Hon. Earl Jarrett, OJ, CD, JP, CStJ, Hon. LL.D, Hon. EdD, FCA, MSc

Earl Jarrett was appointed General Manager of the Jamaica National Building Society in October 1999.  He joined the Society in 1997 as Executive with responsibility for Compliance and Overseas Subsidiaries.  Mr Jarrett was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the restructured mutual holding company, The Jamaica National Group Limited in February 2017.

He is a Director on the Boards of all local and overseas companies and entities of the JN Group; and serves as  Chairman of the Jamaica Automobile Association (Services) Limited and the overseas subsidiary companies of JN Money Services Limited.

A Chartered Accountant and graduate of The University of the West Indies, Mr. Jarrett serves on the boards of several external organisations. He is:

• Chairman, Jamaica Cancer Society; National Council of Jamaica, Order of St John, Jamaican Diaspora Foundation, The University of the West Indies Mona Campus Council and Mona Geoinformatics Institute
• Director, The Gleaner Company’s UK and North American Boards; Edna Manley College Arts Foundation
• Trustee, Dudley Grant Memorial Trust, the YWCA Trust, Caribbean Council (UK)
• Trustee Member/Secretary, FIA Foundation

He is former Deputy Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and Jamaica Investments Promotions (JAMPRO); former Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica and past President of the Rotary Club of New Kingston.  He has served as a member of the National Task Force on Political Tribalism, and as Honorary Secretary of The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ).

In 2008, Mr Jarrett received the Order of Distinction, in the rank of Commander (CD), from the Government of Jamaica for service to the financial sector; and the Pelican Award from The University of the West Indies Alumni, Florida Chapter, for outstanding work in business development among the Jamaican Diaspora in the USA.

In 2010, he was recognised by the American Foundation of The University of the West Indies as a 2010 recipient of the Caribbean Luminary Awards; received the Pelican Award from the Jamaican Chapter of The University of the West Indies Alumni, for significant contribution to the development of the University and to Jamaica; and the Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree, honoris causa, from the University of Technology Jamaica.  In 2011, Mr Jarrett received a second Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree from The University of the West Indies.

He was awarded the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston’s Man of Excellence award and recognised as the Jamaica Institute of Management (JIM)/Gleaner 2011 Manager of the Year in 2012; and subsequently inducted as a JIM Fellow.

Mr Jarrett was appointed a member of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica in 2013; and in 2014, was inducted into the Council of Volunteer Social Services (CVSS) Hall of Fame for his contribution to the community.  In 2015, he was recognised as the Gleaner Honour Awardee for exceptional voluntary service in 2014 and was the 2015 inductee for The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Private Sector Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Mr Jarrett was presented with the Visionary Award by the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation (New York) and Distinguished Member Award by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ).

He was again recognized by the Government of Jamaica in 2018 with his appointment to the Order of Jamaica (OJ), for his exceptional contribution to the banking and financial sectors, public service and volunteerism. 

Mr Jarrett has been conferred with four honorary doctorates, the Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree, from the University of Technology Jamaica (2010); the Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree from The University of the West Indies (2011); the Doctor of Education in Leadership (EdD), by The Mico University College (2018); and the Doctor of the University (D.Univ), by the Nottingham Trent University, UK (2019). The degrees were awarded in recognition of his significant contribution to the Jamaican public and private sectors; leadership, volunteerism, and the social and economic prosperity of Jamaica and its UK Diaspora.

He was also named the 2019 recipient of the Children of Jamaica Outreach, Inc. (COJO) Philanthropic Award for his continued commitment to the children of Jamaica and his support in assisting many to achieve success.

In September 2023, Mr Jarrett was awarded the Governor-General’s Medal of Honour in recognition of his invaluable service and support for King’s House and the Office of the Governor-General.  He was also recognized by the Mona School of Business and Management for his significant accomplishments in business and community service, with a “Distinguished Alumnus” award.