St. Lucia Business Focus 80

Issue No. 80

Mar/Apr 2015

Extraordinary

Women

Special Feature

Women in

Business

&

Leadership!

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BusinessFocus Mar performance / Apr | is not 2 a guide to future performance and the value of your investments may f luctuate. * Please note: Past investment

(First published: 2012)

No. 80

BF

Mar / Apr 2015

CONTENTS FEATURE

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33. Women In Business & Leadership 26. DIGICEL’s Women In Leadership

33

REGULARS 04.

Editor’s Focus

06.

Business Briefs

08.

Corporate Governance for Family Owned Businesses

09.

Battling the Amazon Effect

Economy & Trade Focus 78. US Energy Policy and the Caribbean 80. Implementing China’s New Caribbean Policy

20

86. A Garden With a Security View

In The Know 88. How to BUY Property in Saint Lucia 92. Red Stripe Lauded by Diageo Roaming Rates for Strong Sales Growth - and by 16. RBC Declares $735m Loss US for Cassava Initiative Tourism Focus Money Matters 96. Another Record Year for 18. Montserrat Receives US$4.84 Million Saint Lucia’s Tourism Industry from the EU 98. Caribbean Hotel & Tourism 23. Dominica and China Sign $16 Million Association Education Foundation Agreement for New Projects Developing the Caribbean’s 21. Roomer Has It Next Tourism Leaders Business Tech 12. OECS Calls for Removal of

Environmental Focus 76. US to Fund Wind Farm in Jamaica 75.

Book Reviews

100.

76

Health & Wealth

94. Major Moves 100. Events 2012 101. New Company Registrations

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Saluting Our Women!

F

rom time immemorial our women have been leaders primarily building families, influencing and making decisions and shaping the next generation. In our ever changing society, a quiet revolution over the past few decades has brought our women into the spotlight as leaders in all areas of endeavour and pillars for our future growth and development.

The recent release of the ILO Report on the progress of women in leadership globally has recognized St Lucia as one of only two Caribbean countries who were highly ranked globally where the progress of our women as leaders has been exemplary.

Lokesh Singh Publisher/Managing Editor

Five years ago, Business Focus dedicated a Feature to celebrate our Women and what a transformation has taken place over the last five years!

In this our 80th issue of Business Focus, with the advent of the ILO Report, celebration of International Womens’ Day and the continued growing emergence of our women, we have again decided to highlight our many women who have championed the cause of change in St Lucia and “shattered the glass ceiling” for the next generation of women who continue to evolve and thrive as powerful and dominant personalities in key positions of business, government and civil society.

Across all sectors of society, we have seen the positioning and emergence of our women at all levels of leadership in the management and professional chain.

Their progress has continued with many businesses today being totally led by women in key positions.

We salute their achievements and believe that more has to be done to further their progress and open the doors for them to the highest offices of leadership.

Whilst this is worth celebrating, we must also take note and address the growing voices of concern as it relates to academic and professional growth of our young men which has been in sharp decline.

We also wish to recognise and thank our entire team at AMS, our editorial contributors, photographers and especially our advertisers for the efforts and support at taking us on this journey with the publishing of our 80th edition of Business Focus St Lucia, making us the longest serving Business Magazine across the OECS and Caricom.

BUSINESSFOCUS Business Focus magazine is published every two months by Advertising & Marketing Services Limited (AMS), Saint Lucia.

Publisher / Managing Editor: Lokesh Singh lokesh@amsstlucia.com Editorial Assistant Terry Finisterre Graphic Designer: Cecil Sylvester Advertising Sales: Cennette Flavien - cennette@amsstlucia.com Hudson Myers - hudson@amsstlucia.com Webmaster: Advertising & Marketing Services Photography: Ashley Anzie | M&C Group Contributors: Lokesh Singh | Terry Finisterre | Dr. Takira Glasgow Lyndell Halliday | Bevil Wooding | Alexander Britell Trudy O. Glasgow | Dr Didacus Jules Dr Harvey Millar | Dr Chris Bart | Brian Ramsey Caribbean Export | CIBC | Kezia Preville Roberto A. Ferdman | Antigua Observer | LIME First Citizens Investment Services | Karena Bennett Pilaiye Cenac | SLHTA | Guy Britton | David Jessop Editorial, Advertising, Design & Production: Advertising & Marketing Services P.O. Box 2003, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: (758) 453-1149; Fax: (758) 453-1290 email: ams@candw.lc www.amsstlucia.com, www.stluciafocus.com Business Focus welcomes contributions from professionals or writers in specialized fields or areas of interest.

