Don Wehby a Jamaican of Uncommon Distinction – PM

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Dr. Andrew Holness, has hailed the late Don Wehby as a Jamaican of “uncommon distinction”.

He noted that the former Government Senator and GraceKennedy Limited Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was committed to nation-building, the renewal of communities and the development of all sectors of the country.

Dr. Holness said that Mr. Wehby was guided by principle, discipline and an unshakable belief in Jamaica’s potential.

“He believed in discipline – financial discipline, strategic discipline and technical discipline,” he pointed out.
Prime Minister Holness was addressing a ceremony for the induction of Senator Wehby in the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) 31st Hall of Fame, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Monday (December 15).

The honour, by the PSOJ, celebrates Mr. Wheby’s remarkable contributions to Jamaica’s private sector and to nation-building.

As a corporate leader, Dr. Holness said that Mr. Wehby helped to build enterprises that were resilient, well-governed and globally competitive.

“In an era often tempted by short-term gains, he insisted on long-term thinking. In environments that rewarded risks… he emphasised prudence, stewardship and responsibility. Those qualities were not simply personal virtues.

They were leadership principles that strengthened the organisations he led, and influenced the wider private sector,” he noted.

Dr. Holness said that Mr. Wehby never believed that leadership ended in the boardroom, noting that he answered the call to national service repeatedly and without hesitation.

He said that if Mr. Wehby were still alive today, he would be at the centre of marshalling support for those affected by Hurricane Melissa.

Highlighting Dr. Wehby’s service as Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service,

Dr. Holness noted that not many well-paid executives in one of Jamaica’s leading corporate entities, would go on sabbatical to work in the drudgery of government.

“He became one of my best friends in the Cabinet. I can assure you that Don’s presence in the Cabinet was a stabilising factor. It was as if you had a good technical advisor in the Cabinet… a Minister who was very sound and technically competent in matters of fiscal management, himself being an accountant, and more than that, he had a good sense of what was right,” he pointed out.

He noted that Mr. Wehby was never partisan.

“For Don, it was Jamaica first; people first; what is right, first. Don was never ideological. He was practical. He was focused on what worked, what would be implemented and what would endure. He believed that patriotism was expressed not through rhetoric but through results, and he believed that Jamaica’s constraints were not a lack of talent or ambition but the failure to fully align our institutions to our aspirations,” he said.

The Prime Minister thanked Mr. Wehby’s immediate family for allowing Jamaica to have the benefit of their late father, brother, friend, patriot and public servant.

He said that Jamaica will continue to honour Mr. Wehby’s legacy by building institutions that can fulfil the aspirations of Jamaican people.

For his part, PSOJ President, Metry Seaga, said Mr. Wehby contributed greatly to nation-building through his service to the private and public sectors.

“Long before the accolades or the high offices, Don embodied the principle that nation-building begins with people. Whether through the Grace and Staff Foundation, the Campus Connect Food Bank, his love for youth and sport or his countless acts of generosity, Don lived the belief that every Jamaican deserves a fair chance.

“He proved that corporate leadership and community upliftment are not separate missions – they are one and the same,” Mr. Seaga said.

“I am honoured and humbled that I could give to Don; my friend, the honour that he truly deserved, because if ever there was a leader who showed us what compassionate purpose-driven service looks like, it was the Honourable Don Wehby,” he expressed.

Mr. Wehby died on July 26, 2025 at the age of 62.

In October 2024, Mr. Wehby was one of eight Jamaicans vested with the nation’s fourth-highest honour, the Order of Jamaica (OJ).