Sundays at the Beach

Busy Canadian executives fulfils her dream to influence corporate culture and spend more Sundays on the beach.

Image by Jewel Grande, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Charmaine Tial is a director of consulting and deals at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Canada. She travels extensively across North America and Africa consulting clients on project management and implementation of the Oracle solution.

When she joined the company nearly 15 years ago she stood out among a predominantly Caucasian middle-aged male population. Racial diversity wasn’t necessarily a priority of the recruitment strategy and it became obvious to her that the few people of colour in the organization “didn’t have relationships as colleagues or talk much to each other”.

A quiet mover and shaker, she determined to stir the culture and became a founding member of the Black Professionals Circle.

“I wanted to form a network forum for people of colour to come together, mentor and coach each other; do events and bring in other people of colour who are making a difference and help to elevate the community,” Charmaine explained.

Charmaine Tial, director of consulting and deals at PwC Canada is building a professional legacy in Canada and a personal one in Jamaica.

As a participant in PwC’s university talent recruitment that annually recruits about 50 university graduates and trains them over a two-year period, she helps her coachees to develop and connect with mentors in the organization and glean from them. “I wanted to offer this to the BPC members,” she shared.

Shaping corporate culture globally

Today the BPC, rebranded the Black Professionals Network, is a model at PwC and partners with diversity networks in other organizations to connect and elevate the community.

According to the Valuing Differences page of the PwC website, the “Black Professionals group works to increase the support, knowledge and skill development of its members for career management and strategies for advancement.”

“I see a lot more black people in the organization. The organization references us when doing bids for work as many companies are multicultural and want to see diversity in their partners. Some partners in turn publish our events to their networks. We’ve partnered with Dentons (a global law firm) and we have a major networking event every year that brings out our clients and community partners,” Charmaine shares of the BPN’S impact.

“Even the CEO and several senior partners come and participate in our events,” she adds. The outside community has also taken note and honoured Charmaine with the Afro Global 2018 Excellence Award for Professional Achievement.

That’s the kind of mover and shaker Charmaine Tial is.

Thirteen years into her job something else started to needle her. “I wanted to spend more Sundays at the beach,” the mother of two adult children reflected.

Memories of her childhood growing up in Jamaica and the adulation she received when she shared her Jamaican heritage—especially in the African countries she travelled to—reinforced her desire to establish some ties with the island.

Reconnecting with Jamaica

“I left Jamaica when I was 13 years old with my brother and we came to Canada to join my mom. I didn’t go back for 17 years. When my grandmother passed I went back to Jamaica for the first time as it was her request to be buried there,” recounted Charmaine.

On her first visit to her old neighbourhood in St. Elizabeth, Charmaine fondly recalls re-connecting with a childhood friend who showed her so many sites on the island she felt like a bird in paradise.

“I had such an amazing time I decided then and there that I was coming back the next year for a vacation and to explore more of the island,” she said.

One year later, she promptly returned and did this for several years, enamoured every time by the new places she discovered and the warmth of the people whom she says “always made me laugh. I couldn’t get enough of going home. When I landed it just felt right.

“I found myself viewing houses and villas for sale online for about two years and then a friend told me about a place they thought would be perfect for me.”

Charmaine took one look at this view from a villa for sale in Montego Bay, Jamaica and made an offer on spot!

A well fruited property offering varieties of mangoes, breadfruit, ackee, starfruit, sweetsop, avocadoes, coconuts, pomegranates and june plums, it evoked fond memories of her St. Elizabeth home where as a child she enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face as she walked and picked an abundance of exotic tropical fruits daily.

Pursuing the dream - a personal legacy

Without hesitation, Charmaine made an offer on spot. “I didn’t have a mortgage or anything in place” she shared, “I just thought well if I can dream it, I can do it.”

Her offer was refused. But within a couple of months the realtor called back. The property was back on the market. “This time I got serious and prequalified for a mortgage with Jamaica National,” she shared. Within five months the deed was in her name.

“I walked unto the verandah and all I saw was the ocean and I felt the ocean breeze and it reminded me I wanted to spend more Sundays on the beach and more time slowing down and enjoying life,” Charmaine said. She aptly named it Ocean Winds. It was a place she felt safe.

Tucked away in a hillside suburb 10 minutes from the airport in Montego Bay, the location was spot on for Charmaine who knew she also wanted to be based somewhere metropolitan enough to still access many of the creature comforts she enjoys back in Canada.

“I immediately saw the opportunity of the villa. I saw I could do it as a vacation home and rent it out. I saw that I could use it as Airbnb, because [the rooms each have a private entrance] and I saw it as a way for me to be in Jamaica and make an income and make the dream possible. Then I did some research on how much vacation homes were renting for in the area,” she excitedly revealed of her dream plan.

The projected ROI made sense and with the help of a friend, Charmaine began renovations of the 30-year old property to convert it into a villa worthy of her dream.

Two years in, she’s refurbished several rooms, replaced all the windows, plumbing and electrical, tiled and painted. On the exterior she’s updated the landscaping, built a jerk pit and barbeque and updated the pool for much outdoor fun.

Charmaine’s refurbished 5 bedroom villa in the hills of Montego Bay is a retreat for family and tourists.

Asked about the renovation process, she says it was done on budget within a mere six months.

“I was able to find all the materials I needed for the renovation in Jamaica. I visited often, made all major purchases myself and had them delivered. I had workers stay on site to minimize downtimes and to manage project timelines and stay on budget,” she shared.

In her absence a trusted colleague acted as project manager. He also stayed on site during the renovation process. Familiar with the work culture and labour costs, he handled work negotiations and payment of the workers.

Capitalizing on the sharing economy, Charmaine now markets the property on several holiday rental sites.

“We’ve begun to earn with guests coming in from Europe, North America and even Brazil,” she says with a humble yet satisfying pat on the shoulder.

Online guest reviews confirm the serenity of the place and the homely hospitality are hallmarks of their stay.

The dream has come full circle for Charmaine who still straddles her time between Canada and Jamaica. The best part of it all she says is sharing it with others.

“I think I’m overbooked for Christmas,” she laughed,“I’m not sure where I am going to put my family.”

Charmaine gets to spend Sundays at the beach.