New NCC CEO excited to 'express' herself

With her unique combination of skills, education and passion, Keiba Jacob Mottley is excited and confident about her new position as the CEO of the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Mottley told Sunday Newsday she felt honoured by her appointment which took effect on May 13, as she really loved Carnival.

“I love Carnival so much and, personally, I’ve been going on a professional leadership journey trying to figure out who I am and, along that journey it involves embracing my creative side. So this is an opportunity to go into the area that I’ve been longing to express myself in for a long time.”

She said she had been in that journey since 2016, which was when she also started being actively involved in visual arts, and she was already enjoying where she was now.

Before joining the NCC she worked at Parliament for 14 years and four months. She acted or deputised in the roles of clerk of the Senate and clerk of the House of Representatives, was a procedural clerk, the head of the Financial Scrutiny Unit of Parliament, the curator of the Rotunda Gallery at the Red House, and is president of the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

“During that time I led a number of transformations and had done quite a bit at Parliament. I started there at age 29 so I spent a long time there and did a lot there. And this presented an opportunity for me to go into a new area.”

According to an NCC press release dated May 14 she also possesses significant expertise in leading strategic workforce planning, business transformation, coordinating research and analysis, reviewing organisational performance and drafting annual budget plans.

She said Parliament was very structured and formal and, while there are structures and formality at the NCC, her new position offers more freedom for creativity and innovation which, she said, is the essence of Carnival.

The self-taught visual artist said she saw the change as less of a challenge and more of an opportunity because she believed both her experience and educational background would serve her in the position.

Mottley graduated from the UWI, St Augustine Campus with a bachelor of science in public sector management in 2007, and with an international master of business administration from the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, UWI, in 2021.

She said at Parliament she was required to serve Government, Opposition, members of the public and stakeholders or specialist groups, meeting their requirements in a neutral manner. It was also a also a public service organisation, as was the NCC.

“I think my ability to deal with persons of competing interests and maintaining neutrality in that service is what I bring to this position. And the balance of my academic background in public sector management and business administration, as well as being a creative person, and that unique combination of skills and experience is very useful here at the NCC.”

Mottley said in her few days on the job she met some “amazing” people.

“This week has been beyond my wildest dreams. I could not have imagined it would have been this good. In fact, if I had, I may have been here sooner. It feels like home.”

At this initial stage her goals were to get to know the staff and the projects they were working on, meeting the stakeholders in the organisation’s special interest groups and figuring out, with her team, how the NCC could continue to serve them and the country.

When asked about annual complaints by members of the public about the seemingly last-minute preparations for Carnival by the NCC, she said she would try to assess the situation to see of those claims were true and work with the team to ensure things were done within the timeline required by stakeholders.

Mottley said Carnival was a significant part of her self-image as a Trinbagonian.

She started playing mas when she was three years old and had done so every year except for one. She also attended children’s shows by Spektakula Forum and played pan at Tunapuna Government Secondary School and with Birdsong SteelBand in Tunapuna.

In fact, she said her family members were “Carnival people.” They supported, and she still supported, the Carnival arts. She said they offered support through their attendance and by spending their money at calypso tents, panyards and traditional mas bands.

“Carnival is just a part of who I’ve always been.”