DRIVEN by his philosophy of Ps, The University of the West Indies (UWI) graduate and cricketer Lameck Reid is convinced his passion, patience and persistence will enable a distinguished innings in service as the Jamaica Olympic Association’s (JOA) first-ever Commonwealth Games Foundation (CGF) eqUIP intern for Jamaica and the first in the Caribbean region.
The internship programme is being offered to a Caribbean State for the first time and Reid is, in effect, the first young adult in the region to benefit from the initiative executed under the auspices of the Commonwealth Sport Foundation (CSF) through the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) and the Jamaica Olympic Association, since September 2014.
Previously, the sole benefactors have come from European and African nations, with over 60 placements in 18 different CGAs so far.
However, Reid’s appointment on June 1 as an accounting officer at the JOA headquarters in Kingston has brought about a geographical alteration of that dynamic which also pivots the cricketer further in line with his career pursuits in the field of accounting.
He acquired a BSc in Accounting and Economics (UWI 2020), adding to the four CAPE One, four CAPE two and eight CSEC passes attained.
“This internship aligns with most of my short- and long-term goals and as such, being selected as the first in the region as well as first in Jamaica, it just adds to my commitment to leave my name as a legacy when I leave this world. I will use this opportunity to better myself, expand my network, help others become better, while maintaining my professional responsibilities,” said Reid of his historic appointment.
“The Jamaica Olympic Association believed in me and offered me this position, and I will hold my head with pride as I walk to this crease and I will play the game of a lifetime, stay focused, make the necessary assessments and enjoy this innings as I become the best version of myself and be remembered as one of the best in the world,” he affirmed with conviction.
Ryan Foster, secretary general/chief executive officer of the JOA, noted their goal of instilling balance in the nation’s athletes.
“The Jamaica Olympic Association is excited to have selected Mr Reid, who displayed all the attributes required to be successful in sport. The JOA wants to find that balance in our members to achieve a solid education while excelling in the field and on the track – [this] is front of mind.
“The field of accounting was chosen as we believe in ensuring that all members have that solid base of corporate and financial governance, which are important tools in running a successful and sustainable sport organisation. As we have always maintained, it is business unusual,” Foster explained.
“I will be working very closely with Mr Reid to roll out our compliance matrix scorecard as well as our regulatory monitoring tool for all our member associations,” he continued. “As a sport apex body we are audited internally by KPMG and externally by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through PWC, and we want all our members to reach that level whereby they are compliant with all the policies in place by their international federation, the IOC and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) — the JOA.”
The accounting officer will provide general accounting and financial governance support to the CGA (JOA), assisting the association to monitor and maintain good corporate governance and financial compliance amongst its members.
Duties include ensuring compliance of its members with established accounting and financial laws and guidelines; assisting with budget preparation and monitoring expenditures within the JOA membership; assisting in the preparation of financial statements and reports; reconciling accounting records and verifying invoice payments; investigating discrepancies and recommending solutions; and participating in all workshops and submitting reports according to the eqUIP Internship programme.
One who aspires to represent Jamaica and the West Indies at senior level cricket, with vast experience from accounting employ at Keel Management, Mailpac Services, UWI Mona Guild and also as a University College Ambassador and gym staff member at UWI, Reid noted his driving principles.
“If you act on your passions, be persistent enough, work relentlessly to achieve them and be patient with the process and outcomes, anything can be achieved. This is the mantra I live by,” he said.
“Oprah Winfrey once said ‘Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you,’ ” he added.
“That is what I feel when I help others, passion. I am Lameck Reid, a self-motivated, passionate individual who tries every day to become a better version of myself. In doing so, I help others realise their full potential and find means to bring them to reality. When I do anything with passion I give it my all and for me, it is do it with passion or not at all.”
Continuing, Reid said: “This internship means I can help students and athletes get to a higher level of performance and achievement. I am a certified fitness and aerobics instructor and an aspiring professional cricketer so I know first-hand what these athletes might be experiencing in trying to get to the next level as I aspire to play for Jamaica and the West Indies.
“Though I have a long way to go it is my ultimate passion and it will be achieved with persistent hard work and development. This eqUIP Internship provides a platform and network where I can work on all my passions – helping others reach peak performance, getting to a higher level in my cricket career, as well as it gives me an avenue to increase my professional competence as an accountant.”