Reproduction of any material contained herein without written approval, constitutes a violation of copyright.

Business Focus reserves the right to determine the content of the publication.

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BUSINESS BRIEFS Harmonised Caricom Customs Bill Nears Finalisation

at $39 million while in 2014, TCL recorded a loss of $97 million.

A momentous 12 year effort to bring to pass a Harmonised Customs Bill for the Caribbean is now in its final stages.

The bill is intended to foster economic growth in the region, which will ultimately contribute to the improvement of Caricom nation economies. Policy makers are due to finalise the harmonisation of customs laws in regional meetings held in Antigua & Barbuda in February and in Trinidad &Tobago in March.

If successful, the harmonisation project will see businesses assured of equal and fair treatment by customs authorities throughout the region. It will also increase transparency of all activities by customs administrations and give trading partners a level of predictability.

Agreement for the bill was reached last August with only one outstanding issue remaining: the drafting of regulations.

It will be this issue that is deliberated on over the course of the two meetings organised by Caricom with the support of the ACP Business Climate Facility (BizClim).

A Harmonised Customs Bill will bring about greater foreign direct investment in the Caribbean, reduced clearance times for goods at ports of entry and greater support of regional companies as they expand their operations to other territories. ¤

TCL Records $97m Loss for 2014 Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) has recorded major losses for financial year 2014.

Chief Executive Officer of the cashstrapped company, Alejandro Ramirez, noted that TCL’s profit before tax position fell by $136 million compared with 2013.

He noted that in 2013, pre tax profit stood BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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The company also recorded a loss after taxation of $211 million compared with a profit of $67 million in 2013. However sales increased by nine per cent, from $1.9 billion in 2013 to $2.1 billion in 2014.

This was mainly driven by TCL’s Cement and Readymix segments.

“The EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) remained flat, it was $408 million flat against 2013. Despite that increase in the sales, EBITDA didn’t increase because there were some extraordinary items that affected the results,” Ramirez added.

He said these “extraordinary” expenses totalled $57 million and included the impairment of weather damaged clinker (last product in the process of cementmaking), which was stored outside TCL’s Barbados subsidiary Arawak Cement Company for several years.

technical analyses on the project. The initial phase will cover a 30-week period, beginning with reviews that first began in December 2014.

A team of scientists from both New Zealand and Australia will be conducting technical and geoscience analyses which will conclude in June, when the technical reports and a presentation of the “way forward” are to be submitted.

“The Government of Grenada is committed in its efforts to enabling the provision of more sustainable energy to the citizens of Grenada, and a reduction in the reliance of imported fossil fuel,” it said. ¤

Avon Pulls Products from 16 Caribbean Countries

It was noted that one of the main drivers of the company’s poor financial results over the last few years was the performance of Arawak Cement Company.

TCL is hoping that the impairment of Arawak and deferred tax can be reversed with improved performance. ¤

Grenada Explores Geothermal Energy Following moves by several nearby Caribbean islands, Grenada is exploring the potential of geothermal energy on the island.

In 2014, the Grenada Government signed a “support partnership framework” with the Government of New Zealand, aiming to facilitate such exploration, and now that is moving forward.

Government confirmed that Grenada had contracted Jacobs New Zealand Limited to undertake the required studies and

Avon products, one of the world’s largest direct selling beauty company, with millions of representatives around the world who depend on the company as a source of income, is pulling its operations from 16 countries in the Caribbean including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Guyana and Haiti.

According to a spokeswoman, the company will still serve eight islands including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Avon, has been experiencing declines in its revenue. In 2004, Avon's North America sales reached US$2.6 billion; however, by 2013 revenues had fallen to

BUSINESS BRIEFS US$1.46 billion despite efforts to produce lower-priced products.

The company continues to face increased competition from a number of cosmetic companies and is also experiencing negative returns from markets with volatile exchange rates, according to reports. Last year, Avon reportedly slashed 600 jobs in an attempt to reduce its overhead costs.

In an email to agents, Avon’s Senior Vice President and President of North America Operations, Pablo Munoz, states that “Avon has decided to cease operations in the Islands served by the US mainland, including your territory.

