The name Peonies and Intellect seems to have been deliberately chosen for many reasons, the main one being Founder Sharai Campbell loves Peonies. Additionally the name holds a bit of mystery and so is always a conversation starter, she explains. In fact, that was our first question to Sharai. She tells us how the name came about and more.
“Peonies and Intellect for us signifies beauty and brains. Generally peonies signify feminine beauty, power, fortune, wealth and more; all of what we are working towards collectively as a group for our members. The intellectual aspect, of course, is a given and speaks to who the women in our organization are. My aim in forming this group is to bring women together in a network that demonstrates that we are not just beauty, but we are brains and that together we can succeed.”
TBWM: How did the inspiration come about? Was it something you always had in mind or was there an event that triggered the group’s formation?
Sharai: Yes, there was a trigger. It was not something I had envisioned at all. I was just going through the plans I had for my career and doing my best every step of the way. As I observed the landscape and interacted with women at different levels, I realized there was an absence of true collaboration, something that I yearned for. I believe that all of us collectively can help each other to become better and should not feel fearful of helping a woman (young or old) who has a passion to evolve and be better. Women with more experience should position and open themselves to facilitate another woman’s growth. We should not think of each other as a threat.
So I recognized there was more resistance rather than support around me, then found myself having similar support driven conversations with girlfriends. It was at that point I realized I had to do something about it. I remember thinking “I am going to be the change I wish to see”. And so the idea came to form a network of women who could assist each other. A network where you know you are fully supported by women with whom you are engaging on a consistent basis. A platform for change.
TBWM: Tell us a little bit about Peonies and Intellect. How do you go about connecting these women and what does the “real” support look like?
Sharai: We have been in existence a little over a year. We started in March 2019 with a network of access for our members. Our members can seek information or guidance from the women in the group. We consider ourselves a practical means of engaging our members and giving them actual tools to help them to grow. We are sometimes referred to as a woman empowerment platform and my response to that is usually that we are much more.
Too often we see women attending empowerment sessions, become highly motivated but deflate soon afterward because it does not last. We give our women a lasting experience through consistent interaction and access to a group of professional women whom they can call on when in need. So, for example, a woman who wants to start a business and does not know the process to get registered can seek information from another woman within the group who has previously done that. If a woman needs a lawyer or a doctor or an accountant she knows immediately that there is someone in the network that can provide the service or guide her to someone who does. We are geared towards the success of all our members in a practical and tangible way. We connect women from diverse industries, backgrounds, and women who are at different stages in their career/lives. Our success stories so far include persons coming coming together and forming businesses. We have implemented an ongoing mentor-ship program for young women and gave scholarships to young people (primary and high school) who needed the help. We have also given back via a back-to-school drive and have adopted a school. We have collaborated with businesses, one of which is our partnership with Jamaica Beauty Expo, where we have full responsibility for their ladies’ lounge. We provide guidance and have even found jobs for persons who have that need. We have supported our members in the next step of their career path. I’m truly grateful because we have done quite a bit in a short space of time.
“… I believe that if you have created a path for yourself, you should be able to create an avenue for persons who are following behind you …”
TBWM: That is indeed exceptional and is a huge testament of the fact that when purpose is aligned to creating change in the world, not out of a selfish need, but a genuine willingness to help and a drive to see change then a lot can happen. How many members do you currently have and if a woman needs to be connected with a professional in the group, is there a central spot where she can access information?
Sharai: So you can appreciate that a lot has happened simply by me putting one foot in front of the other. When I started I had no idea that this would have succeeded in the way it has. We started out pretty informal with a few friends who bought into the vision, today we have over 150 members in total. At present we are revamping our initial approach – we now have different membership levels and this is to facilitate the different needs of our women as well as how they can serve because we are all working women with different demands. Initially we had a list with the information of each member and that is how we were making the connections. Each person relied on me to facilitate these connections which was proving to be onerous. We now have a fully functional website that will launch soon. Members will get a chance to sign up based on their level of commitment which will not affect their access to our member’s area on the site. It simply gives us the opportunity to identify who can commit to being fulltime as opposed to part time or who will be a corporate or associate member and the level of participation that each tier can give. It helps us in planning. Women will be able create their membership profile to include their picture, information on expertise or need etc.
TBWM: Let’s talk about you. Tell us some facts about Sharai.
I tend to be very organized, meticulous and forward thinking. I always have this one question – “what’s next?”
Sharai: I am employed to Sandals Resorts International as their Group Manager for the Video Operations Department which is also a part of the group’s Revenue Division. I handle all end to end business solutions for that department. I manage a team of approximately 50 persons throughout the group (at the 17 resort locations and 2 offsite locations) which includes 12 direct reports at the corporate office. I also give support to the managers in the Photoshop Department at each resort as it relates to the videography aspect of their operations; so that they can maximize efficiencies, generate revenue and make budget. I tend to be very organized, meticulous and forward thinking. I always have this one question – “what’s next?”
One of the greatest accomplishments as Group Manager was revamping my entire team and how we do business. I implemented a business plan and strategy map which has allowed us to cut costs and improve our net profit margin. I was charged to grow our department by 6% and we have done 18% to date. Under my continued tenure we have recorded the highest revenue in my department’s history and that has made us proud as a team.
I have a passion for helping people and I believe that if you have created a path for yourself you should be able to create an avenue for persons who are following behind you to be able to follow in your footsteps. As such, I have always been eager to assist persons and my office has a revolving door for persons who are in need of help or advice.
I completed my Undergrad and Postgrad degrees while working. This has fostered a greater level of discipline in me which has been integral in me being able to do all of what I do. I am now looking at what is the next step for me and where I see myself next. What is the next career goal, these are all questions I currently pose to myself.
TBWM: Do you usually plan out your life completely?
Sharai: Well I have made many plans for my life but things did not play out as I had initially hoped. I finished high school at the age of 15 and started at Montego Bay Community College. At the time I wanted to be a doctor then realized medicine was not the path for me so I switched to Social Sciences. I had to break school when I suddenly inherited the huge responsibility of caring for my two younger brothers after my mother migrated. I was 20 at that point. I had to work full time to provide for them. Once I became more financially stable I was able to return to school and I started my Bachelors in Psychology while continuing to take care of my brothers. Having to run a household at such a young age cemented the fact that I really need to plan carefully while being meticulous and organized if I was going to succeed. I was working at Air Jamaica at that time and the salary was not great; I found myself having to plan the details of our lives to ensure that the money would cover our needs (rent, food, utilities, school expenses and more) and maximized efficiently. So I became very good at budgeting and planning which has helped me so far throughout my career.
I lost my job when Air Jamaica closed its doors. I was at home for a while and my financial resource was quickly depleting. I got to the point where I realized I needed to find myself a job. I applied for an opening at Unique Vacations (an affiliate of Sandals Resort). They wanted pre-travel wedding planners.
My thoughts were – I am organized, I am good at planning my own life so I should be able to plan a wedding easily. So I went, did the training and got the job. Within a couple years I became one of the top pre-travel wedding planners they had in terms of sales. I received many awards for outstanding performance not only in sales but other areas. Occasionally persons from the corporate office would visit our offices to do training with us. A young woman came once and I remember thinking how young she was and yet she was a manager at the head office. There and then I said – I am going to be a manager at the Sandals Head Office. And that became my goal.
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