From his office in Port-of-Spain, TSTT Chief Executive Officer Kent Western speaks with the calm clarity of someone deeply anchored in purpose.
A proud husband and father of three boys, Western has spent the past two decades juggling these roles masterfully, not just finding his purpose and leading in the corporate space—but powerfully leading his sons, and nurturing a legacy within his family unit.
“Strong people come from strong families,” he says, which is something he has seen both in his own family and within the organisation.
Western, who has been the CEO of TSTT for just over two years, and a father for just over 20, approaches both roles with intention, focused on the need to continue to learn, adapt and modernise his approaches.
Describing himself as “100 per cent Trini”, Western was born and raised in Diego Martin and attended Fatima College. Upon leaving secondary school, he jumped straight into work and then realised he needed to focus on education. That realisation led him to earn an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University, and a ten-year career in the airline industry, which, he says, “helped me build solid principles to stand on”. In late 2004, Western left the airline industry to join the telecommunications industry and has been in telecoms ever since.
Not only did he leave the airline industry in 2004, but he also got married and has been happily married to his wife, Anna, for the last 21 years. Western’s fatherhood journey began soon after, and the couple, then living in Saint Lucia, became pregnant with their first son, Eric. This brought them back to Trinidad and they lived in central Trinidad for the first ten years of their marriage.
After becoming a father, Western reflected on his own father and how he was raised. He describes his father as “very grounded, and very intentional, like my wife and I are. He wanted us to grow up with grit, but not to be hardened. In some ways, I wanted to raise my sons with some of the same foundational principles I grew up with, but I have a responsibility as well to modernise fatherhood.”
Western is now the father of three boys–Eric, who is 20 years old, Talon, who is 17, and Axel, who is 11.
“I’m one of four men living in a house with my wife,” he laughs. “The energy is real in our house, and my wife is managing a house of testosterone all with different personalities.”
One of Western’s key approaches to fatherhood is the recognition that all his sons are different, and therefore require different parenting styles– “a combination of strength and softness and structure and flexibility,” he says.
Eric, the eldest, is studying Computer Science abroad. “He’s smart, focused, opinionated—classic Computer Science kid,” Western says with a chuckle. “They all bring something unique.”
Talon, the middle child, is the fixer. “He is inquisitive and full of love, always ready to help. Axel, the youngest—he’s a leader. Lots of grit and a little attitude. I see myself in him.”
Western leads them each differently, teaching each one in tandem about strength, softness and structure. Each child carries “Kent” as their middle name—a symbol of legacy and belonging.
“We’re not just growing up boys, we’re growing up men,” he says, his voice tinged with pride and responsibility.
“Fairness, respect, and dignity—those are values my dad instilled in me, and I’m passing them down. Sometimes with words, but often just through action.”
He recalls an instance at Massy when he asked Talon to give money to a man in a wheelchair, right after saying no to a snack request.
“He was puzzled,” Western admits, but the lesson stuck.
“Now he reminds me to look out for that man.”
As CEO of TSTT, Western refuses to compartmentalise work versus family. “You don’t stop being a father or CEO at five o’clock,” he explains. “There’s a shared rhythm rather than simply task shifting. The boys hear me on work calls, they see how I support my team.”
When Western joined TSTT, he was musing on what he could give to an organisation that was already so mature.
“It’s the same thing I give at home,” he says, referencing the need to treat his staff with compassion and understanding and encourage them not only to be present in their work but make real accommodations for them to be present in their families. At home and in the office, his mantra remains the same: lead with love and intention.
Western believes the future of fatherhood lies in finding the balance between strength and softness, as well as communicating openly and casually with his children about all things while ensuring they are respectful of their parents as the leaders of the family.
He talks to his sons on topics that were considered taboo when he was growing up, like menstrual equity–which was part of a campaign led recently by TSTT. “They are living and growing up in a time where things are different,” he says.
When one of his sons asked him if he felt uncomfortable talking publicly, he responded in a manner to ensure that his son understood that this was a human topic and issue, and one that men should be involved in.
He relishes in learning from his children too, as his 11 year old told him more about the discussions on puberty and health that he had in school. Western felt a profound sense of achievement: that his son could have those conversations with maturity and ease.
Balancing work and family is no small task, but Western credits his “home team” for keeping him grounded. “They let me know when I’m drifting. If I’m home, I need to be present and show up whole. And they hold me to that.”
It’s not always easy for him, but he is grateful that even when he has to hone into a big project at work, his wife and sons show him grace, knowing that once the project is over he will be able to pour more wholeheartedly into the home.
Western also acknowledges that he and his wife won’t always get it right and part of parenting is listening, learning, and being okay with not having all the answers.
But he has a strategy–“What I don’t know, I find out on ChatGPT,” he laughs.
As Western continues to raise his children, he said that as a father, the treasure of time is what he values most.
“My eldest is only here four months of the year. So those moments matter more now. I’m teaching them to carry themselves with pride, to be kind, and to honour their Caribbean identity.”
Western said, he is proud to lead TSTT but similarly as proud to be a dad.
“My title doesn’t shape me. I shape it. And I hope when people look at my sons, they see some of the good my father passed on to me—and that I’ve passed to them.”
