On February 14, 2025, Frank James was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer and a Director of GraceKennedy Limited. 

A dynamic and people-focused leader and strategic thinker, Frank is well-known for his financial acumen, tenacity and drive, and solutions-oriented approach. He is deeply committed to upholding GraceKennedy’s values of honesty, integrity, trust, commitment, humility, and respect. 

Since joining the Group in 2005 as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development for the then Information Services Division, Frank has held several leadership roles, playing a key part in GraceKennedy’s growth and success. In December 2006, he became Principal of GK Investments, now known as GraceKennedy Financial Group. In April 2010, he was seconded to GK General Insurance Company (formerly JIIC) as a member of the Management Team. Later that year, in November 2010, he joined GraceKennedy’s Corporate Finance and Accounting Department as Principal, and was appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer in July 2011.

As Group Chief Financial Officer and Director of GraceKennedy Limited from 2012 to 2019, Frank played a pivotal role in shaping key financial strategies that bolstered the Group’s performance. He also successfully led several strategic transactions for the group including acquisitions, divestments, capital structuring and raising.  

In 2019, he became CEO of GK Foods Domestic, driving significant growth in sales and further solidifying the Grace brand, while taking the division to record levels of profitability. Under his leadership, the Company modernized its manufacturing and supply chain operations, enhanced the look and feel of its Hi-Lo supermarket chain, and advanced its Environmental, Social and Governance agenda toward a more sustainable future, focusing on environmental responsibility, social impact and responsible products and services. 

Beyond the numbers, Frank’s leadership is driven by people. He believes strong teams build strong businesses, and his open-door policy and hands-on leadership style reflect that. Whether he’s on the ground in a manufacturing plant, listening to the ideas of GK team members, or engaging with customers, he leads with a genuine belief in collaboration, empowering others, and building trust.

A proud Wolmerian, Frank holds an MBA in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management, a B.Sc. in Management Studies and Accounting from The University of the West Indies and is a CFA charter holder.

He currently serves on the GraceKennedy Limited board and several subsidiary boards. He is also a Trustee of the GraceKennedy Limited Pension Schemes.

Frank has also contributed significantly to national development in the private and public sectors. He previously served as a Vice President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and represented the PSOJ on the Government of Jamaica’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC). He also served on the Trade Policy Committee of the Jamaica Exporters’ Association and as a Board Member of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE).

Outside the boardroom, Frank is deeply committed to his faith, family, and community. He serves as a Trustee of the Codrington Trust of the Anglican Province of the West Indies, a Lay Reader & Chalice Bearer at St. Andrew Parish Church, and actively contributes to the Diocese’s transformation initiatives. 

He is married to Stacy, and together they are raising three wonderful children. 

Frank believes leadership isn’t just about business—it’s about building a legacy of integrity, service, and opportunities for future generations.

Andrew Messado, a Finance and Accounting professional with years of experience in consolidation, budgeting, and accounting standards, became a Director of GraceKennedy Limited on April 1, 2019.

Mr Messado is the Group Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors at GraceKennedy Limited, having joined the company in 1999 and has held various positions within the Corporate Finance & Accounting Department, including Financial Analyst, Financial Accountant, Group Finance Manager and Group Comptroller.

He spearheaded the Group’s conversion to International Financial Reporting Standards and during his tenure has had oversight responsibility for accounting matters including coordinating financial reporting, auditing and budgeting processes. He has also been integral in various GK projects involving mergers, acquisitions, and divestments.

Mr Messado holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting (First Class Honours) and a Master of Science Degree in Accounting (Distinction) both from The University of the West Indies. He has structured training annually in the areas of leadership, accounting, finance, and treasury, including the High Potentials Leadership Program, Harvard Business School, Boston; Treasury Management and Financial Management, Euromoney, New York and the International Financial Reporting Standards, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, Kingston.

Mr Messado is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ).

Professor Gordon Shirley is the Chairman of GraceKennedy Limited and GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1996 and previously served as Chair of the Corporate Governance & Nomination Committee, and a member of the Audit Committee.

Professor Shirley is currently the President and CEO of the Port Authority of Jamaica. He has also served as Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States and has had a distinguished academic career at The University of the West Indies serving as the Carlton Alexander Professor of Management, Executive Director of the School of Business and as Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Mona Campus.

He has also served as the Executive Chairman of the Jamaica Public Service Company and has been a board member of several public and private sector entities.

He holds an MBA and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Harvard University and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from The University of the West Indies.

He has been conferred with the honour of the Order of Jamaica.

Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr was appointed to the Board on March 6, 2013. He is the Managing Director of PAMAS Ltd, a boutique data analytics firm. He is also a Vice President at the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica.

Dr Lyew-Ayee Jr specialises in advanced geographic information systems and data analytics, with applications ranging from the environment and natural hazards to crime and public health systems, road safety and business intelligence.

He sits on numerous boards, including as Chairman of Dairy Industries Jamaica Ltd, and on the board of GK Foods and Services Ltd. He is also Chairman of the Scientific Research Council and the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences and sits on the board of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica. He is also an Eisenhower Fellow (USA).

Dr Lyew-Ayee Jr holds a D.Phil. from the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, as well as a BSc in Earth Science from the UWI, Mona, Jamaica. He is also a member of several professional organisations and societies.

