Above: Chris Dehring. Photo courtesy CWC.

Cable & Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC) announced recently that Chris Dehring, Chairman of LIME Jamaica and a member of the senior executive team, has decided to return to entrepreneurship after six transformative years with the Company, effective September 30, 2015.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the management and staff of C&W, I want to thank Chris for his outstanding contributions to our business during his time with the Company,” said Phil Bentley, C&W’s CEO.  “Chris has been a key leader in our business, spearheading the largest market in the Caribbean for over six years as Chairman, and building a solid foundation to drive growth and profitability in one of our most important markets.”

“His outstanding reputation throughout the Caribbean and strategic acumen proved invaluable to the success of the merger with Columbus and we thank him for his leadership, and wish him well in his future endeavours,” said Bentley.

“On a personal note, I’d like to thank Chris for working so closely and effectively with me on gaining the support across the Caribbean for the acquisition of Columbus – this has been a game changer for C&W.”

Chris, who has an outstanding track record in business across the region, orchestrated new emergency legislation and the historic regulatory rulings that redressed the anomalies in the Jamaican telecommunications market, paving the way for the company to grow its mobile subscriber base from just over 200k to 900k currently.

He was instrumental in reviving the LIME brand (now Flow), and business with innovative marketing and innovations such as LIME Skool Aid which continues today. Considered a maverick among his peers, Chris played a key role in the regulatory approval negotiations across the region to facilitate the successful merger with Columbus International Inc.

“It was an honour to serve with so many outstanding colleagues at Cable & Wireless Communications and to be able to close this remarkable era of my career by playing such an integral role in finalising what undoubtedly is a transformational merger with Columbus,” Dehring said.

“Similar to the regulatory obstacles we overcame in Jamaica, there were massive regulatory hurdles with the merger, but I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to leverage my expertise and be a part of a US$3 billion dollar transaction spanning 42 countries. Coupled with the turnaround and upward trajectory of C&W in Jamaica and the Caribbean, I feel like my mission has been accomplished and it is time to move on to my next adventure.”

Prior to joining C&W, Chris earned a solid reputation in Jamaica and across the Caribbean as a marketing specialist and entrepreneur. He was one of the founders of Jamaica’s first investment bank and the Caribbean’s first sports television cable channel, and as Managing Director & CEO, led the region in staging its first global sporting event – the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007.