Sandra Palmer (entrepreneur)

Sandra Marie Palmer
Citizenship	Jamaican
Education	Bishop Gibson High School for Girls
Alma mater	University of the West Indies, Mona (BA); Nova Southeastern University (MBA, DBA)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, university lecturer, business consultant
Title	CEO and senior partner, Above or Beyond

Sandra Marie Palmer is a Jamaican entrepreneur, who has served as CEO of Above or Beyond (formerly The JobBank) ^[1] since 2017. She is also known as Sandra Palmer-Peart. ^[2]

Early life and education

Palmer was born in Topsham, Manchester Parish, Jamaica and attended Bishop Gibson High School for girls in Mandeville. ^{[3] [2]} After working briefly in the banking sector, Palmer began pursuing tertiary education in 1989 at the University of the West Indies, Mona. She graduated, earning a Bachelor of Arts with honours. ^[2] In 1997, Palmer earned her Master of Business Administration from the Nova Southeastern University at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, where she specialized in General Management. In 2004, she completed her doctorate in business administration from the same school, ^[2] with the dissertation: "A Study of the Inclination of Jamaican Employees to Opt for Telework: A Comparison with Findings for United Kingdom Employees.” ^[4]

Career

Palmer worked at the National Commercial Bank for four years until she resigned in 1990 to focus on her university education. After completing her first degree, she began working at the information technology firm WTG-APTEC. In 1996, she left and joined GraceKennedy’s InfoGrace team as a corporate account executive. ^[5] In October 1997, Palmer launched SSP APTEC Limited in Kingston, Jamaica, an information technology company providing audio-visual equipment. ^[6]

The World Bank’s 2010 report Women’s Economic Opportunities in the Formal Private Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean included Palmer as a case study on female entrepreneurship in Jamaica. ^{[6] [7]}

In August 2017, Palmer became CEO and senior partner at Above or Beyond (formerly The JobBank), the corporate brand of Leahcim T. Semaj and Company Limited. The organization aims to build upon its history in the field of human capital development by enhancing its internal capacity and expanding its presence throughout the Caribbean and Florida. ^[8] Her role is to leverage her experience in business and academia to lead the organization. ^[9]

Palmer began her career in education at Jamaica College as a teacher of Caribbean history. She left after one semester, but returned to education in 2006 when she became a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona School of Business and Management, and also at Northern Caribbean University, College of Business and Hospitality Management. ^[2]

References

1. "Above or Beyond". Above or Beyond. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
2. Hall, Diana (6 August 2007). "Dr Sandra Palmer-Peart A vision for excellence". Jamaica Observer . All Woman. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
3. Smile Jamaica (12 May 2015). "Off The Shelf - On Seraph Wings" (Video). Television Jamaica. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
4. Palmer-Peart, Sandra (2004). A study on the inclination of Jamaican employees to opt for telework: A comparison with findings for United Kingdom employees. Nova Southeastern University: Nova Southeastern University. p. 362.
5. "Dr Sandra Palmer - Never settling for less". jamaica-gleaner.com. 25 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
6. World Bank (2010). "Women's Economic Opportunities in the Formal Private Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Focus on Entrepreneurship". World Bank. pp. 121–9. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
7. "Lack of women in IT prompts calls for education reform". AFR Weekend. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
8. "New CEO for authority – The National". www.thenational.com.pg. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
9. "Above or Beyond". Above or Beyond. Retrieved 9 December 2017.