lead as a woman, she leads “with a concerted effort, I’m purposeful, I’m a passionate leader.”She extolled the power of human capacity, the importance of client and service delivery, the symbiotic relationship that comes out of working together on a transformational path.

Obviously a demanding job, one that demands her full attention all the time, this wife and mother of three energetic young children finds time to bring balance to her full life through meticulous scheduling, yoga, meditation, and meaningful family time.