Judon Bowden trades don ambitions for boardroom leadership

In the heart of Mall Road, Kingston 11, where harsh realities often shape young lives, Judon Bowden once dreamt of a path paved in notoriety. His childhood ambition was not to lead boardrooms, but to command respect in his community.

"I wanted to be like the don who I saw while I was in high school, shutting down the town," he admits.

Today, however, he stands as the youngest member of Red Stripe's management team, guiding people rather than wielding fear. His story, however, is one of radical transformation, steered by the quiet resilience of his grandmother, Gwendolyn Dhue, affectionately called 'Gwennie'. Although not formally educated, Dhue was a woman of remarkable wisdom. She championed education as the ticket to a better life, gifting each grandchild a dictionary upon passing their Common Entrance, the precursor to the Primary Exit Profile exams.

"Education was very important for my grandmother. She believed it was the link to betterment," Bowden recalls.

Growing up in an extended family, Bowden's home was an enclave of unwavering familial bonds, where his grandmother reigned as a matriarch. The household, though filled with love, was set against the backdrop of an environment where crime lured young minds with the promise of power.

"I've had cousins who became statistics because of the company that they fell into, or because the police wanted them. So those cousins who turned gunmen have died. You know, we come from depressed environments where there's nothing inspiring around you," Bowden reflected.

Despite his grandmother's influence, Bowden's younger years were marked by an admiration for the very figures his grandmother sought to protect him from. Bowden vivividly remembered an event that changed the trajectory of his life forever. Along with his now-deceased cousin, Dave, a youthful Bowden got involved in unscrupulous activities. His grandmother, being a woman of deep intuition, sensed something was amiss. Determined to uncover the truth, she searched every corner of their home until she found exactly what she was looking for. What happened next became the turning point of Judon's life.

His father got involved and after absolving his son and nephew of what could adversely affect their future, he returned home and wept.

"It was a cry of disappointment and I said to myself in that moment, 'Judon, you don't need to do this,'" he recalls.

It was the moment he knew that he could either continue down a path that would destroy him, or he could choose something greater.

Bowden charted a new course and eventually secured degrees in business administration and law from the University of Technology, Jamaica. He then entered the corporate world with a sharp mind and an even sharper resolve.

Now, decades later, he holds a senior leadership role at Red Stripe, a company that once played a role in his family's survival. He recalled that his grandmother called herself a 'bottle police', as she participated in Red Stripe's 'Redcycling' initiative -- an effort that ensured her children received an education.

At Red Stripe, Bowden has embraced a leadership philosophy rooted in change.

"I see myself as a changemaker. I don't just subscribe to what exists; I ask, 'How can we improve it?'" he says.