LENS ON DIGICEL’S NEW CEO
Soviet-born ‘Jabbor’ Kayumov already at home, commits to building local brand
HE was born in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, specifically that mountainous section called Tajikstan, Central Asia, which became an independent nation in September 1991, a mere three months after the USSR was dissolved.
Abdujabor Kayumov, now 40, has travelled far and wide on a journey to realise his dream of being a top international manager. And that he is now, as the new chief executive officer of Digicel Jamaica, one of Jamaica’s top 10 high-profile companies of which he has been at the helm for just over a month.
“Jabbor”, as he prefers to be referred, in his down-to-earth, casual style, comes to Jamaica from a two-and-a-half-year assignment for Digicel in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where he led a company performance record in 2019 to head an organisation that is close to Jamaicans in several respects, being market leader in cellular phone sales and usage, and which will officially mark 20 years of existence in April.
Schooled up to the university level in his native land, Jabbor decided on laying the foundation for the realisation of his dream to succeed externally, with early dabbling in working with an NGO, banking, and by age 24 he was into the telecommunications industry as a marketing officer, soon moving up the job line and ladder to the point of chief marketing officer and CEO in a handful of organisations.
Surviving the bloody conflicts of a brutal civil war, the toughness that he went through as the oldest of three boys in the middle class household prepared him for the potential tough challenges that life had to offer.
“The country I was born in made me who I am so I can’t
neglect it,” he told the
Jamaica Observer
last week. “I have seen all parts of this life and I know that sometimes you have to take tough decisions, and being afraid to take those tough decisions will compromise you as a leader.
“It’s kind of being the last defender on the pitch. If you are not going to stop the opponent, or not going to do what you are supposed to do, then the other team will score the goal. Being the oldest son of my parents, because of the life I lead in carrying that great responsibility you have to make sure that you take those decisions,” Jabbor stated.
When he arrived in Jamaica to take up his assignment late last year, and locked himself away for the designated quarantine period, lots of thoughts surfaced, among them that he would have to operate 14-hour days on the job, not just because he loves what he does, but because he had a commitment to deliver to his customers, staff, shareholders, management, and himself.