It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Dr. the Honourable Marshall McGowan Hall, C.D., O.J. early this morning. Dr. Hall was most recognized for his association with the Jamaica Producers Group Limited, where he served as Director for over 40 years and as Group Managing Director for 27 years.
Jeffrey Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Producers Group in reflecting on his father’s passing shared, “My father was above all a family man. He was a leader, a protector, and a selfless champion for his family and for the people at the institutions with which he was affiliated. He did this with sincerity and humility and humour and wisdom and hard work. He showed us how to break down barriers and taught us not to see limits. This was his gift to us, and we truly loved him for it. We will forever miss him,” shared his son
Dr. Marshall Hall had two full careers. First, he was an academic economist, graduating from Columbia University in New York in 1957 and the University of Wisconsin where he earned his PhD in 1960. He served as a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin in the United States and Makerere University in Uganda and as a full professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri. He returned to Jamaica in 1972 and served as the Dean of Social Sciences Faculty at the University of the West Indies Mona and as Head of the Department of Management Studies, a precursor to the Mona School of Business. He is published extensively in the world’s leading academic journals in the field of microeconomics and institutional economics. He also served as Chairman of the University of the West Indies Mona Campus Council and a Member of the Council of the University of the West Indies.
After his academic career he pursued a career in business and government leadership. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica Public Service and as Chairman of the Jamaica Development Bank (the precursor to the Development Bank of Jamaica) and Chairman of National Commercial Bank and Mutual Life. He was also Chairman of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute and a member of the West Indian Commission, the Police Service Commission, Police Civilian Oversight Authority and served very recently as a Director of the Caribbean Maritime University.
During his executive leadership of Jamaica Producers, he was credited with implementing thousands of acres of large-scale modernized banana production in Jamaica and leading the development of a best in class industrial-scale UK distribution platform for fresh fruit. These initiatives sustained the Jamaican banana industry and served as a major contributor to national employment and export foreign exchange earnings for decades. He also championed the international trade fight for access for bananas grown across the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries into the European Union and was seen as a global leader in this arena. His executive leadership was critical to the rise of the modern Jamaica Producers Group, now one of Jamaica’s leading conglomerates.
Charles Johnston, Chairman of the Jamaica Producers Group shared, “Marshall and I became a team in 1986 and since that time I always had the greatest respect for his calm, his wisdom, and his ethical behavior in the conduct of international and local commerce. He was also a personal friend, a true friend who could be relied on in the difficult times. Marshall and Jean believed in family and their values will live on with Allyson, Andrea, and Jeffrey.”
In recognition of his lifetime of business leadership and public service he was awarded the Order of Jamaica, and the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander and was inducted into the Private Sector Hall of Fame.
Dr. Hall was born in Rollington Town, Kingston in 1934 and was educated at Kingston College. He was a committed family man, married to Dr. Jeanette Hall for over 60 years. He has three children (Dr. Allyson Hall, Andrea Perkins, and Jeffrey Hall), four grandchildren (Gillian, George, Jei Han and Li Ann), in-Laws Dr. Swee Chua and Paul Perkins, a close extended family, colleagues, and friends.
