by I Rhonda King –
Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations

A woman’s perception of leadership begins not with collegiate academic success, her first big break, or when she’s named to a position of power.

The trajectory to female leadership starts much earlier and is defined by key influences throughout life.

Imagine a young girl. She is smart. She is ambitious. She believes in herself and her abilities. From a young age, she has the desire to lead—to inspire others to greatness, to surpass expectations, to better the world. As she grows up, however, two elements, research shows, will affect her ability to lead: confidence and connections. Throughout her life, she will either receive what she needs to build these two key components of leadership— or she won’t.

Today, we celebrate one such girl who did receive what she needed to build these two key components of leadership. Today, we celebrate Camille H.

Crichton who, as a little girl looked on at her father’s business, and endeavored even then to propose ways to improve and strengthen his systems and structures around how he paid his workers. This interest in supporting organizational structures found full expression in 1989 when she established Professional Secretarial Services (PSS). She began by offering basic services such as typing, faxing and photo copying from a small office located in the Blue Caribbean Building and had only one employee. The two-person PSS has grown steadily through the 30 years of its existence. In 1990, it became known as Professional Secretarial & Consultancy Services Inc (PSCS) to reflect the expansion of services offered.

These services, while remaining true to her original mission, now include secretarial and technical consultancies, human and technical resource training, temporary and permanent job placement to name but a few of the services offered.

In January 1992, PSCS also developed a program through the Institute of Professional Development (IPD), with the main objective of educating young women from the lower economic strata of society which include secondary school drop-outs, unwed teenage mothers and behaviorally challenged young adults. These girls and young women are being empowered to raise their standard of living because women and girls are powerful agents of change.

They are key actors in their communities building resilience and supporting progress in economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. When they make decisions about resources, they tend to invest in their children, families and communities. Promoting gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment can help to eradicate poverty, achieve food security, fight diseases, improve education, address climate change, among others.

Over the years more than 1000 students (mostly girls) have graduated from IPD with the requisite skills and academic qualifications to join the labor force in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

I congratulate my former classmate and friend Camille H. Crichton for having a vision, for staying the course and making a difference in the lives of many, many Vincentians.

In 2017, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, over which Saint Vincent and the Grenadines currently serves as President, reviewed in-depth the Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality–SDG 5. It showed that the low participation of women in decision-making or leadership positions, both in the public and private sectors, remained a challenge around the world.

I congratulate my former classmate and friend Camille H. Crichton for her entrepreneurial tenacity and leadership, for her contribution to both the public and private sectors, and for helping to shape the development path of our multi-island state.

On behalf of Vincentian women, I thank Camille H. Crichton, a woman of quiet confidence, for her dedication to nation-building. She is an inspiration to us all.