August 22, 2011 Click here to view past publications online
Editor’s Note Women often wear so many hats, from Mother to Boss and many others in between. Sharon Roper, VP of Marketing at Flow Jamaica, gives us a glimpse into her busy life and how she manages to achieve balance. We also have a preview of
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the upcoming ‘A Big Baby Shower’ lifestyle event, our new column Fabulous in Your 30s plus more in this week’s issue of Your Style.
Live. Love. Laugh a Lot. Prominent Jamaican Women with Locks The Ultimate Dream Nursery Giveaway
Sharon Roper: Home is Where The Heart Is
Quote of The Week “To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.” - Josh Billings
Fabulous in Your Thirties
Hair
ProminentJamaicanWomen with Locks The natural coiling of black people’s hair has been given many names over the years, including locks, dreads or ras. Black hair begins to lock on its own once it has been left uncombed for a period of time. Perhaps because of this, lock wearers used to be looked down on by society. One couldn’t even think of joining the working world with locks! Today, locks have become a trend with various methods of locking the strands, plus multiple styling options for both women and men. It has been embraced across the board, from entertainment and media to academia to the corporate world. Here are a few Jamaican women at the top of their games who are all ‘locked’ and fabulous!.
Rita Marley The widow of the late, legendary Bob Marley has been sporting locks for as long as most of us can remember. Her crowning glory is usually covered in colourful wraps, but this is definitely her signature style.
Sharon Roper The Vice President of Marketing at Flow Jamaica has always felt close to Jamaica even though she was raised in England. This corporate lady rocks neat, jet black locks, which definitely complements her style.
Regina Beavers The Miss Jamaica World 2001 and current TV personality has always been known for keeping it real, so while it may have shocked some when she started wearing locks, most who knew her weren’t surprised at all. Regina is fun and playful with her locks and likes to experiment with hair colours and hair accessories.
Sharon Roper
Rita Marley
Paula-Ann Porter-Jones Arguably the best voice in local broadcastmedia, Porter describes her hairstyle as “whatever strikes me goes! My hairstyles are conducive to my lifestyle.” Although she doesn’t necessarily think her hairstyle reflects her, she is sure of one thing - her hairstyle has to be low maintenance to facilitate her busy life as a mother, wife and media personality.
Kamila McDonald-Alcock Recently married to singing sensation Siccature “Jah Cure’ Alcock, the Miss Jamaica 2009 contestant and former TV host is also known for her long, golden locks, which she has been wearing – uncut - for about 14 years.
Regina Beavers
Paula-Ann Porter-J
ones
Dennise Williams For Dennise Williams, Vice President of Marketing at Mayberry Investment, locking her hair became the most feasible option after acknowledging the continuous breakage of her hair when she used to wear other styles. Eleven years later, her locks are long and strong. For Dennise, locks is nothing more than a hairstyle, but “the best thing about locks is how healthy my hair has become and how easily it grows,” she said. Dennise Williams
Kamila McDonald-
Alcock
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Cover Story
Sharon Roper Home is Where the Heart Is
“ I understand the challenges in Jamaica, but actually, there’s a good life to be carved out if you can. I respect the economic challenges, but still, as a Jamaican living overseas, it’s not all fun, so I was very excited about coming home and starting again.”
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haron Roper strode into the head offices of Flow Jamaica with a small contingent of staff around her. The busy Vice President of Marketing, just returning from a meeting with government officials, stepped right into our interview without missing a beat. One could easily pardon any signs of fatigue or weariness – after all, it was the middle of a sweltering day, she has been busy all morning, plus she is pregnant; instead, she seemed to have energy to spare.
“I am passionate about anything I do. I won’t do it unless I believe in it 100 per cent,” she said, her strong British accent still fully in tact after seven years of Jamaican living. But don’t let the accent fool you. Jamaica has always been close to her heart and she is happy to be home. “As a child, I used to come back to Jamaica and that’s how I first appreciated my roots. I went home after my first trip and said to mum and daddy, ‘Tell me why you left again? I don’t get it’,” she laughed. “I understand the challenges in Jamaica, but actually, there’s a good life to be carved out if you can. I respect the economic challenges, but still, as a Jamaican living overseas, it’s not all fun, so I was very excited about coming home and starting again.” www.ezineslimited.com
Sharon has indeed carved out a good life since returning home. In fact, she has been able to continue her career trajectory even though she left the ‘first world’ behind. Her first job upon return was as Brand Manager at Digicel, which took her across the Caribbean building the company’s image. She joined the Flow team in 2009 as Director of Marketing. Sharon has brought a well-spring of knowledge and experience to both positions, coming out of her 15-year marketing career, which includes stints at PriceWatehouse Coopers and management, technology and outsourcing giant, Accenture, the largest consulting firm in the world. Not bad for a one-time aspiring teacher. “I actually completed my application to university to go and do math. In the middle of all of that, there was a strike on in the UK at that time because teachers weren’t paid very well, so I was suddenly thinking, ‘My gosh, when I’m a headmaster, is that what I’m going to earn?’” Sharon said. She was also longing to travel, so she changed her application to business and marketing.
