Roxan Wais-Shirley – Doing well at Guardsman Group-Part II

Click this link to read Roxan Wais-Shirley – doing well at Guardsman Group – Part I

Security giant The Guardsman Group’s Executive Director of Corporate Growth and Client Experience, Roxan Wais-Shirley, has been with the Kenny Benjamin founded company since 2012, steadily rising up the ladder and being given more demanding assignments by gaining the faith of both the Board and the senior management team.

Roxan has reaped the rewards of loyalty, hard work, dedication and professionalism. She is an example of what there is to be gained from pledging oneself to a good company, particularly one that is the market leader.

But that’s her professional life. She is also a mother, wife and runs a household. 

“There is no such thing as work-life balance. That’s a popular myth that working mothers are confronted by. What we have to contend with is dealing with priorities at any particular time,” she conveyed.

This is a very astute observation and presents a perspective this writer has cogitated on since. For generations, women have had to work, raise children and keep the household going; this was well before the “ boss babe” culture took hold. Some manage it with aplomb, and that is the case with Roan Wars-Shirley. She gets on with it, no complaints, no disgruntlement, no sour grapes.

She has always been interested in marketing and decided early that this would be her career.

After obtaining her Master’s in Marketing at UWI, she began her career at Trade Winds as a Business Development Officer in 2009.

“It was my first major experience in the working world, and it was an absolute joy working at Trade Winds. I loved working with the McConnells. They are a great family.  It comes as little surprise that Trade Winds has gone on to be bigger and better. At some point there, I felt I needed to branch out and make a move more into marketing rather than business development,” recalls Roxan Wars-Shirley.

Eager to get out in the marketing field, she moved into the public sector, more specifically the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), where she gained experience in event planning, marketing and public relations.

Becoming more confident, she felt ready to join one of the big private sector companies and test her talents. An opportunity came up to join the Guardsman Group as a Business Development and Customer Service Manager. Though not marketing, it was a chance to join a reputable private sector company, one that is a household name with Kenny Benjamin at the helm. 

“I was offered the position, gratefully accepted it and never regretted it. Kenny Benjamin has grown Guardsman from a small company to a multi-national corporation with operations throughout the Caribbean. When I joined, the Group was headed by Valerie Juggan -Brown, a powerhouse of a woman everyone looked up to. She is an admirable person who holds her own. I grew up with a single father and didn’t have women shaping me. Raised by my Dad, going out into the working world and building myself into a professional woman, I had to look around me and take bits and pieces from determined women leaders.

“For me, Valerie Juggan Brown is a respectable person, someone I learnt from. What I admired about Valerie is that she never saw herself as simply a woman operating in a male-dominated field. For me, growth is not based on gender; it’s based on perseverance, consistency and confidence. I think the other senior women executives in the Group felt the same way on this. We are not cognisant that we are in a male -dominated field.  We are committed, results-driven and place importance on the value we bring to our work.”

The Guardsman Group has a distinct culture which has set it apart from its peers and other companies in Jamaica. What does Roxan see as the defining characteristics of that culture?

“We are about results and excellence. Innovation is always at the helm because our Chairman places a lot of stock in finding new ways to improve our service, never remaining static, constantly bettering our company and the solutions we provide. It’s about freedom of expression. Guardsman is a family-oriented, upbeat place.  Every Friday evening, we are socialising and entertaining clients. Relationships are at the heart of the Guardsman culture. We cannot survive as a company without the help of our people and the partnership with our clients.

“We have a balanced mix of excellence at work, but you can let your hair down at the end of the day and just be you.”

On the subject of balance, Roxan does not subscribe to the aphorism that professional women should adhere to-work-life balance. She has a nine-year-old daughter, Nella and is married to one of Jamaica’s leading business leaders, ‘Tanny’ Shirley, a man who has distinguished himself in both the private and public sectors. Tanny is on the Board of the Port Authority of Jamaica and is the Chairman of the Factories Corporation of Jamaica. He modernised Mitchell’s Auto Supplies and took it to new heights.  Roxan and Tanny are a power couple; there can be little doubt about that! 

“There is no such thing as balance when you have to pay your full attention to a particular aspect of your life, whether it be your work or your family. When your family needs you, one cannot be totally dedicated to work, and the same goes for work-when you are required to perform and deliver, you cannot be preoccupied with family matters. 

“It is challenging to raise a family and have a career, but it is not a balance. You have to give your best in two different capacities. You can never balance- what it is about is the ability to transfer skill sets. You have to be intentional and select priorities. There are times when I have to prioritise family, my husband, the household, and then there are times I have to prioritise work. This has to be done in a strategic way to make it all work. 

“As a parent, you have to be there for the key moments in your children’s lives. I’m glad I have a supportive husband. My husband is big on career development. He is a trailblazer. He supports me with my career path by helping out at home. He is a mentor not just to me but has been so to professionals in both the private and public sectors. He is dedicated to Jamaica’s development and the strides made by our people.”

Roxan Mais-Shirley remains sanguine about her journey to becoming a senior executive in her field. She exudes equanimity, calmness and confidence, keeping it personable at all times.

She points out that Guardsman has given her autonomy and allowed her to flourish.

“I would credit that to our Chairman Kenny Benjamin. Ever since I have been at Guardsman he has shown trust and confidence in his leadership team. This has allowed not just myself  but other executives in the company to be both creative and innovative.

“Guardsman is the only security company in the Caribbean offering the most advanced AI solutions, which are comparable to those in First World countries. Now, where did that come from? It came from our Chairman, allowing the executives to follow through on their ideas and productivity. There are a lot of strong women leaders here at Guardsman. There is nothing too “out there” that we won’t consider.  We embraced AI technology in our security solutions.

“One cannot attain personal and professional growth in isolation. It’s never wise to banish friends and family. They can be an invaluable shoulder to lean on. Your growth is not down to you alone. At some point, you are going to need help. You have to make yourself available to help others,” shared The Guardsman Group’s Executive Director of Corporate Growth and Client Experience, Roxan Wais-Shirley.