Our Staff
Management
Jeremy Taylor (Managing Director) worked as a teacher in England, Kenya and Trinidad after completing his MA at Cambridge University before becoming a freelance journalist and commentator, contributing to a wide range of media including the BBC and the London Times. He edited the Caribbean Chronicle and BWIA Sunjet before co-founding MEP in 1990 with Joanne Mendes. Some of his articles and broadcasts were collected in Going to Ground (Prospect Press, 1994), and he wrote a guide to Trinidad and Tobago, Masquerade, for Macmillan (1986, 2nd edition 1991). He is the founding editor of Discover Trinidad & Tobago and Caribbean Beat, and currently edits ENERGY Caribbean, the Trinidad and Tobago Business Guide, and select client projects.
Joanne Mendes (Financial Director) worked at AS Bryden and Geddes Grant/Huggins for over twenty years before co-founding MEP with Jeremy Taylor in 1990. She is a founder member and still the production manager of the Marionettes Chorale, and is a passionate about arts and culture.
Halcyon Salazar (General Manager) has extensive experience and training in communications and management, and worked for many years as assistant general manager at the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. She has also worked with Pier 1, GEM Radio, Music Radio 97, and radio stations in Florida, USA.
The MEP staff in the garden outside our offices. Standing (left to right): Jeremy Taylor, Denise Chin, Halcyon Salazar, Hazel Mansing, Jacqueline Smith, Judy Raymond, and Caroline Taylor. Seated (left to right): Ariann Thompson, Kevon Webster, Joanne Mendes, Helen Shair-Singh, and Bridget van Dongen. Photo: Ariann Thompson.
Team
Denise Chin is a sales representative for Discover Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean Beat and ENERGY Caribbean. She has worked in marketing and sales for the last decade, after working at Republic Bank, and is a proud mother of two.
Yuri Chin Choy is a sales representative for Caribbean Beat and the Trinidad & Tobago Business Guide. He has over 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing, accounting and business development. He also volunteers with a number of local charities.
Hazel Mansing handles accounts receivable at MEP. She has workedin the travel industry for a number of years, and served as property manager at the British High Commission before moving to MEP.
Judy Raymond is the editor of Caribbean Beat, and the author of books about Trinidadian jeweller Barbara Jardine and fashion designer Meiling. She has been an editor at the Guardian and the Express, and now writes a weekly parliamentary column for the latter.
Jacqueline Smith manages production and distribution at MEP, after working at Neal & Massy Holdings for over 15 years. She is also a Music Festival-winning singer, and member of the Marionettes Chorale.
Caroline Taylor is the editor of Discover Trinidad & Tobago, a staff writer for Caribbean Beat, and manages MEP’s website and online marketing. She is also on MEP’s board of directors, and works in the performing arts as an actor, singer, and writer for stage and television.
Ariann Thompson is the photographer at MEP. She also assists with editorial, publication layout and research. She trained in Photography was at St. Johns University (New York) and in South Africa.
Bridget van Dongen, originally from South Africa, has been in the print business for many years and has worked all over the world. She has been living in the Caribbean for the past 12 years and has been in publishing, doing graphic design and assisting with editorial for the past five.
Kevon Webster is a design and layout artist at MEP, having worked and trained at Sandpiper Publishing. He also helps maintain MEP’s websites, particularly Caribbean Beat.
