Lok Jack GSB Business History
Lok Jack GSB was established in 1989 as a partnership between the University of the West Indies and the private sector. The Campus Building has award winning architecture because of the design which captures airflow, and maximises the view of the natural surroundings.
Introduction
Lok Jack GSB was established in 1989 as a partnership between the University of the West Indies and the private sector. The school moved to the current campus in 2006 and offers programmes for degrees, executive education and consulting throughout the Caribbean. The school was started under the name UWI Institute of Business, and changed the name to UWI Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in 2006, which was changed to UWI Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business in 2018.
The Campus Building has award winning architecture because of the design which captures airflow, and maximises the view of the natural surroundings. This can be seen in the outdoor areas of the koi pond, the sculpture court, skylights and the cupola which brings in natural light at the centre of the building, through the Republic Bank Library and to the fountain at the Gordon Draper Atrium.
As a business school, there are many locations named after firms that have made donations to the school. These include Massy, Guardian Holdings, TSTT and Yara. There are areas that have been named after persons that have made donations to the school including Byron Gopaul from Gopaul Lands, San Fernando and of course Arthur Lok Jack.
Our History
Arthur Lok Jack
Arthur Lok Jack was born in Trinidad on 25 June, 1944 and began his education at the Eastern Boys Government School on Nelson Street and later Queen’s Royal College. When the well-known businessman Vernon Charles decided to sell out his interests in Trinidad this signaled the start of Arthur Lok Jack’s involvement in the manufacturing business – Associated Brands Investments Ltd. He took over Charles Candy from Vernon Charles, built a factory and started manufacturing candy.
His contribution to business was recognised by the University of the West Indies which named him one of the fifteen Caribbean luminaries for 2002. The title of Master Entrepreneur was bestowed on him by Ernst & Young in 2001 and, in November 2002, he was presented with a Doctor of Laws Degree (Hon.) by the University of the West Indies in recognition of his immense contribution to, and impact on the economy of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. In August 2004, he was awarded the Chaconia Medal Gold (the country’s second highest honour) for his contribution to Business, and in December 2004 was inducted into Queen’s Royal College (his Alma Mater) Hall of Honour.
A most generous benefactor to the University of the West Indies, the Institute of Business on campus was named “The Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business” in his honour.
Gordon Draper
Arthur Lok Jack was born in Trinidad on 25 June, 1944 and began his education at the Eastern Boys Government School on Nelson Street and later Queen’s Royal College. When the well-known businessman Vernon Charles decided to sell out his interests in Trinidad this signaled the start of Arthur Lok Jack’s involvement in the manufacturing business – Associated Brands Investments Ltd. He took over Charles Candy from Vernon Charles, built a factory and started manufacturing candy.
His contribution to business was recognised by the University of the West Indies which named him one of the fifteen Caribbean luminaries for 2002. The title of Master Entrepreneur was bestowed on him by Ernst & Young in 2001 and, in November 2002, he was presented with a Doctor of Laws Degree (Hon.) by the University of the West Indies in recognition of his immense contribution to, and impact on the economy of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. In August 2004, he was awarded the Chaconia Medal Gold (the country’s second highest honour) for his contribution to Business, and in December 2004 was inducted into Queen’s Royal College (his Alma Mater) Hall of Honour.
A most generous benefactor to the University of the West Indies, the Institute of Business on campus was named “The Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business” in his honour.
Sidney Knox
Sidney Knox was the face of Neal and Massy for more than thirty years and its undisputed driving force, Sidney Knox is a stalwart of private enterprise. In 1953, he met Charles Massy and joined the ranks of Neal and Massy as a sales representative. Fourteen years later he was joint managing director. Sidney devoted his energy and time to the successful establishment and operations of the then named UWI Institute of Business (now the Arthur Lok Jack School of Business). Sidney served the Institute of Business as Deputy Chairman in its formative years bringing his considerable depth of experience to that institution, the success of which is a credit to his work and vision. Under Sidney Knox, Neal and Massy moved to the heights of business success with Sidney. He was inducted to the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Hall of Fame in 2006
Charles Massy
Charles Massy was in 1897, he was forced to curtail his secondary education at Queen’s Royal College when his cocoa farmer father suffered financial losses. Taking up a clerkship at the Royal Bank of Canada on Marine (now Independence) Square. After serving in the war, he returned to TT and he fell in with the Trinidad Import and Export Co, a firm which could trace its roots back to the great Scottish merchant and philanthropist, Gregor Turnbull, in the late 1840s. Charles, despite his meagre formal education, was always an innovator and combined his savings with a loan to form an automobile dealership in 1924 called Massy Ltd. The firm was located initially on Marine Square. Massy also sold oilfield equipment since the petroleum age was in full swing. The collapse of the American stock exchange triggered the Great Depression in the 1930s and Massy was forced by his creditors to merge with a rival wheeler-dealer, Harry Neal, to form Neal and Massy Ltd in 1932.
Joseph Esau
Originally from East Port of Spain and a former student of Fatima College, Esau is a Master of dealmaking. Easu launched his own consulting firm, Integrated Financial Counselling, in 1983, which focused on mergers and acquisitions, and projects that required restructuring or refinancing: He worked with Ansa Mc Al leading the expansion of the group’s manufacturing sector and consolidation of the loss-making brewing business, through the acquisition of National Brewing Company, producer of Stag beer. He also worked with Victor E Mouttet Group in its acquisition in 1997 of the KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants of Prestige Holdings Ltd (PHL) from PepsiCo International. He became chairman, and continues to serve on that board. In 1989, in an initiative taken with friends and associates, Esau threw his weight behind the development of the Institute of Business in a private sector collaboration with the University of the West Indies. In more than 30 years of unbroken service as a board member of Lok Jack GSB, Esau played a pivotal role in growing the IOB from a humble project fighting for classroom space in many locations, into the ambitious Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, which we are in today with more than 3,000+ graduates from around the region. He was inducted to the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Hall of Fame in 2012.
Thomas Gatcliffe
Thomas Alexander Gatcliffe was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1927 and his parents moved to Trinidad in 1930. He is the son of Harry Gatcliffe of England and his wife Mildred née Massy, who was a direct descendant of Major Charles Massy, a member of the invading British forces in 1797, and his wife Rose Peschier of the Paradise Sugar Estate, now known as the Queen’s Park Savannah. He received his education at Queen’s Royal College.
The organisation with which the name Thomas A. Gatcliffe is most synonymous is Angostura Limited. It was under his astute leadership, as the first nonmember of the Siegert family to be put in charge of the company, that Angostura would emerge as a local giant and an international heavyweight. He was inducted to the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Hall of Fame in 2007 and is one of the founding board members of Lok Jack GSB.
Closing
As you can see Lok Jack GSB was founded by business and the leaders of business in the Caribbean have played a major part in the development of the school. We continue to maintain our relationship with the business community to ensure that our programmes are aligned to the needs of your future employers and to prepare you for the world of business, both here and abroad.
Thank you for attending the tour and we hope to welcome you to these halls named after these Caribbean business magnates, so that you can one day add your name among them.
Gallery
Achieve your MBA in 14 months, develop your business acumen and improve your career opportunities! At Lok Jack GSB, this part time programme is designed to promote career development and help you build your personal and leadership skills.
Complete 10 Core Foundation Management courses and choose from 3 specialisations.
Explore cutting edge management themes in a well structured proactive and collaborative study environment, using cases and teaching materials that highlight Caribbean success in a global community.
Build beyond your technical knowledge and grow your professional networks across industries and companies, for cross fertilization of knowledge that is vital to you being a successful manager