Mrs Gina Phillipps Black was appointed to the Board of Directors of GraceKennedy Limited on February 8, 2012, and as Chair of the Corporate Governance & Nomination Committee in 2014 a position she still holds. Mrs Phillipps Black is an Attorney-at-Law and Partner of Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, where she is Head of that firm’s Commercial Department.

Mrs Phillipps Black obtained her Bachelor of Laws Degree in 1989 at The University of the West Indies, Mona and gained her Certificate of Legal Education at Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica in 1991. She was admitted to the Jamaican Bar in October 1991. In the same year she joined Myers, Fletcher & Gordon, a prominent law firm in Jamaica that is the exclusive member firm in Jamaica for Lex Mundi – the world’s leading network of independent law firms.

Mrs Phillipps Black has experience in a wide range of commercial matters including corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, banking and securities law and regulation, security and loan documentation, company law and taxation.

She is ranked by Chambers &Partners and ranked as Highly Regarded by IFLR 1000. She was selected as an IFLR Women Leader for Jamaica for 2021, 2022 and 2023, on the basis of reputation and experience of working on complex deals, and leadership roles with her firm and practices.

She has served on the boards of several companies in the manufacturing and financial services industries (including GraceKennedy Remittance Services). She is currently Chairman of GK General Insurance Company Limited and is a member of the Board of GK Foods and Services Limited and GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC. For many years she served as a Member of the Board of Governors of St. Hugh’s Preparatory School. She is an active member of the Jamaica Bar Association’s Commercial Law Sub-Committee and the General Legal Council’s Proceeds of Crime Committee.

In 2013 Mrs Phillipps Black was appointed as a Member of the Management Board of Tax Administration Jamaica, and in 2016 she was appointed as its Chairman, a position she held until May 2021.

In April 2022 she was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Board of Jamaica Customs Agency, a position she continues to hold.

Dr Indianna Minto-Coy was appointed to the Board of GraceKennedy Limited on June 26, 2018.

Dr Minto-Coy is Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer at the Mona School of Business and Management at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She also leads the Entrepreneurship, International Business and Strategy arm and sits on the School’s Board of Directors. She researches and consults in Entrepreneurship and International Business, Diasporas and Migration, Disaster Risk Reduction, Business Continuity Management and Sustainability and has lectured in countries such as the UK, Spain and Peru.

Dr Minto-Coy serves on international Boards, including the Academy of International Business – Latin America and the Caribbean – the first Caribbean national to hold this position, the Diaspora Engagement Centre in Guyana and the Transformation Journal. She also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Comparative International Management and Revista de Administração de Empresas, and editorial Board member for the Journal of International Business Policy. She is Research Affiliate at the International Migration Research Centre, Wilfred Laurier University in Canada. Indianna is keen on helping to improve corporate governance across Jamaica’s public sector, serving as a founding member of the judging committee for the Ministry of Finance and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s Public Sector Corporate Governance Awards Programme.

She has been a consultant for the Government of Jamaica, having compiled the first draft of the Jamaica Diaspora Policy. Dr Minto-Coy has also won awards for her work, including the Principal’s Award for the Most Outstanding Researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences (2018 and 2020). She has held appointments at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Said Business School (University of Oxford), the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Shridath Ramphal Centre for Trade Policy, Law and Services, UWI, Cave Hill Campus and up to 2018, served on various committees at the Jamaica Stock Exchange and Jamaica Social Stock Exchange.

Dr Minto-Coy earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of West Indies and her Doctorate from the Law Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She is married with two children.

Vanessa Rizzioli was appointed to the Board on July 28, 2022.

Mrs Rizzioli is the principal consultant, founder and director of Cranwicke Consulting, a boutique finance transactions legal consultancy advising on projects and assignments in the UK and overseas. Prior to this, she was a Senior Legal Counsel at Thames Water Utilities Limited, the UK’s largest privately owned water utility. Previously, she held an originations role in London at a
niche New York based investment bank, with a focus on corporate financing and advisory services in the emerging markets. Mrs Rizzioli was also a corporate and project finance lawyer and Senior Associate at the law firm Freshfields in London and, on secondment, acting Legal Director of a UK corporate investor in major public sector projects.

She began her career at the law firm, Dunn Cox Orrett & Ashenheim in Jamaica and also worked in its associated office in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Mrs Rizzioli holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in corporate, securities and commercial law from Cambridge University (Queens College) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill). She is also a graduate of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.

She is a former trustee of the British Foundation for The University of the West Indies.

Mr Peter Williams was appointed to the Board of GraceKennedy Limited on April 1, 2021 and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Board on May 26, 2021.

Mr Williams is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Jamaica. He joined PwC in 1981 and was promoted to partner in 1993. Mr Williams retired from his role as PwC’s Assurance Services Leader for Jamaica in 2020, and at the time of his retirement he also served as the firm’s Jamaican hospitality sector leader, partner in charge of the Montego Bay office and as a member of its Technical Accounting Committee. In addition to these posts, he also previously led the firm’s Information Technology Advisory practice for four years and its Corporate Secretarial Services practice for two years. He has also led engagements for clients in the implementation of new accounting standards such as IFRS 9, Financial Instruments and IFRS 16, Leases.

He has four decades of experience in public accounting, assurance and consulting services for large public and private companies, multinationals and Government entities, and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica. Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from University College Dublin, Ireland.