As a consequence, Avon is terminating all contracts in your territory, including the company’s independent Sales Representative contract with you (representative).”

Avon is one of the world’s largest direct sellers of beauty supplies and has 6.4 million representatives in over 100 countries. ¤

“We cannot wait to add Grenada to our network of Caribbean destinations,” said Dave Clark, JetBlue’s Vice President for Network Planning. “Grenada is one of the most beautiful and adventurous destinations in the Caribbean, and our new nonstop service will make it much easier to get there,” he added.

JetBlue Airways Corporation, commonly called JetBlue, is headquartered in the Long Island City neighbourhood of the New York City borough of Queens.

Its main base is John F Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens, and maintains a corporate office in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline mainly serves destinations in the United States, along with flights to the Caribbean. ¤

Grenada would become JetBlue’s 90th destination overall and its 32nd destination in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The new Chairman of the Mega Insurance Company, Stephen Smit, also holds the position of CEO of Assuria NV. ¤

Republic Bank Donates CDN $1Million to Help Sick Children in Caribbean

Suriname’s Assuria Acquires Second T&T Insurance Company

JetBlue adds Grenada as a New Destination

United States airline JetBlue says it is continuing its push into the Caribbean, announcing mid February that Grenada would become its newest destination.

Starting June 11, JetBlue will fly the 150 seat Airbus A320 aircraft to the Maurice Bishop International Airport in Grenada on Thursdays and Saturdays from the John F Kennedy International Airport.

Assuria regards the acquiring of Mega’s shares as strategic to its T&T and Caribbean regional development strategy,” the company said. Assuria also operates in Guyana offering a full range of insurance products.

Surinamese company, Assuria NV has acquired a second insurance company in Trinidad and Tobago. In a notice to shareholders, the company announced its 77 per cent shareholding in Mega Insurance Company (MIC) with an acquisition of 15,791,682 of the company’s issued shares. “Following the Assuria NV offer dated November 11, 2014 to purchase 18,183,334 ordinary shares or 89 per cent of the issued and outstanding shares of Mega Insurance Company Ltd and Mega’s Directors circular of December 19, 2014, Assuria successfully acquired 15,791,682 shares,” the company said.

This follows Assuria’s earlier acquisition of another Trinidad &Tobago’s Gulf Insurance Ltd, in April 2013. On January 22, Lindsay Gillette, Paul Vilain, Inderjeet Beharry and Errol Cheong resigned as Directors of Mega Insurance Company.

In a statement to the media, Assuria said the remaining shares amounting to 23 per cent are being held by shareholders.

“With this acquisition, Assuria has strengthened its investment position in T&T, having acquired 100 per cent of Gulf Insurance Ltd—a provider of general insurance services—in April 2013.

Republic Bank has donated CDN$1 million to the Canadian Hospital for Sick Children to assist in the provision of treatment to children across the Caribbean.

This was announced by the Bank recently during the launch of the SickKids Caribbean Initiative in Trinidad.

The SickKids Foundation, an initiative of the hospital, is the largest funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada.

To date, the hospital has worked with six Caribbean countries—The Bahamas, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and T&T—to understand the reality for children suffering with cancer and blood disorders.

One of the main goals of the SickKids Caribbean Initiative is to implement universal newborn screening for sickle cell disease in six Caribbean countries.

Speaking at the launch, Canadian High Commissioner Gerard Latulippe expressed gratitude for the contribution and said the aim was to improve the survival rate of Caribbean children born with cancer and other blood disorders.

Latulippe called on other corporate entities to partner with the SickKids Foundation to ensure children in need of treatment are given a fighting chance. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Corporate Governance

for Family Owned Businesses

by Dr. Chris Bart Family-owned firms (defined as companies in which the owners belong to the same family and participate extensively in both setting the direction of the company and managing actively its day-to-day operations) are the backbone of the world’s business community. In the Caribbean region alone, they account for 90+ per cent of all private sector companies. As such, Caribbean family firms play a significant and dynamic role in the economic development of the Region.

Many surveys however continue to confirm that only 30% of family-owned businesses survive one generation and only a very few make it to the third generation with most gone by the fourth iteration. Accordingly, the old family business maxim of “from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” must have some truth to it because the saying exists in practically every country and culture: clogs to clogs (Lancashire), kimono to kimono (Japan) and rice paddy to rice paddy (Chinese).

