Richard Byles wins RG Platinum Award as RJR Gleaner honours Jamaican excellence

The RJR Gleaner Communications Group staged its 2025 Honour Awards on June 7, celebrating Jamaicans and Jamaican institutions whose work has strengthened national life in culture, business, education, public service, sport and entertainment. Richard O. Byles, governor of the Bank of Jamaica, received the night’s top RG Platinum Award after also being honoured in public service.

Executive chairman Joseph Matalon opened the event by saying the awards reflect the group’s wider commitment to recognising people who build, serve and sacrifice for Jamaica. He also acknowledged Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica who helped communities after Hurricane Melissa, saying their volunteer response deserved to be remembered even outside a formal award category.

The 2025 selection committee was chaired by Douglas Orane and included Audrey Hinchcliffe, Meena Israel, Michael Fennell, Jerome Hamilton, Paris Lyew-Ayee Jr. and Vivian Crawford. Orane said the committee reviewed 105 nominations and made difficult choices from a wide field of positive national contributions. No awards were presented this year in health and wellness or science and technology.

Marisa Benain received the special award in arts and culture for her work in Jamaica’s creative sector, including Plié for the Arts, Amalgamation, Jamaica Creative and the Little Theatre Movement Foundation. Yasus Afari was honoured in arts and culture for his long contribution as a dub poet, author, performer and Rastafari cultural advocate.

Lifetime achievement awards in entertainment went to Monty Alexander, Burning Spear and the late Ernie Smith. Alexander was cited for more than six decades linking jazz with Jamaican music; Burning Spear for roots reggae, Rastafari consciousness, Pan-African identity and Garveyism; and Smith for songs that chronicled Jamaican life across six decades. Smith died on April 16, 2026, after being selected for the honour.

Seprod Limited won the business award for manufacturing, distribution, exports and food security, while Alpha Institute was recognised in education for its work with vulnerable youth and music training. The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association was honoured in sport for maintaining Jamaica’s track and field systems, and Dream Entertainment Limited won in entertainment for building festival brands including Dream Weekend and Xodus Carnival.

Byles was recognised for leadership of Jamaica’s economic stability, central bank independence, Jamdex and financial inclusion. Accepting the Platinum Award, he said public service had given him his greatest satisfaction and argued that Jamaica could overcome its challenges through consensus and determination.