Smith
COLLIN SMITH is no stranger to the field of marketing getting his start at Grace, Kennedy & Company and then quickly moving up the ranks. It comes as no surprise that some of the country's top companies would be soliciting his marketing services.
Mr. Smith was recently appointed the head of Marketing Strategy, Planning and Communication at Cable & Wireless (C&W) after four years as a senior marketing executive with Desnoes and Geddes Limited, now Diageo Plc.
At Diageo, he developed and implemented all the strategic and promotional programmes for the stout and Malta portfolio. He was awarded for outstanding performance on the Guinness brand for 2002 and received a national 'Peer Award' for the concept and execution of the 'Cool Million' portfolio under the crown sweepstakes promotion.
As district manager of Warner Lambert International in 1999 he was responsible for the total marketing, advertising and promotion of all lines of the business in the West Indies region, traversing with responsibilities from Puerto Rico, Cayman Island, and Jamaica among other Caribbean territories. He was able to maintain Jamaica as the overall top sales territory.
His tenure at Radio Jamaica and QD and Ace International as group advertising and marketing manager respectively developed his marketing, analytical and social skills and gave him a solid foundation in the local and international marketing industry.
Born in Mandeville, Mr. Smith attended Manchester High where he graduated with an impressive nine O'Levels and two A' Levels. After earning a diploma in Business Administration (Mark-eting) at the University of Technology in 1988, he went on to pursue a bachelors in business administration (BBA) degrees at the University of Technology and Nova South-eastern University and public speaking and public relations at Princeton University where he represented Jamaica in international debating.
Mr. Smith has also attended several training conferences in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the United States.
HIGH PRAISES
He has had a long and distinguished career in the field of marketing and is described as one of the bright young minds in marketing in Jamaica today. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Cable & Wireless.
He was quick to point out that he works with a great team and had high praises for the leadership team at Cable & Wireless especially Gary Barrow whom he admires. When asked about the competition, he quickly responded by saying that "No longer will C&W allow the competition to define them, our main focus is not the competition, it is the consumer. We have placed consumers at the heart of our business and will deliver a superior product and service and let the consumers choose.
"The smokescreen, hype and fluff of the competition is fading, consumers are realising that they want to switch back to a true Jamaican company with a corporate and brand marketing focus. The competition cannot survive by telling consumers what we are not doing rather than proving what they are doing."
Mr. Smith made it clear that with the aggressive roll-out of new sites, the coverage provided by Cable & Wireless will be far superior and the company will therefore be able to offer a better consumer experience. He reiterated that the race in the telecommunications industry was not for the swift but for the discerning marketer who can tap into consumer insight and satisfy demands.