There are many well-known reasons offered to explain this phenomenon: 1. Succession is the #1 problem with either vague or non-existent lines of progression and made more difficult when family relationships dominate the selection process.

2. The founder gets undue preference.

3. Family managers often harm the businesses ability to attract and retain BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

quality talent from outside the family.

Unqualified family members are given responsibilities that far exceed their talents while the smartest ones are not always asked to take on leadership roles.

New generations bring the impetus and demands for change which can either help or harm the family business.

Personal conflicts and jealousies between family members go unresolved and worse, escalate into major feuds with large portions of the family taking sides, often irrationally. Communications then typically become strangled with family members often refusing to talk to one another or share important information.

Entrenched historical views about the business, particularly by an old guard, show an obstinate unwillingness to change direction or to take risks in light of changed business circumstances.

The family’s escalating lifestyle preferences force financial decisions which are not in the best interest of the business.

Spouses of family members (“marriedins”) complicate all of the above and make the situation worse.

The way “Families with Family Businesses” deal with these eight problems can mean the difference between success and

failure. Fortunately, having a robust system of governance arrangements, appropriate to a family’s particular situation and circumstances, can help lessen and solve many – if not most – of the problems listed above which, if allowed to go unabated,

Dr. Chris Bart, FCPA is a recognised governance authority, the author of two best sellers, and Co-Founder of the Caribbean Governance Training Institute. The Institute is currently providing a six part corporate governance programme offered one night per week over six weeks and a major conference on Governance of the Family Owned Caribbean Enterprise is being planned for Dec 1 and 2. For more information visit CGTI’s website: http://www. caribbeangovernancetraininginstitute. com/ or phone Lisa at 758 451 2500

have destroyed both families and the businesses that their ancestors built.

As previous research has established, good governance has a positive impact on the performance and reputation of companies, including their ability to attract lower cost debt and equity capital from external sources. Encouraging even the most basic principles of good governance for family-owned enterprises, therefore, is fundamental to the advancement of a strong economy.

So what is corporate governance? As stated in a previous article, it is simply the system of processes, structures, policies and rules by which organizations (i.e., listed corporations, charities, not-forprofits and, yes, family-owned enterprises) are directed and controlled.

The primary purpose of corporate governance - and working diligently to get the right governance arrangements in place - is to improve an organization’s performance and make it more successful.

How? By promoting high quality decision making, safeguarding the organization’s assets, and fostering accountability, transparency and fairness throughout the organization’s operations.

For example, a good family governance system develops a strong organizational structure that clarifies roles, responsibilities, decision making authorities and reporting lines among the family member-owners, managers and employees. When family and non-family members have conflicts – either personally or professionally - a sound governance system helps resolve them in a sensitive and just manner.

Good governance arrangements also provide clear policies and procedures for employing family members. They offer fair and unbiased merit-based promotions and rewards. And they ensure the right selection of both family and non-family members to succeed, lead and manage the business. When done right, well governed family companies perform better than poorly governed ones.

Each family’s governance system however, must be designed to meet its particular needs and goals. To try and copy another family’s governance system would most likely be an exercise in frustration and futility as no two families are really ever completely alike. Indeed, the overarching principle in the world of governance is that one size does not fit all. Each family’s governance system must therefore be uniquely their own. And be warned: since the road to good family governance is never a straight path, a significant

amount of cooperation, commitment and compromise on the part of all family members - as well as ongoing education- is required if the family’s governance system is going to actually work. Moreover, as the family business and its members changes over time, the need to change the existing family governance system may also need to occur. Consequently the initial design of a family’s governance system should not be seen as an immutable fait accompli and so rigid that it is incapable of change. Rather it should be seen as a sort of living organism that derives its strength from both important past practices and the family’s culture and yet which is still also capable of alteration with changing circumstances and requirements. As Darwin so aptly noted: It is not the strongest species which survives over time but rather the most adaptable.

In terms of its design, a family governance system is typically made up of several key components and documents that help a family make critical decisions and arbitrate disputes. The “family assembly” and “family council” are considered the building blocks of every family’s governance system.

The Family Assembly is usually comprised of all family members who are old enough to understand and intelligently participate in the governance process. Its primary role is to act as the legislative branch of the family initiating family policies and procedures. As a family’s wealth increases and becomes multigenerational, an elected Family Council often emerges - as a matter of efficiency - to manage the family business in accordance with the family’s goals and objectives, nurture future generations, and regulate family members’ participation within the family’s various business enterprises. As such, it acts as the executive branch of the family, creating, and executing the policies and procedures approved by the Family Assembly to achieve long-term success. The Council’s work is also supplemented by a separate Board of Directors (which should include suitably qualified, non-family members) to provide direct oversight of the business.