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Cover Story Sharon has been able to tick ‘see the world’ off her bucket list as her jobs have taken her across Europe, North America and the Caribbean. She is yet to visit Asia, but she is not counting that out just yet. As a marketing professional, building brands is nothing new to Sharon. She considers herself a full-time brand ambassador for Jamaica and wants to use her experience, coupled with Flow’s technology to position the country as a prime location for overseas investment. This was the focus of her meeting with the government officials. “Brand Jamaica is seen as a tourist and music brand rather than a business brand and Jamaica really is ready for business,” she said. “One of the things I said I was coming home to do is raise the profile and let people see that there is more good than there is bad.” Although she might seem to live and breathe work, Sharon is not all business all the time. She actually returned to Jamaica to marry her fiancé, George. She is also a proud mother who recently sent her son off to college in the UK. She is currently preparing to welcome her second child, a daughter already nicknamed ‘Georgina’, in a few months. Balancing career and family has always been the unique challenge of the working woman, so how does she keep so many plates spinning at the same time? “My husband would tell you not very well,” she laughed. “Something I decided from early on is that I didn’t want to be someone who was a nine-to-fiver… I take the perspective that every day is my life, from the time I get up to the time I go to sleep… so anything I’m doing in that window, I have to enjoy. I try to merge the two where I can so I don’t have this constant ‘living-for-the-weekend’ mentality.” Her strategy involves working from home when she also needs to spend time with her family or taking them on business trips whenever possible: “It’s about doing the things that inspire me with my family or at work so I’m getting something from both, and being available for my family when my family needs me.”
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Whenever she gets to take her foot off the accelerator, Sharon loves to cook and host dinner parties. She has had plenty of practice as the oldest daughter in a family of nine children, where she was in charge of Sunday dinners. She is also into wines, but her sommelier course is on hold until her daughter is born. Sharon and her family also like to get out of Kingston and enjoy the north coast when they can. “I’m enjoying my life more in Jamaica than I enjoyed my lifestyle in the UK… You take time off here; you sit down and you just breathe,” she said.
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Lifestyle
by Naomi Garrick
TonianneR. Rankine Age: 30 Profession at 23:
Banquet and Sales Coordinator
Profession at 30:
Client Care Officer
Fabulous
in your 30s “Age ain’t nothing but a number.” “You are as young as you feel.” I’m sure you’re familiar with these adages. Many believe that one of the most personal questions you could ever ask a woman is her age, particularly if she feels she looks older than she actually is. Age 30 is when many women start turning back the clock, hoping to remain forever 29. However, there are many women out there who proudly own their 30s, embracing and celebrating each day as a gift. Check out our new monthly column Fabulous in Your 30s for a glimpse into the lives of Jamaica’s 30-something ladies.
One word that describes you Do you get offended when people ask your age? Not at at 30: Adventurous. all. Loving it or hating it? Loving Three great things about beit! ing 30: Independence,selfWhat were your thoughts motivated, discerning. about becoming 30? Have no What do you look forward to fear. in your 30s? Owning my own What had you hoped to ac- home, starting a family, ficomplish by 30? My own nancial independence. house. What are your goals for the What have you actually ac- next 30 years? Successful complished at 30? Stability. career and life decisions. Happiness. Is girls’ night out a thing of the past? Not at all. It is most Some words of advice for the 20-somethings out there: relevant and necessary. Fear not! Hamburger or steak? Steak. What song describes you at 30? ‘Live Your Life’ by TI and Rihanna.
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Family
The Ultimate
Dream Nursery Giveaway O
n Sunday, August 28, 2011 the East Lawn of Devon House will come alive with ‘A Big Baby Shower: A Baby and Child Lifestyle Event’, organized by children’s boutique Boy O Boy. Hosted by former Miss Jamaica Universe and BET celebrity personality Rachel Stuart-Baker and Z.J. Bambino, ‘A Big Baby Shower’ will focus on the emotional, practical and aesthetic aspects of pregnancy and parenthood. The overall aim of the event will be to inform, pamper and support mothers during the pregnancy and newborn experiences. Events like these usually cater solely to women while the few men in attendance stand around looking uncomfortable. This won’t be the case at ‘A Big Baby Shower’ as there will be an area dedicated completely to fathers and fathers-to-be called ‘The Daddy Lounge’. The event will be a day of fun-filled, family-oriented entertainment. However, the highlight of the evening will no doubt be the “The Ultimate Dream Nursery” giveaway, valued at over $500,000. Among the sponsors of this prize are Baby Bop, Babeelicious, Spaces and, of course, Boy O Boy. Your Style caught up with the women behind these brands to get their take on the grand event. According to Managing Director of Boy O Boy and event coordinator, Michelle Gordon, ‘A Big Baby Shower’ has been in the making virtually since she opened the boutique a few years ago. “You’re not able to get everything in one store, so I decided on an expo, but this is more of a lifestyle event than what people would expect from an expo,” she said. There will also be 12
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seminars where parents and expectant parents can get information on everything from breastfeeding to sex during and after pregnancy to signs and symptoms of post partum depression. And don’t get the blues of you don’t win the big nursery giveaway. There will be other prizes as well, including car seats, strollers, a weekend for two at a Sandals resort and a trip for two courtesy of American Airlines. “No one is supposed to leave empty-handed,” Gordon said. “The baby sector in Jamaica is just beginning to blossom and there are, in fact, a lot of opportunities in the market,” said Kerisha Cadogan, Managing Director of Baby Bop. She also stated that what separates ‘A Big Baby Shower’ for all other baby events is the wealth of knowledge that mothers and expecting mothers will be able to acquire in addition to the wide array of products that will be available. Janelle Pantry of Spaces echoed the same sentiments, adding that the event will be a great experience for the whole family. Spaces will be contributing items from its new youth furniture line, including bedside tables, lamps and rugs. The line will also be on display at the event. “‘A Big Baby Shower’ is a really good initiative for the industry,” said Shauna Hart of Babeelicious, who will be contributing a convertible crib and a dresser to the nursery. “I would encourage people to come out and see the best that the Jamaican baby industry has to offer.”
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