8 Jamaicans make Caribbean’s Most Interesting People for 2013 list
From Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Having been named the Caribbean Journal’s Artist of the Year 2013, Jamaican singing sensation and The Voice winner Tessanne Chin also made the Journal’s list of 25 Most Interesting People for 2013, along with seven other Jamaicans.
The Caribbean Journal compiled the list based on those who were considered newsmakers for the year as well as those who made a difference in the region.
Stating that the list is in no particular order, Tessanne was touted as “uniting the Caribbean in a way largely unseen before. Chin was another reminder of the evergreen power of ‘Brand Jamaica’, and of the region’s talent for punching far above its weight.”
ATL Group and Sandals Resort International CEO Adam Stewart made the list with Caribbean Journal saying: He is a “young, dynamic leader in Caribbean tourism — how Sandals continues its regional expansion will be fascinating to follow.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was named for remaining the world’s greatest female track athlete and being a “breath of fresh air” amidst several doping scandals on the island; while Usain Bolt made the list because as Caribbean Journal puts it, “You can’t really make a list like this without including Bolt, perhaps the greatest sprinter of all time”. The Caribbean Journal dubbed Bolt “the closest thing the Caribbean has to a brand ambassador”.
Jamaica’s Minister of Finance Peter Phillips also made the Caribbean Journal’s list with the journal saying he “almost single-handedly negotiated what may be the most crucial economic agreement Jamaica has signed in a generation.”
The Journal admitted that the “jury’s still out on whether Jamaica can implement it” but said that Phillips “remains crucial to the country’s near and long-term plans”.
Opposition Leader Andrew Holness was described by Caribbean Journal as “one of his country’s most articulate and press-savvy advocates internationally (and, some would argue better than current Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller)”. The Journal added that following the Jamaica Labour Party leadership challenge from Audley Shaw, Holness also proved “he’s a pretty tough politician, too” in naming him among the among the Most Interesting.
Entrepreneurs Ingrid Riley and Tyrone Wilson rounded off the list of Jamaicans.
Caribbean Journal said Riley is one of the Caribbean’s best known entrepreneurs who is “trying to help connect the region’s information and technology sector — and doing a rather good job of it”.
Wilson who was also the Journal’s Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012, “is one of the leading media innovators in the Caribbean, with his eMedia Interactive Ltd. He’s trying to change the way the Caribbean watches television, and, so far, he’s succeeding”.
Others to have made the list include: St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves who “has become perhaps the official spokesperson for the Caribbean region” according to the Journal; and Rihanna.
To see the full list of the Caribbean’s 25 Most Interesting People for 2013 visit Caribbean Journal’s website at: http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/mobile/latestnews/8-Jamaicans-make-Caribbean-s-Most-Interesting-People-for-2013-list
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