Dawn Jessica Callwood. Photo: VINO

Teamwork is critical: Callwood speaking to one of her colleagues. Photo:VINO

The petite young lady sat down with VINO to share her rise in RTW, one of the Territory’s leading wholesale companies, and her role as a single mother of three.

Still fresh from her promotion a little more than a month ago Callwood admitted the additional responsibility pushes her to strive for excellence and has made her become well versed in multi-tasking.

“I don’t know if it is a blessing or a curse,” she said with a laugh. “But multi-tasking is a must in this company. I am responsible for a team of 12 which includes the sales reps, telesales, marketing coordinator for Food and Non Food and the graphic designer.”

Come January next year, will mark the fifth year for Callwood who started off as a Teller Sales Representative tasked with the responsibility of inputting the orders from customers in the wholesale side of the company.

Six months later, she switched to being a Field Sales Representative where interacting with wholesale customers was the key ingredient to developing a good customer relationship.

According to Callwood, she was able to liaise with customers that included Peter Island, Necker Island, Guana Islands, Rite Way and Bobby’s Supermarkets.

As luck and hard work would have it – she was promoted to the Marketing Coordinator for Food and non-food products in the company six months into her stint as a Field Sales Rep.

While the quick succession of promotions may have ‘gotten to her head’, Callwood said she remained grounded.

“To be honest I had no idea I would be where I am today. I have always considered myself to be a quiet and shy person. It’s really fun. It allows me to be creative and to interact with people all over the BVI and the world who I might not have met if I was not in this position,” Callwood said with a smile.

However, it was her creative thinking and inventiveness that got her noticed by management.

“My sister used to work at RTW, so I used to assist her sales team with promotions they were doing. One day I had an idea for a product we used to carry. I did a presentation and gave it to the Sales and Marketing Manager at the time and he was like wow. I guess what I thought were wild ideas people really liked them,” the Acting Food and non-food Manager/Marketing Coordinator remarked.

The humble young lady spoke highly of the team that makes her job easier and have become her adopted family.

When asked if she misses the thrill of being mobile, Callwood replied, “Although I am more in house, when it comes to promotions we as a team supportd each other.”

Interestingly, before landing a job at RTW she was a Customer Service Representative at DHL’s VI office.

But Callwood divulged when she was living in the United States she worked at a Mental Health and Retardation rehabilitation centre for a summer; as a Breast Feeding Counsellor and Nutritionist at a Woman and Children’s Centre and a teacher at a local high school to young mothers who had babies.

However, despite her hectic schedule, this mother of three makes time for her nine year-old daughter Arianna and her sons Jaylen and Kymani, who are five and two respectively.

“When I am at work I know they will be fine because I have a good support system,” Callwood revealed.

“I returned to the BVI seven years ago and I must thank my father, grandmother, brothers and sisters for enabling me to work full time and knowing that I have people I trust to take care of my children.”

While Callwood was born in the Virgin Islands, she left at age five to live with her mother in Texas, USA.  According to her, it was a culture shock and fondly remembered because of her Caribbean accent she was placed in a class where English was the second language. “It was very funny I tell you.”

Callwood completed her elementary and high school education in the United States.

Currently she is a student at the University of Phoenix studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, which she will complete in another year and a half. After that plans are afoot to obtain her Masters.

“Marketing is something that changes every single day. The more you are able to stay up to date with what is going on in your field, the better you are, as the company grows,” Callwood disclosed. “RTW is a stable company that promotes within and helps their employees. I will stay as long as they let me.”

In her spare time, apart from spending time with her children and family, Callwood loves to read and sail.

Her advice to young ladies in the Marketing field is to “Keep pushing for it. I think here in the BVI it s harder for women to excel and move up in a company. Marketing is very tough, always on the cutting edge and can be very physical. If you excel beyond the norm it will make you stand out.”