Another vital component of a family’s governance system is a Judicial Council.

This entity is typically comprised of key family members who enjoy a high level of respect throughout the family.

Their primary function is to settle family conflicts that cannot be solved by the family’s established conflict resolution mechanisms and their decisions are always deemed final. There may also be

family Subcommittees which are created to deal with specific projects (e.g. the family’s annual retreat) or address topics of particular interest to a group of family members.

In addition to these formal structures, there are a number of key documents which every family needs to create to successfully govern their operations. The most important is the Family Constitution which specifies the relationship between the business and the family and lays out the roles, compositions and powers of the various governance bodies discussed above. As a statement of principles, the constitution outlines the family’s commitment to selected core values as well as the vision, and mission of the business. It especially defines how family members can meaningfully participate in the governance of the business.

Putting together the governance arrangements, as just described, for a family and its businesses, however, is not a task that should be taken lightly or rushed. It will take time and having outside advisors is highly recommended to assist in navigating what can often be a challenging undertaking.

In conclusion, a solid family governance system is essential for ensuring the sustainability and longevity of every family owned enterprise. It can offer indispensable solutions to almost all family ownership challenges — and peace among succeeding generations. However, too many family-owned businesses frequently leave themselves vulnerable because they do not act proactively to deal with their unique governance problems. Yet, more resources are now readily available than ever before for those families wanting to transition to a modern governance system.

So here’s the big, uncomfortable question for members of family owned Caribbean enterprises: to what extent do you have a family governance system in place that is capable of dealing with the eight problems raised in this article and survive past the third generation? If you think that there is room for improvement, you might want to consider attending the upcoming conference on “Establishing Great Governance in Family Owned Caribbean Enterprises” on December 2 and 3 which is being put on by the Caribbean Governance Training Institute. After all, it’s not education which is expensive, but rather ignorance. ¤

BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Battling the Amazon Effect 7 Tactics to Attract Customers to Your Store and Away from Online Competitors

"

by Bevil Wooding

If there's something you've bought offline that you weren't able to buy online, we're probably thinking about that.” — Sebastian Gunningham, Amazon Sr. VP of Seller Services Online shopping, whether retailers like it or not, is here to stay. In fact, as more people get access to Internet on faster connections, online shopping is only going to increase. As Internet access on mobile devices becomes more affordable, local retailers can also expect to see another trend - the rise in the number of people coming into stores and using their smartphones to compare prices and buy elsewhere.

Understanding the Allure With online retailers, customers can use any Internet-connected device, anytime, from any place with a decent Internet connection, to do their shopping. The convenience of being able to use a simple web search to put scores or even hundreds of product options, at your fingertips is most empowering. With a few more clicks consumers can easily get detailed product info; expert or enduser reviews; user guides and even price comparisons. Add to that flexible shipping and delivery options, efficient customer service and hassle-free return policies and it's easy to see why online retailers pose such a serious threat to local retailers.

E-commerce is big business and getting bigger every day. Growth estimates from eMarketer report that businessto-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales worldwide will reach $1.5 trillion in 2014, increasing nearly 20% over 2013.

Interestingly, mobile phones are catching BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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up in developing regions, including the Caribbean, as the favored online shopping device.

“The lightning-fast pace of change in the digital landscape has ushered in a consumer mindset that is both adventurous and exploratory when it comes to online shopping,” said John Burbank, President of Strategic Initiatives, Nielsen. “Consumers everywhere want a good product at a good price, and the seemingly limitless options available in a virtual environment provide new opportunities for both merchants and consumers.”

So what’s a local “brick and mortar” retailer to do in the digital age to compete against the likes of online retail giants like Amazon, BestBuy and eBay? Fight Ecommerce with Ecommerce First, accept the fact that ecommerce is here to stay. Consumers will be using their Internet-connected devices from the convenience of their home and even in your stores purchase the products they want.

The good news is brick and mortar retailers can use ecommerce trends to their advantage. Here are a seven tactics that offline retailers can use to battle the “amazon-effect” and keep customers loyal and satisfied.

