Tina Myers Matalon - The Marketer behind two brands

Tina Myers Matalon

From the age of twelve years old she has shown her independence. Her strong will and flair as a marketer was undeniable, and today Tina Myers Matalon is the marketing force behind two of the most potent brands in the local restaurant sector - Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and sister company Pizza Hut.

Even though Tina did not study marketing extensively, it has become her specialised field. She obtained a degree in International Business before going on to secure marketing certification from Cornell University in New York. She garnered much experience through many travels and has worked as a marketing director for Resort Marketing in Florida.

Her family soon realised that her presence was missing from the Restaurants of Jamaica family business. With her penchant for marketing, she was aptly placed at the forefront of the company's marketing efforts. Tina has been the marketing manager at KFC for the last five years.

"I consider myself crazy about brand development," Tina confessed to Buzzz. She also admitted to being crazy about family and also about her country.

"My father was often referred to as a visionary, so I would like to keep the vision alive. That's why I came back to Jamaica to give back to my country," she stated.

Business influence
Born to parents Lorna and Anthony Myers, who founded Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ) in 1975, Tina's family environment and upbringing was strongly influenced by entrepreneurship and business. Yum Brands Inc. is the mother company for KFC and Pizza Hut and ROJ is operated by her brother Mark Myers, who is the managing director. Her sister, Michelle Myers-Mayne, is a director in the company. Although not actively involved in the business, her mother Lorna Myers still oversees the company.

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Keecha Hamilton -Tackling Telecoms Costs One Call at a Time

Keecha Hamilton

Keecha Hamilton is responsible for all operations of the Canadian and Jamaican offices of People's Telecom Jamaica Limited, a telecommunications company formed from a liaison between Hamilton and Eric McGregor.

The two partners could not understand why international calling remained so expensive after two years of deregulation, and recognised the need for a homegrown carrier to offer an affordable solution to Jamaicans at home and abroad. Hamilton, then twenty-six years old, and McGregor decided there and then that they would take on the responsibility to provide the average Jamaican with access to affordable means of communication. The company officially began operating in July, 2003. Miss Hamilton is now one of a few female telecoms entrepreneurs in the Caribbean.

"My decision to go into telecoms really came from a love of my country and my people, as I felt that the cost of communication prevented persons from speaking freely," Miss Hamilton told Buzzz.

"Call me back and 'please call me' became popular phrases. As a woman and as a Jamaican, I found it insulting. In the twenty-first century, black people…black women, should at least be able to afford to speak on the phone when they want. Having friends and family overseas strengthened my zeal. I was concerned about families and friends throughout the Diaspora who were ill-affected by high communication costs and wanted to do something about that."

As telecoms is male-dominated (particularly European-male and multinational-dominated), during the licensing process and the process of acquiring an office/interconnection agreement, Miss Hamilton experienced some difficulties. Most people took a long time to understand the efforts of the company and felt that it was wishful thinking for a small company to compete with giants.

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