The Tribune

ONYX Magazine is honouring the chief executive of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, Joy Jibrilu.

She has been selected as part of the magazine’s 2025 International Woman on the Move  for the 10th Anniversary celebration of its awards event in Orlando, Florida, due to be held on March 1.

Her appointment came after her tenure as director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. She joined the MOT in 2014 then went on to head the NPIPB in August 2022.

“We look far and wide, not just in Florida, but The Bahamas and the Caribbean for outstanding women who are impactful and leaders in their field”, said Rich Black, publisher of Onyx Magazine and the Founder of the Women on the Move Awards recognition event. “When Joy was nominated almost a year ago, our vetting committee was impressed with what they discovered about her and the selection was unanimous after that. She is the first Bahamian and the first woman to ever be CEO of this major marketing arm of tourism for The Bahamas. Bahamians and women especially should be proud of this phenomenal woman and celebrate with us as we honour her”.

The awards will be held at the JW Marriott Orlando in Grande Lakes, Florida. This year’s theme, inspired by National Women’s History Month, is “Moving Forward Together: Women Educating and Inspiring Future Generations”. In addition previous honorees over the last nine years, both national and international women who have excelled across a wide array of disciplines, including business, education, the arts, STEM, government, media, healthcare and sports, have been invited to be recognsed during this 10th anniversary celebration.

The 2025 Onyx Magazine Woman of the Year is Joy Jibrilu, however other outstanding women including actress Kim Fields; 97 year old activist and recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden, Dr Opal Lee, the founder of Juneteenth; Claudette McGowan, CEO of Protexxa, a global IT leader and cybersecurity pioneer out of Canada and two presidents of two top sororities and more than two dozen incredible women who are leaders in their fields will be honored and recognised as well.

The event will be preceded by a reception to meet and greet honorees at Orlando’s award winning Museum of Art center. At this event Joy and the other top tier Honorees will be interviewed for TV and presented with gifts and accolades from all over Florida as well as meet the attendees and fellow honorees.