The Guardsman Group, founded by Kenny Benjamin almost fifty years ago, has gone on to establish itself as Jamaica’s foremost security company. 

It has gone on to establish operations in the Caribbean with Jeannine Henry heading up its business in St. Lucia.

Executive Chairman of Guardsman Group, Kenny Benjamin has carved out a reputation for identifying talented executives and giving them the autonomy to run things the way they see fit. 

This is very much the case with Jeanine Henry, General Manager of Guardsman St Lucia. 

She began her career at Guardsman back in 2007, joining as an accountant. Such was her professionalism that she rose quickly to become Financial Controller for Guardsman St Lucia, a position she held for five years.

Jeanie Henry’s commitment to the Guardsman Group did not go unnoticed. As the security services provider expanded its suite of services in St Lucia, the top brass in Jamaica singled her out to become General Manager for its operations in St. Lucia. 

The appointment was well earned. In a decade at the Guardsman Group, she had acquitted herself at every assignment she was given. Firstly as an accountant, then financial controller, then Chief Operations Officer before becoming General Manager for Guardsman St. Lucia. Her ascent was vertical, and she was deemed reliable, a senior executive who understood Guardsman’s core principles. 

Speaking with Our Today from Guardsman’s offices in St. Lucia, Jeanine Henry said:  I’ve grown tremendously with the organisation because I’ve been given opportunities. Not only have opportunities been given to me, but trust has also been placed in me. I’ve taken on greater responsibilities and now work in different areas of the business.

“ What I’ve learnt is that leadership isn’t simply about managing operations. Maybe when I came in as the accountant, I thought I that way but certainly over the years it is apparent that it is bigger than that. It’s about developing people, building relationships with customers, with your staff and creating an organisation that can perform.”

This is very much in keeping with how Kenny Benjamin operates and his approach to building companies.

Guardsman Group now employs over 8,000 people across its companies and regional operations. It is drilling down on its business in St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Barbados. Leading the charge here is Jeanine Henry, who is not only General Manager for Guardsman St. Lucia but Assistant Vice President for International Market Oversight-St. Lucia, Barbados and St. Vincent.

This role sees her aligning procedures and introducing new products and services to the growing Caribbean markets. She also presides over the integration of technology into the services Guardsman offers in the aforementioned territories. 

Henry explained: “The idea is not to make every territory identical but rather establish consistent standards while allowing each market to respond to its separate characteristics. We are always looking for growth opportunities, and they are twofold. First, satisfy the needs of our existing customer base and second, offer bundled services to new clients. 

In St. Lucia, Guardsman provides security services to all four major banks there. As the eastern Caribbean sees more hotels, attractions and service businesses grow, Guardsman’s reputation is expected to be its calling card.  It is tested and proven. 

“Now that I have moved into a broader regional role, it has allowed me to look beyond an individual operation and think more strategically about how our Caribbean businesses can learn from each other and become stronger collectively. 

“Yes, I have been promoted, moving from accounts to AVP, but besides all that, Guardsman has given me an opportunity for personal growth and development. For that, I will be eternally grateful, “ said Jeanine Henry.