1. Create a Digitally Enabled Store To better serve their digitally savvy customers, more retailers are now investing in creating digital shopping 'experiences' which bring digital technology into stores.

For example, Burberry's flagship London store contains and impressive array

of digital gadgetry to provide a better shopping experience for customers.

This includes iPads by the dozen, lots of video screens, including full-length screens which convert into mirrors, as well as clothing which has been chipped to trigger catwalk videos when in near a mirror. While this level of gadgetry may be beyond the budgets of many offline retailers, in-store tech tailored to your business and to your customers’ needs don't have to cost a fortune.

2. Offer An Excellent Customer Experience An excellent customer experience is always a key differentiator in attracting

Bevil Wooding is the Chief Knowledge Office at Congress WBN (C-WBN) an international non-profit organization and Executive Director at BrightPath Foundation, responsible for C-WBN’s technology education and outreach initiatives. Follow on Twitter: @ bevilwooding

and retaining customers. It can even trump price in some circumstances.

Consider loyalty programs, gift cards and a reasonable return policy (to match those of your online competitors). In addition to your technology investments, be sure to invest in customer service training for your staff. Your customers will always value great service.

3. Provide free WiFi Let mobile users access the Internet with ease in your stores. In-store WiFi access, in conjunction with your own app and mobile site, can be a powerful tool for encouraging greater customer engagement. NinthDecimal, a mobile intelligence research firm, found that 44%

of all age groups say that the availability of in-store WiFi influences where they shop. Free In-store wifi offers the additional benefit of finding out more about your customers. You can prompt customers to register and provide a few details in return for the free Internet access. Be reasonable though. Don’t ask for too much. An email address and a few details such as town and gender are all you should need. Armed with this data you can implement location-based targeting of promotions while users are in store.

4. Launch an App or Mobile Site Do not underestimate the threat posed by comparison apps and websites, and those offered by retailers like Amazon.

Chances are, if you have a product that Amazon also stocks, it will likely be cheaper with the online retail giant.

However, if you invest in your own mobile app or ecommerce website where your customers can see product details and local reviews and have the added benefit of a local store with local delivery then

the inclination to look elsewhere may be tempered and the “Amazon effect” reduced.

5. Use Social Media As more people enter your stores using their smartphones, find ways of turning this to your advantage, and getting them to help promote your store. Major social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest have strong appeal, particularly amongst the younger demographics. You can create promotions to encourage shoppers to upload and share their images and experiences at your store and with your products on social media.

6. Promote Your Presence If you already have an app or mobile site, promote it. Incentivize people to download and use your app and sites with in-store discounts and other promotional offers. Look for ways to use the technology to encourage your customers to spend more time in your store, increasing the likelihood of them making a purchase. Of course, make sure your app works well, is easy to use, and has the functionality they have come to expect from the online retailers. What you don’t want is a mobile app or website that creates a new point of frustration for your customers.

7. Maximize the Benefit of Presence While local retailers can't always match the likes of Amazon for price, there are other factors of having a local presence that should be used to offer consumers an advantage. These include:

online but prefer the convenience of in-store collection. This allows retailers the opportunity to drive customers into stores, where they may make other purchases, as well as saving them from the hassles sometimes associated with delivery.

In-store returns. Online retailer often offer free and convenient returns, but most offline retailers don't. Customers will often prefer to return items to a store where they can exchange them or receive a refund faster than they could via postal returns.

Get it Now. Sometimes, customers don't want to wait. An offline retailers with an item in stock will always have an

advantage over online rivals. Retailers can make the most of this by offering customers the ability to check stock availability online.

Local Work to be Done Of course this list is by no means exhaustive. Retailers also have to do a far better job of lobbying law makers and banks to enact legislation and policies to support local ecommerce. Government and the banking sector also have to play their part in helping the private sector take business into the digital age.

Your efforts to support local ecommerce and create a digitally friendly shopping experience for customers can yield profitable rewards. After all, a vibrant local ecommerce ecosystem benefits retailers, consumers and the wider economy. ¤

Reserve and collect. This appeals to customers who like to do their research BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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BUSINESSTECH TECH BUSINESS

OECS Calls

for Removal of Roaming Rates

T

La Rocque: Critical Role for ICT in Caricom

Dr Didacus Jules

he Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission is calling for the removal of roaming fees attached to mobile calls between the nine-member sub-regional grouping.

