Wayne McKenzie
JEP Group and Evergo Jamaica
President and CEO
Compassionate, Charismatic, Dynamic are just a few attributes used to describe Wayne St. Anthony McKenzie, OD.
Wayne has over 25 years of experience in the energy sector with extensive knowledge of project development and management. Wayne holds an MBA and BSc in Electrical Engineering (Hons.) and has also completed several executive courses with Kellogg School of Management and Harvard Business School. Wayne joined JEP in 1996 as the Chief Project Engineer. In March 2000, Wayne was appointed General Manager, making him the youngest national to lead an electric company in Jamaica.
Wayne’s invaluable service to Jamaica’s energy sector and the local community spans over 25 years. Under his stewardship, JEP’s operating asset, Doctor Bird Power Station, transitioned from being managed by a foreign-owned entity to self-operation in September 2002. In 2006, JEP grew from one 74MW power barge to two power barges adding 50MW of energy to the national grid. This improvement represented a 67% growth in the Company’s generating capacity. On April 26, 2018, at Jamaica House, he received the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for outstanding service in Energy Conservation and Civic Development. In further recognition of his contribution to the energy sector, Wayne was awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) in 2019. In the capacity of a negotiator, he was the lead architect in convincing the Caribbean lenders to provide 100% financing of the expansion, at the cost of US$78m, refinancing the existing debt and extending the tenure of the loan to fifteen years. The Company grew from 74 employees to 121 employees, also increasing asset value and profitability. Mr. McKenzie also played a significant role in closing a US$133 million syndicated loan with local banks for Jamaica Energy Partners, which the team completed in a record-breaking 45 days.
Today, Mr. McKenzie, a visionary and astute leader, is admired by staff and colleagues for his propensity for success, primarily due to his expertise and accomplishments in power plant development, management, and operations; power purchase agreement negotiations; capital structuring; risk management, as well as strategic and operational planning. In March 2019, he piloted the team that closed the $4b deal in InterEnergy Holdings’ acquisition of Jamaica Private Power Company (JPPC), the 60MW Independent Power Provider located in Rockfort, Kingston.
Mr. McKenzie is now the President & CEO of JEP, WKPP and JPPC – presently called the JEP Group. He is also the President & CEO of EVPower Jamaica Limited, the managing entity for Evergo in Jamaica and responsible for installing the charging stations islandwide. Evergo is the largest, most sophisticated network of electric vehicle charging stations in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Jamaica. In less than three months, Wayne led his adept team of engineers/technical and marketing professionals to plan and execute the debut of the eco-friendly InterEnergy subsidiary at the official launch on May 14, 2021, at the LFA Country Store, Richmond Estates. Through Evergo, he is committed to contributing to Jamaica’s transition to a cleaner, more sustainable nation, which will reduce the country’s energy bill and the operational cost to those who own electric vehicles.
In addition to his experience in the energy field, Wayne is also adept in community development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He continues to prodigiously invest time and resources geared toward the advancement and sustainability of the West Kingston, Eastern Kingston and Old Harbour Bay communities through health, environment, education, and sporting initiatives. Wayne has personally mentored and monitored the development of many of the Company’s scholarship recipients. At the tertiary and primary levels, JEP, WKPP and JPPC provide students who reside in the Old Harbour Bay, Western Kingston, and Eastern Kingston communities with scholarships to cover tuition, books, and other educational materials. Today, the impact of the programme is felt across Jamaica, as it has assisted with the advancement of a cadre of professionals giving back to society at Company health fairs, as doctors and dental assistants. The programme has also supported several other sterling professionals such as teachers, engineers, environmentalists, attorneys and employees from JEP, WKPP and JPPC. The CSR portfolio, steered by Wayne, is fueled by his vision and love for people, and this is echoed consistently through his philosophy, “I am a believer in people regardless of class or social standings, we are all equal.” To bring awareness to energy literacy in Jamaica, Mr. McKenzie, under JEP’s Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio, also spearheaded the planning and execution of the island’s first-ever Energy Debating Competition in October 2018. In November 2019, JEP launched its inaugural Schools’ Energy Programme. Like the debating competition, it sought to empower Jamaica’s youth and the wider public with knowledge regarding the different forms of energy, energy production/systems, energy efficiency and sustainability. Wayne is a member of Jamaica’s energy council, on the Board of CARILEC, is Director of the Board of AMCHAM and Director on the Boards of Jamaica Environment Trust, Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, Port Authority and Montego Bay Marine Park. He is also the Board Chairman for Polly Ground Primary School and a former member of the consultative group of advisers on least-cost strategies for Jamaica.