BY KESI ASHER, Staff Reporter
Edgar Watson - CONTRIBUTED
EDGAR WATSON INVESTS his life in a world of finance.
As the general manager of finance and investments for the Jamaica Agricultural Development Foundation (JADF), Watson is deep in finance. "My company is heavily involved in agriculture, however, our investment and income streams are not limited to that sector," Watson said.
The astute and very sophisticated businessman says the success of his daily function in investment is due, in part, to his positive work ethic.
PRESSURE IS GOOD
"I am goal-oriented. I believe in setting targets. I also believe in decision making that is driven by information," said Watson. He believes in the benefits of pressure, where his employees are concerned.
"Pressure is good, in a sense, for character building," said the general manager, who points out that he is blessed with a competent set of employees.
"We are fortunate enough to have a set of qualified, dedicated employees, who are committed to ensuring that the Foundation satisfies it's mandate. I believe that the development of human capital is critical to our participation at the Caribbean level in the Caribbean Single Market, as well as in the global economy."
Another success method of Mr. Watson is communication. "I also believe in communication, information must flow both ways," he added. Despite the various techniques which he implements to ensure his and the organisation's success, there have been challenges.
Major challenges for his company were rising inflation and falling interest rates. As the company continued to deliver valuable service to it's stake holders, the Jamaican farming community, Watson, as general manager finance and investments, had to meet these challenges.
REWARD BEING A GM
"In order to address the challenge, we had to diversify our investment portfolio with a balance between real estate, stock market, equity financing, value-added projects and debt financing," he explained.
Unlike the challenge, the rewards of being the general manager have been very fulfilling to Watson.
"Part of the fulfilment of being the manager is the joy of working with people and through other people. There is further joy in having the opportunity to teach and impart knowledge dealing with methods and techniques in order to further the development of the individual," Watson revealed.
The up-side of management, however, also has its down-side. "The downside to that is that it's always sad when you have to part with the individual. Of course, that is always something you have to be prepared for. The major satisfaction I get as a professional is the opportunity to be involved in all major areas of investment activities," said Watson.
On a personal note, Watson attended Oberlin High, St. George's College, University of the West Indies, College of Arts Science and Technology (now Univerity of Technology), and Stanford University. He is married and has an 11-year-old daughter.
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