“We’re not talking about the fancy marketing glitz of something called home roaming or anything like that. We want the removal of roaming,” said OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules.

The OECS countries have been arguing that since they have formed a single economic union, they should not have to pay roaming charges between Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

Jules, speaking prior to leaving for the OECS summit in the French island of Martinique, said that “if the OECS is a single economic space, the same way you can make a call from Castries to Vieux Fort, the same way you should make a call from Castries to St Georges or Castries to St John’s. “It cannot be a roaming call,” he added.

I

The OECS position comes also against the backdrop of efforts by the sub-region to make Information Communication Technology more accessible and affordable to consumers in the sub-region.

Telecommunication service providers have been calling on government to tax Voice over Internet Protocol applications such as Skype and Viber, which they say are impacting negatively on their businesses. But Jules said such a position by the service providers is not feasible.

He added: “The CTU, therefore, has a critical role to play in the integration architecture. Working together with Member States and your partner institutions, there is an opportunity to make a difference and substantially improve the lives of the people of the community.”

“What these facilities have brought in terms of value for money proposition to the use of the internet and to the cost of doing business especially for small business people and even at a family level for families being able to keep in touch with their loved ones in the Diaspora. “It cannot be subject to taxation and so on because it is a real material benefit,” he added.

Earlier, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell said roaming charges pose a challenge to an integrated Caribbean platform and are too costly.

Mitchell, who is also the Caribbean Community (Caricom) head of government with responsibility for Information, Communication and Telecommunication (ICT), told delegates attending the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) 25th anniversary ICT Week in Trinidad that his government incurred an exorbitant phone bill due to roaming charges. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Caricom Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque

CT is the new frontier for regional integration, CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque said recently as he underscored the critical role of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in the integration architecture.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the CTU’s 25th anniversary conference and ICT week at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain, LaRocque said ICT was a “crucial element in not only resolving our present challenges, but also in building the platform for our growth and development.”

LaRocque said creation of a single ICT space is at the heart of CARICOM’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, 2015-2019 which was approved by the Heads of Government last July. He said the plan identifies technological resilience as one of eight strategic priorities.

The Secretary-General said there will have to be an adjustment in CARICOM’s methods of operation since the plan requires an increased level of co-ordination and collaboration among member states, institutions and the CARICOM Secretariat.

“The implementation of the plan will require the most efficient and effective use of all the region’s resources. It has always been my view that the specialised institutions established by this community, of which the CTU is one, must use their unique skills to serve a common purpose—namely the integration of our region to improve the quality of life of our people,” he said. ¤

Caricom Body Calls for Reports on

CWC/Columbus

T

he CARICOM Competition Commission says the proposed acquisition of Columbus International Inc by Cable and Wireless Communications Plc “has the potential to prejudice trade and prevent, restrict or distort competition within the CSME with the possibility of cross-border effects.” The regional agency has instructed the national competition authorities in CARICOM member states to do a preliminary examination of the matter and submit findings within 30 days.

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The Commission has also asked telecommunications regulators to do a preliminary examination of the potential impact of the proposed acquisition on regional markets. This is also to be completed within 30 days. In a brief statement yesterday, the Commission said it is committed to a fair and transparent process in determining the matter and will advise of any further action once the requested reports are received.

The proposed acquisition was approved by Jamaica earlier this month but approvals are needed from T&T and Barbados, as well as US anti-trust authorities and that country’s telecommunications regulator. The aquisition was approved by CWC shareholders in early December, 2014. ¤

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BUSINESSTECH TECH BUSINESS

L

Self Care App Ready for Download

IME Caribbean has launched another innovative digital software, My LIME Self Care App, which is designed to give customers across the region greater access and more control of their own mobile services. My LIME Self Care App is now available for use in St. Lucia.

MY LIME Self Care App can be downloaded on iPhone from the Apple App Store and on Android from the Google Play Store.

With MY LIME Self Care App prepaid users can: buy and see add-ons; monitor their data usage to know how much is left on their package; and track the last 24 hours of call and text history that they paid for, including duration, charges, and destination numbers.

The App also enables postpaid customers to monitor their data usage as well as, download and pay their bills. The App summarises overages; allows email messages to be sent directly to customer service representatives for extra help, among other uses. This value offer is free to LIME customers as there is no charge for data usage while using the LIME Self Care App. “The MY LIME Self Care App places the centre of control where it belongs, in the hands of the customer. We are committed to providing customers with more innovative products that will

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complement their lifestyle and make them the decision makers,” said Martin Roos, CEO of LIME Caribbean.

