aka The Answer to all your Business Problems
There is no business problem he cannot solve. From Accounting and Tax Planning to HR, Management and IT Consulting, the dynamic Dr Dawkins Brown is globally acknowledged as a one-stop shop for all your business needs.
As the Founder and Executive Chairman of Dawgen Global, an integrated multidisciplinary professional service firm based in the Caribbean, Dr Brown is responsible for the strategic guidance and strategy execution of several entities within the Dawgen Global Group, which boasts premium clients from across the world.
Dr Brown established Dawgen as an accounting firm in 2002. In his own words, “My life is a journey of experiences through which learning occurs. One experience leads to another thus creating a learning spiral which guides my growth and development.”
Dr Brown’s experiential learning began in 1989 after he graduated from Kingston College and was offered a summer job at the Jamaica Library Service in Kingston, thanks to the efforts of his Religious Education Teacher (Mrs Hoo-Sang).
While at the Jamaica Library Service, he developed a liking for accounting. This was influenced by residing next to an accounting firm in Kingston Gardens, where he always admired the workers leaving and entering the office. He was also swayed by the number of accounting vacancies he saw in the newspapers each week. He finally decided to study part-time and register for a 2-year certificate course in Business Studies at the University of West Indies and pursue the ACCA Qualifications via the Mature Entry Route (MER). The ACCA was and is still a very ‘feared’ examination, so to be successful Dawkins knew he would need to adopt a simple routine of ‘work-study’ for a few years.
After completing ACCA Level 1 and the certificate in Business Studies from UWI, Dawkins wanted to gain experience in the field of accounting. He was very well paid at the Library Service and all the offers he received would result in a salary cut. In time, his love for accounting grew intense and the salary cut was no longer a fear factor. He decided to regard it as an investment in his future earnings and in 1993, accepted a position at Lee Clark Chang (EY Associate Firm in Jamaica) as a Trainee Auditor, after the Managing Partner, Mr Oswald Lee, told him that, “He was a baker and I was flour, so he needed to bake me before he could sell bread.” His acceptance resulted in a 30% salary cut. Mr Lee promised to increase his salary each time he was successful in an ACCA paper. Dawkins had 14 more papers to attempt to complete the qualification.
The burning desire and aspiration of becoming a Chartered Accountant kept him focused even in strenuous times. “My father died in October 1997, just before my 26th birthday and the December sitting for my final ACCA papers. I know he would have been proud to see my name printed as a graduate, and my mother needed something to cheer her up in the months to come. Thus failure was not an option,” recalls Dawkins.
Having progressed quickly through the ACCA exams, Dawkins was able to apply his accounting and auditing skills with perfection and was soon transferred to EY Jamaica (now BDO) Consulting Department as a Management Consultant. In 1998 when the ACCA December 1997 results were published, his name made it to the finalist list. It was now harvest time.. he was a Chartered Accountant at age 26!
His love for the accounting profession propelled a desire to own and operate a firm. However, he wanted to get wider industry experience first. In September 1998, he accepted a position as financial controller at a petroleum distribution and marketing company. The experience was excellent and he was able to add significant value to the entity and other affiliated entities by applying skills learnt during his time at EY Jamaica.
Having worked closely with the Managing Director and the owner of the petroleum marketing company, his entrepreneurial desire started to take shape. In 2001, Dawkins and his brother established an accounting school (Corporate Business Institute), and on September 2, 2002, he established an accounting firm named Dawgen.
Dawgen Chartered Accountants commenced with Dawkins as the only employee. Since then it has grown tremendously. It has represented several international associations and networks, and most recently operated the Crowe Global brand in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
Skilled with the ability to precisely judge a market and trends, Dawkins realised that audit and accounting professions were changing rapidly. After a strategic review, he decided it was time to own and operate a global integrated multidisciplinary professional service firm. Hence, Dawgen Global was incorporated in 2018. The firm in Jamaica (Crowe Jamaica) was rebranded as Dawgen Global, providing a wide range of services including Audit, Advisory, Tax, Legal and Risk, with a team of 105 employees. They aim to cover all Caribbean Islands over the next 24 months, in addition to their USA operation.
Dawkins helped innumerous businesses stay afloat and succeed even when it seemed insurmountable, in part thanks to his Experiential Learning. In 2019, he decided to develop an Experiential Learning Model (ELM) at Dawgen Global after studying the work of David A. Kolb, John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. The ELM helps develop personnel into future leaders.
Unlike his contemporaries in the rat race, Dawkins is passionate about raising other leaders. “The rat race is the unpleasant life of people with jobs that require them to do unkind, ungodly things in order to compete with others for money, power and status. It is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit.
On the other hand, an effective leadership strategy can be the difference between an organization that flourishes and one that fails. My goal is to create a Team of Leaders within Dawgen Global to ensure we are globally renowned as a firm that focuses on adding value to its clients.
Over the years, I have created leaders at every level within my organizations. I believe that is the only legacy I need. I want to be remembered as a leader who creates leaders,” says Dawkins.
As an inspirational leader, he has already achieved his goal. In addition, he is a member of several professional bodies including: Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, member of Chartered Management Institute (CMI), member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), member of Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) member of American Planning Association (APA) and member of Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS).
He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the field of Accounting, Finance and Management from Rushmore University, and is a leading lecturer in Financial Strategy, Audit, International Financial Reporting Standards and Taxation at certain tertiary institutions in Jamaica.
Dawkins is clear that his mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with passion, compassion, humor, and style. “My inspiration has always been the desire to help organisations and individuals create wealth for all stakeholders. I believe if I can help people create wealth, I will also create wealth for myself and my community,” he says with his trademark flair.
