Jamaica’s Kimesha Walters, CEO of Oasis Integrated Communications, has won the prestigious Women Empowerment Awards, Mantella Corporation, BIPOC Entrepreneur Grant Award, which includes CA $10,000 to support the growth of her business.

The Canada-wide Award recognizes successful Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) business leaders who have overcome great challenges, breaking through roadblocks to gain credibility and establish themselves in their industry. Walters emerged number one out of a record-breaking pool of 243 applicants. Here are 5 interesting facts about her:

1. She Hails From Clarendon

• Kimesha Walters is a Clarendonian hailing from the community of Prospect. She is also proud past student of Clarendon College – one of the institutions that honed the writing and communication skills that are now the foundation of her company, Oasis Integrated Communications. Shout out to the teachers of Clarendon College.

2. She Made It Through When ‘Di Dutty Was Tough’

• An old Jamaican proverb says, ‘Rain ah fall but dutty tough,’ which translates to: ‘it is raining, but the earth is still hard.’ The proverb means things are hard even though they appear to be well. When Walters migrated to Canada in 2018, her experience in the Canadian job market was the epitome of this. Despite over a decade of experience with top brands like Hyundai, Grace, Microsoft, and Pepsi, she experienced difficulty landing the ideal job. However, through her in-bred resilience and grit, she sculpted the hardened earth her own company, Oasis Integrated Communications. She began offering services in Jamaica and Canada, with a focus on getting more eyes on brands, entrepreneurs, and businesses through compelling content development, public relations, and social & digital media marketing campaigns.

3. She Broke a Couple Glass Ceilings

• Through her company, Walters has racked up an impressive portfolio of clients across diverse industries in North America, including collaborations with AV Communications – a leading multicultural marketing agency in Toronto that caters to top brands like Western Union (US and Canada), BMO Financial, L’Oréal, and T&T Supermarket, the largest Asian grocery store chain in Canada.

4. She Did Big Things Ah Yaad and Abroad

• Back in Jamaica, she has worked with brands like Charles Chocolates, IGL, Ignite IGL Foundation, National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Jamaica, and others.

5. She’s Always Watering Her Roots

• Walters has a passion for giving back and operates a charity called Amazing Prospects, which provides resources for children in Prospect (the rural community along the Rio Minho river) where she grew up in Jamaica. 

Walters continues to give back to various communities in Canada and Jamaica. She has partnered with and delivered various speaking engagements over a dozen organizations across Canada and Jamaica in the last four years, including The Canadian Small Business Women (CSBW), where she has been an advisor, mentor, and partner; the prestigious Scotiabank Women’s Initiative, Canada, where she was featured in May 2024 as a Masterclass presenter; HEART College of Beauty Services, as a panelist for Global Entrepreneurship Week;

She’s also partnered with The Honeybun Foundation, where she was a key member of their marketing committee; Startup Canada, as an ecosystem partner; and the YWCA Hamilton, where she has hosted workshops, spoken as a panelist, and was recognized as a YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Nominee.