Pauline Gray (second right) with colleagues at a cocktail reception at the SAJ last Thursday. From left are Condell Stephenson, APM Terminals, Erol Smith of Lasocean Agencies, retired Industrial Relations Manager, Russell Keith and Harry Maragh, President of the SAJ. - Contributed KINGSTON:
THE LOCAL shipping industry is now mourning the loss of Pauline Gray, General Manager of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), who died Saturday, April 5, at the Kingston Public Hospital.
Mrs. Gray and St. Lucian management consultant, Lawson Calderon, perished after the vehicle in which they were travelling yesterday was swept away by heavy flood waters in the Cassia Park Gully in Kingston.
SAJ President, Harry Maragh, has expressed condolence to their families, friends and colleagues.
"Pauline was a dynamic member of the SAJ team. She was bright and enthusiastic and in all her endeavours, aimed for excellence. She has made an invaluable contribution to support the viability of not only the Port of Kingston but regional shipping in general. Her significant contributions have paved the way for exciting developments in the local shipping industry," the President said. "She will be sadly missed".
Mrs. Gray became General Manager of the SAJ in 2001 and has since been leading the Association through a transformation process, which has seen the establishment of the SAJ Montego Bay Chapter and the rehauling of security arrangements on the port. The first female General Manager in the 64 year history of the SAJ, she was also the Executive Vice-President of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), an appointment she took up in November last year.
She was Executive Director of the Jamaica Exporters Association for several years and prior to that, was Public Relations Manager at SAJ between 1985 and 1992. She has provided competitiveness strategy support to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Export Development Agency and assisted with the design of Small and Micro Enterprises (SME) Business Development Support Service strategies for several projects as far a field as Croatia.
In 1997, Mrs Gray was named Jamaica's seventh Eisenhower Fellow (the second female to be awarded this honour since the inception of this programme in 1959). The New York-based Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, honoured her during its Salute to Women History Makers in 1999, for outstanding contribution to the regions' economic and community development.
Mrs. Gray was also President of Jamaica New York Partners of the Americas, and a Board member of Port Computer Services and the Caribbean Maritime Institute Trust Fund and Chairman of the Kingston Portworkers Superannuation Fund and operated a Management Consulting Team.
She was married to Calvin Gray and had a daughter, Kimberly.
