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Ms. Valerie Patricia Veira is an accomplished negotiator, strategist and business leader with over 30 years of professional experience in the industrial, manufacturing and productive sectors. A trained communicator and lecturer, Veira is a proud graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus and the distinguished Harvard University, where she obtained her Bachelor and Master Degrees respectively. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Mason Fellowship Scholarship and Women in Leadership award, which she acquired for her outstanding contributions in leadership during her studies in Public Administration at Harvard University.

Currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Veira was integral in the creation of the agency, which was established in 2001 to meet the developmental needs of MSMEs and particularly to support the small business sector in Jamaica. She served as the Caribbean representative for the Centre for the Development of Enterprise in Belgium for over six (6) years, a member of Business Education Advisory committee member at the University of Technology and Forum Member at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Veira also lectures final year business students at the UWI.

She previously worked at the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) in the capacity of Assistant Vice President, Productivity Centre and Group Director, Technical Assistance, Modernization of Industry (MOI) Secretariat and Design Centre. She has also held numerous positions at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. A focused Jamaican woman with a yearning for nation building, Veira has also served on numerous public and private sector Boards and has led national projects funded by international organizations such as the United Nations Development Organization (UNIDO), Canadian Industrial Development Agency (CIDA), United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D) and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Her commitment to industry was always evident, resulting in a focused agenda to grow the business environment and educate entrepreneurs in Jamaica. Jointly, she has successfully published industry specific works including: The Evolving Creative Industries (2006), Proposal for the Formations of an Industrial Secretariat (2006), Master Development Plan for Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Jamaican Productive Sector (2003), A Framework for Salvaging Companies (2003) and the Craft Sector Development Programme for a Meaningful and Visible Contribution to Industrial and Economic Development (2000) publications.

Valerie Veira is a Justice of the Peace in St. Andrew, a former member of the Big Sisters of Jamaica and a member of United Way of Jamaica.