Overview
August 1, 2022, marked a very special milestone in the life of our School, as ten (10) years ago on August 1, 2012, the Mona School of Business (MSB) and the Department of Management Studies (DOMS) merged to form the Mona School of Business & Management (MSBM).
We have planned a series of activities to commemorate this significant milestone which includes the inaugural James Moss-Solomon Memorial Lecture. Up to the time of his passing, Jimmy, as he was affectionately called, served as an Executive in Residence at MSBM, where he leveraged his years of executive management experience, social capital and vast personal and business networks to provide tremendous support to faculty, staff and students. In honour of his life and legacy, MSBM has decided to launch this lecture series to bring together members of academia and industry to contend with the business and management issues which were so dear to him.
About Jimmy Moss Solomon
Mr. Moss-Solomon was a business executive, public commentator, philanthropist, patriot, and so much more; but to us at MSBM, he was a remarkable friend, supporter, mentor, and confidante. To many simply “Uncle Jimmy” and for the Marketing team he was “Captain.”
Whether it was to identify speakers or solicit sponsorship for events, find internship opportunities for students in the Master in Business Management (MBM) programme or identify suitable projects for the Master in Business Administration (MBA) Field Projects, Jimmy could be counted on to simply make a call. He was passionate about building meaningful relationships between the University and industry. He was keen on the University and Business School being relevant and responsive to the needs and demands of the Country/Region, to develop research solutions that could positively impact the industry and commerce, and to produce graduates who are ready to take their place in an ever-changing world.
Jimmy demonstrated unreserved passion for and commitment to young people. His interaction with particularly the MBA and MBM students was legendary. He made space for them, scheduling frequent meetings with them as they prepared for various group projects, introducing them to his network of resources and ultimately mentoring them. This commitment to students continued in his role as part of the Steering Committee for the Vincent HoSang Entrepreneurship Programme, where he helped to nurture and provide validation of their entrepreneurial ideas. Additionally, he was one of the driving forces behind the MSBM Reasoning Series with CEOs, a forum which provided students with an opportunity to interact with CEOs in a “town hall” setting and thereby gain useful insights about the experience and vision of the CEO. It was Jimmy’s firm belief that students would benefit from this type of exposure in our quest to produce well-rounded graduates.
Jimmy was a man for all seasons. He read widely and wrote and spoke on a range of issues, be it climate change, electric vehicles, 5G, the business of sugar and, of course, world politics. He could be described as a “pracademic”, fusing his vast industry experience with scholarship, always keen to be on the cutting edge of business. In that regard, he was a major catalyst for the School’s advocacy role in offering a series of Public Fora that facilitated discussions on topical business and management issues and also served as a Guest Lecturer for several courses.
Jimmy “walked with kings but never lost the common touch.” He always made himself available and was unapologetic in his love for Jamaica and the promise of its future, once we took the opportunity to be honest with each other and move with a purpose borne out of self-respect and respect for others.