Mr. William Anthony McConnell is currently the Managing Director of Lascelles DeMercado Company Limited and Wray & Nephew Group Limited, whose subsidiaries are involved in the growing of sugar cane, the manufacturing of sugar, distilling, aging, blending and bottling of rum and other spirits. He was educated at Munro College, then Dean Close School in Cheltenham, England, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He remains a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants as well as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica. He first joined J. Wray & Nephew Limited in 1973 as financial accountant and in 1977, he was appointed Managing Director of the Wray & Nephew Group of Companies (Wray & Nephew), which included J. Wray & Nephew Limited and all subsidiaries.

His work has resulted in the award of the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, in 1996, for his achievements in the development of commerce and export. Mr. McConnell has served as a director of the Bank of Nova Scotia since 1988, as Chairman of the Bank's Pension Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. He is also Chairman of Scotiabank Jamaica Trust and Merchant Bank Limited. His public service included serving as a Director and later Chairman of both the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica and Petrojam Ltd. He also served as a Director of the Sugar Industry authority.