Ambassador Lloyd Carney, Chancellor, University of Technology, Jamaica was presented with a copy of the recently published biography of the late Founder and Chairman of the LASCO Affiliated Group of Companies, Honourable Lascells Chin. The book, What a Life!, was presented by Chin’s granddaughter, Miss Cezanne Chin during a courtesy visit to the Papine Campus on Monday, July 7, 2025. Senior representatives from both UTech, Jamaica and LASCO were also present for the occasion.
What a Life!, as author Dr. Angela Ramsay pens it in the introduction, is the late Honourable Lascells Chin’s “fascinating story” which “candidly chronicles the reasons for both business successes and failure, and is a must read for anyone interested in business, community improvement and undaunted resilience.”
In her remarks, Miss Cezanne Chin who serves as Unilever Business Coordinator at Lasco Distributors, said the book handover to the university’s Chancellor symbolizes excellence in leadership and social impact which are synonymous with both UTech, Jamaica and the LASCO Affiliated Companies.
“This handover is symbolic of our deep appreciation for the University of Technology’s recognition of his life’s work. Much like the University’s motto, his life showed Excellence Through Knowledge and we hope this book will serve as a lasting reminder of his values, vision, and enduring impact,” she said. She also thanked the university’s leaders for acknowledging the significant contributions of their late Founder and Chairman towards nation building through the conferment of an honourary doctorate degree in 2015.
“We are also reminded of our proud feeling as we watched the university bestow the Honorary Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) upon my grandfather in 2015, in recognition of his significant and esteemed contributions to the business sector” she said, while thanking the Chancellor for the opportunity to present What a Life!
“On behalf of our family and the exemplary businesses he built, I am proud to present a copy of What a Life!, the official biography of The Honourable Lascelles Chin, she noted, underscoring that, “this is a meaningful moment.”
In his response, Chancellor Carney emphasized the University’s careful process in selecting recipients of honorary degrees and noted his appreciation that the Chin family values the recognition. “We take a lot of time and effort in deliberating about the people on whom we should bestow honorary degrees,” he stated, adding, “It’s an honour for UTech as Jamaica’s national STEM University to have conferred on your late leader, a Honorary Doctor of Laws degree because we acknowledged him as a truly great Jamaican.” Ambassador Carney noted that a lot can be leant from the life of the late visionary leader and that the text will be a valuable resource for Jamaicans aiming for success.
Exploring Future Partnerships
During the courtesy call the Chancellor also encouraged the LASCO team to explore collaborative ventures with UTech, Jamaica. He noted that with UTech being the most recognized tertiary institution for shaping work-ready graduates, there is an opportunity for the company to help the university to shape its curriculum in a way that aligns with futureproofing their organization’s workforce.
“If there is a particular talent or skill you’re looking for, we could make that training a part of our curriculum because we pride ourselves on being the institution that produces the most employee-ready graduates on the island,” asserted Ambassador Carney. He added, “A big part of that is the co-operative education programme that we have where we partner with industry and it’s a two-way street where you’re helping to develop our students and then they’re coming back with ideas from industry.”
Mr. Aldrick McNab, Pro-Chancellor, UTech, Jamaica in his remarks, also invited the LASCO Foundation to consider establishing a scholarship programme for UTech, Jamaica students.
President, Dr. Kevin Brown, thanked the visiting team for their expression of gratitude through the book presentation and also welcomed them to return for strategic discussions on potential partnerships. Dr. Brown shared that the university operates a food bank that supports needy students and would welcome LASCO’s contribution to this initiative.
In response, Danielle Cunningham, Corporate Communications Manager, LASCO Affiliated Companies noted that there are numerous outlets within the company that could benefit from partnership initiatives with the university and pledged to consider all the proposals discussed during the courtesy call.
“Our company is large in terms of the affiliated companies. At LASCO Distributors, we have pharmaceuticals, plus we have our Consumer Division, which is food and beverage and nutrition overall and then we have our financial services, which is a whole other arm and manufacturing which includes engineering and production” Cunningham stated, while noting that her team will continue partnership talks with UTech, Jamaica.
Contact:
Michelle A. Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
Corporate Communications Unit
Advancement Division
University of Technology, Jamaica
237 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6, Jamaica
Tel: (876) 927-1680-8 Ext. 2299
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm
