A lawyer by profession, Mr. Howard Mitchell maintained a successful Commercial Law Practice for thirty-five (35) years, with concentrations in Mining Law and Taxation, before retiring in 2010.
Mr. Mitchell has demonstrated a strong commitment to Public Service for decades and was appointed to the Board of the National Housing Trust (NHT) in 1987 and again served as Chairman from February 2008 to June 2012. He serves as a Justice of the Peace (JP) and in 2017 was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) for outstanding service to Business and the Public Sector as well as being elevated to the Hall of Fame St George’s College in 2018 and The Hall of Fame of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica in 2023
He is a past Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica and the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal and has also served as a Director or Chairman on numerous statutory boards across a wide range of government ministries over the past twenty years (including the Coffee Industry Board and the Bank of Jamaica) Mr. Mitchell has also negotiated a number of mining agreements on behalf of the Government of Jamaica.
Currently he is:
· Director of Issa Trust Foundation (Couples Hotels)
· Director of Jamaica Packaging Industries Limited
· Director of Strategic Alliance Limited
· Director of Mustard Seed Communities
· Chairman of Caribbean Flavours and Fragrances
· Chairman of Chicken Mistress Ltd (Trading as Island Grill)
· Director of Menzies AJAS Limited
· Chairman of TM Traders Ltd
· Chairman of Sagicor X Fund Limited
· Director of House of Issa Limited (Issa Hotels)
· Director Derrimon Trading Limited
His contribution to Private Enterprise also includes the resuscitation of the Sports Development Agency (SDA) to become the Jamaica Lottery Company Limited (operators of Jamaica’s first successful private lottery) and the co-founder of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) (which was the forerunner of the CHASE Fund), as well as the establishment of Jamaica's largest packaging manufacturing plant, Corrpak Jamaica Ltd., before selling that company in 2016.
Mr. Mitchell is a past President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and a former Vice President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association.