Page 6 - JWN

Public Affairs
Department
tanikie McClarthy Allen
Director of Public AffAirs & sustAinAbility
As Director Tanikie McClarthy Allen puts it, “In a nutshell, the PAD manages the public perception of JWN as a corporate entity. The department drives the creation and maintenance of key stake- holder relationships with the government, strategic business partners, umbrella associations and other business leaders; whilst simultaneously aligning and operationalizing the work of the JWN Foundation and JWN’s presence in its communities.”
Valued from the core, the department’s daily impact is visible in stories about the business and its executives in the media; the resolution of issues with produc- tion; interfaces with tax and customs authorities; the brokering of meetings with various leaders in the business sector; plus supporting the consistent deliv- ery of key business messages with our e-newsletter.
McClarthy Allen expounded on the critical level of support played out by the team, saying, “It has resulted in positive media coverage of J$34 million in advertising equivalent value for the 2017 financial year, thereby building brand equity; positioning JWN as a true partner to the government and as a neces- sary component of brand Jamaica.”
She added, “Through our direct intervention with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Customs Department, we have saved
2 in high sPirits
the business over J$200 million; [we] have directly supported the lobby for the creation of a Double Taxation Treaty between Jamaica and Italy that will result in even more savings.”
McClarthy Allen also reflected on the savings and its spin-offs. “With a constant focus on efficiency and effectiveness that drives business like JWN, PAD’s major impact has come via the savings in tax dollars that we were able to secure. This will result in more capital being available for efficiency and to assist our structured costs as a percentage of the business.”
Given its external relations, the department also supports the commercial team— negotiating umbrella parish council rates, and public sector-private sector partnerships at the community level.
Some of those co-operatives included the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland parish councils for major upgrade and branding at Scott’s Cove; and in the Corporate Area at Red Hills Road and National Heroes’ Circle, where similar community-building initiatives are being undertaken.
“Because of the reach of the Public Affairs Department and its impact on multiple departments and areas of the business, it is paramount that we are at optimal,” commented McClarthy Allen on their efficiency.