RJRGLEANER rocked by death of CEO

The RJRGLEANER Communications Group has been rocked by the sudden passing of its chief executive officer, Anthony Smith, who died on Sunday morning after a brief illness. His death has left colleagues and the wider media community reeling.

Chairman Joseph M. Matalon described the loss as "totally unexpected"

"As you may imagine, it was devastating news for me, personally, as someone who has worked closely with Tony over the last few years," Matalon said.

He said the loss is equally heartbreaking for the entire organisation.

Smith joined RJRGLEANER on October 1, 2022 as deputy CEO for print and digital before being elevated to CEO on January 1, 2024 as the group sought to respond to mounting competition in the broadcast and print industry.

"Tony did an incredible job for the two years that he has been running the organisation," Matalon said.

An engineer by training, Smith held senior executive roles in telecommunications across Jamaica and the Caribbean, including at Cable & Wireless and Massy Technologies Limited. His leadership at RJRGLEANER, though brief, left an indelible mark on the organisation.

"I think he has had a tremendously clear thought process around the matters he had to deal with as a part of what was the required transformation of the group," Matalon said.

"He was very diligent and disciplined about execution, as he put together an excellent executive management and senior management team that will need to step into the breach and stabilise the organisation and deal with the hurt and shock that will be felt by a wide cross section of members across the group."

Matalon said he has been in constant contact with Smith's immediate family.

"I know that they are suffering a very, very difficult moment for which my sympathies go out to them," he said.

Matalon said that following Smith's illness a few weeks ago, the board had scheduled a meeting to plot the way forward during his absence, but was stunned by the escalation in his illness.

"The duty of the board and management right now is to look after the family and the arrangements that will need to be made for Tony and also to, in light of this very sudden event, stabilising the group. Everybody is going to be very shocked and moved by this development," he said.