New JIS CEO Ready For Task Ahead

Taking on the role as head of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) is an awesome responsibility and one for which Enthrose Campbell is fully prepared. 

  Ms. Campbell, a longstanding employee of the agency, was selected for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by the Public Service Commission.                                             

Her appointment was announced on January 2 by Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Information, Hon. Robert Morgan.  

The new CEO comes to the job with a wealth of knowledge and experience in media and leadership. 

She was Director of Production from 2009 to 2017, Deputy CEO from 2017 to March 2022, and acted as CEO before her appointment. 

Ms. Campbell has also worked in several substantive positions at the agency over the years, including Editor in the Radio Department from 1996 to 1998; Senior Copy Editor, Television Department from 1998 to 2000 and Manager, Radio Department from 2000 to 2009. 

This wealth of experience means that not only does Ms. Campbell know media, but she knows the JIS, and she is ready to take the agency to greater heights. 

“It’s not new territory because I’ve been working in all the areas, so now it’s to pull everything together,” she explains. 

“With the experience in almost all the areas… it makes the job somewhat easier. You know what to look for in products and services, you know when something isn’t right and how to fix it – that is important. So, that experience, I’m happy that I have,” she notes. 

One of her goals for the agency is to maintain its sharpness in the ever-changing landscape of media by offering engaging and informative stories.  

As the information arm of the Government, JIS updates the nation on the Government’s strategic priorities on macroeconomic stability and fiscal sustainability, healthcare and wellness, social protection, education, national security, among other areas. 

Ms. Campbell maintains that while the agency carries out this mandate to tell the growth and development story of the nation, “at the same time, people should feel good listening to or reading our stories… because they’re sharp, they’re precise and engaging”. 

She informs that in this year, plans are afoot to implement more of the tools from training the agency has undertaken. 

Another focus for the new CEO is to maintain the agency’s coveted ISO 9001:2015 certification, in addition to fostering more inclusion of the diaspora in the stories produced by the JIS. She also hinted at innovative new products to be expected from the agency in the short term. 

A Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) awardee for Excellence in 2019 and the 2013 Civil Servant of the Year, Ms. Campbell declares that the JIS “will not be left behind” as new trends emerge in media.  

She points out that the agency has been increasing its presence on all major social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

The new Social Media Department continues to be built out, the CEO notes, and recent hires include a graphic artist, digital marketing officers and content creators. This means that Jamaicans can expect to see a wealth of interesting and relatable content from the JIS, wherever they are.  

She thanks the members of the staff at the agency for their support, speaking fondly of the “excellent relationship” that she shares with her team. 

“I value my staff. When I came to my office this morning, I was blown away. They came out to meet me and, importantly, they prayed for me,” Ms. Campbell says. 

“I’m truly honoured to have been selected to work for my country at this level. It is a good feeling to know that people believe in you,” she notes. 

She adds that “it pays to work hard and to do a good job always. You’re as good as your last piece of work, so you always have to work hard at what you do, all the time. I don’t know how to do my job any other way but to do it well”.