Sancia Templer, head of the newly created planning unit in the Office of the Prime Minister.

At first blush Sancia Bennett-Templer's petite frame and soft tone can be deceptive.

But those who work with her say she is a workhorse, a go-getter, highly confident in her ability to get the job done, and as firm as she is committed.

Templer, as the Financial Gleaner found, is also a bit media shy - or more aptly, publicity shy.

But more important, she is no stranger to the negotiating table, or the boardroom, perhaps explaining why she was tapped by the Bruce Golding administration to build out a unit that is to be the liaison between tough politicians and lawmakers and Jamaica's top corporate bosses.

In February, she was named chief executive officer of the newly created National Planning Summit monitoring unit, located within the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to ensure that policy initiatives agreed under the private/public sector consultations held last November would be operationalised.

That job is a two-year secondment for Templer from Jamaica Trade & Invest (JTI) where she holds the position of deputy president.

In what might well be her most controversial task, Templer, who is originally from St Elizabeth and educated here and in the United Kingdom, has to keep track of government waivers and special favours granted by Cabinet ministers, and report them to Parliament.

50 action points

That task was initially among a priority list of 15 items. The full list has 50 action points.

"It is a lot of work but there will be a unit put in place and the work of the secretariat is to drive implementation," said Templer.

"Clearly what we will have to do, because there are so many items identified, is agree priorities."

That has now been done. The immediate tasks, referred to by Templer as "the high impact projects/areas that should be pursued immediately", were culled to five (see insert) at the second meeting of the planning unit board on March 5.

Templer told the Financial Gleaner that her assigned job is really chief technical director (CTD) for planning and development in the OPM.

But the OPM has given her an even longer title - chief technical director in the Office of the Prime Minister and CEO of the Programme Management Office of the National Planning Summit.

Essentially, her job is to find that middle ground for power and money or capital to collaborate and create a more solid economic base for Jamaica, and, in so doing, fashion a new image as a place where it is easy to get business done.

Her role

She sees her role clearly: not to second guess the functions of government agencies and departments, but moreso to ensure they deliver results.

"The work of the monitoring unit is to significantly drive and coordinate the implementation and not necessarily to undertake the work itself," she said.

Outside of tracking the distribution of government favours, it's also the job of Templer's unit to ensure that when the blueprint for the newly touted offshore financial services centre enters design stage, the legislative framework required is also clearly defined.

Additionally, the unit has also been charged with simplifying the tax laws, the idea behind which is to make it easier for persons to pay their taxes, and hopefully boost the treasury.

How that task will be approached is to be decided, she said, following a series of public consultations on tax policy.

Templer was passed over last year for the job as JTI president, though she acted in the post for half a year, losing out to Robert Gregory.

So, is she tough enough for this new assignment?

Snippets from her 'bio' seem to suggest that she is. Before JTI, Templer was a senior vice-president at the Airports Authority of Jamaica, responsible for planning, marketing and corporate development.

There she spearheaded negotiations for phase two of the Sangster International Airport improvement programme, as well as financing for the US$80-million Norman Manley International upgrade during her 15 years at the state agency.

Focused approach

She has been with JTI since April 2006 - becoming acting president two months later - and credited with fashioning a more focused approach in selling the country to investors abroad.

In the private sector, she ran the GraceKennedy subsidiary International Shipping Limited, then the local agents for Zim Container Services.

In her new job, and with an impatient private sector thirsty for a 'partnership' with government that will bring more predictability - and some hope far less taxes - to doing business here, Templer said the programmes had to be structured for optimal results.

That's where the board comes in.

The unit, working with the private sector, will review, and rationalise the tasks, out of which a plan of action would emerge, Templer said.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com