“LIME is committed to driving customer service excellence, where excellence is defined by the customers themselves, not by the provider. This App gives the consumer the authority and flexibility to manage the services they need and can access from LIME,” the CEO added.

With a major network upgrade programme valued at some US$1.05B already underway, LIME continues to invest heavily in the region. LIME has afforded its customers a plethora of value packed data plans, an attractive range of affordable smartphones, revitalized its brand identity, refurbished retail stores and continues to roll out innovations. All this, no doubt, has contributed to the growth in its customer base, evidenced by over 100K new subscribers on its network in just 60 days, leading in to the start of the New Year.

“This new app is among a suite of new innovations that LIME has in the pipeline for its customers. LIME Self Care ‘wizards’ will be on hand in retail stores to demonstrate the features of the App and help customers to better understand this useful application,” Martin Roos further stated. ¤

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MONEY MATTERS BUSINESS TECH

Caribbean

Declares

$735m Loss

R

Darryl White, managing director of RBC T&T. Photo: Shirley Bahadur

BC Financial (Caribbean) Ltd has reported a huge loss on its operations across the region in its 2014 financial statement, even as a Wall Street Journal report has hinted that there may be significant ownership changes in the wind at RBC’s wealth management division across the Caribbean amidst claims of new problems with money laundering within its Latin America Wealth Management Division. Those reports come against a backdrop of a significant loss at RBC Financial (Caribbean) Limited. In its consolidated financial statement for the 12-month period ending October 31, 2014, RBC Financial posted a loss of $735.7 million, which was a huge increase from the $6.7 million loss in the previous year. The company’s 2014 performance was driven by the fact that it recorded the sum of $999.5 million as impairment losses on loans and advances, which was more than double the $491.5 million impairment losses it reported in 2013.

the region, we maintained our relationship with the Caribbean and continue to reaffirm our commitment to the region.”

Meanwhile, RBC’s T&T subsidiary reported a loss of $189.5 million for the 12-month period ending October 31, 2014, which was higher than the $55.7 million it recorded in 2013.

That loss was driven by the company declaring $179.9 million in impairment losses on loans and advances to customers. In 2013, RBC’s T&T subsidiary reported $28.6 million in impairment losses.

In his managing director’s report, Darryl White stated: “Across the region, the Caribbean parent implemented certain restructuring initiatives to adjust the overall cost structure of the group in response to the challenging economic conditions across the region. Costs relating to this restructuring and the settlement of a long-outstanding, post-retirement benefit issue, negatively impacted the bank by $110 million (2013-$268 million) in 2014.

“The bank also strengthened loan loss provisions to reflect the challenges in collateral realisation.” According to the WSJ article headlined “Money-laundering fears fuel an RBC retreat” financial losses may not be the only issue facing the Canadian bank in the region.

On the issue of RBC’s sale of some more of its Caribbean businesses, the opened by stating: “Canada’s largest bank, Royal In terms of the impairment losses by sector, RBC Caribbean reported Bank of Canada , is exiting from once-promising businesses in $479.2 million in the commercial and corporate sector, $405.5 Latin America and the Caribbean after being swept up in the net million for mortgage loans and $114.8 million for retail loans. In the of global money-laundering probes.” chief executive report, published on January 31, RBC Financial CEO, Robert Johnston, sought to put a brave face on the results, pointing Talking about the story during an interview the same day it was to the growth of the regional banking franchise’s core business: published in the WSJ (Tuesday February 4) on the Canadian Over the fiscal period ending October 31, 2014, excluding one-time Business News Network, Mac Donald said the probe into RBC’s items, we realised core earnings of $511 million compared to $448 wealth management business in Latin America stemmed back million in 2013, as our core business continues to improve and grow. into 2009, when Brazilian police investigated the possibility that “We have positive momentum in quality loan growth in our key laundered money from the Dutch Caribbean may have ended in areas of corporate and business banking, which we will continue to an account in their country, touching off probes Mac Donald said develop further.” in two other RBC Latin America areas, Uruguay an Argentina.

Johnston also stated:”Even as RBC Financial and its subsidiaries (the In a later story on WSJ, written on Friday, February 6, Mac Donald group) were impacted by challenging economic conditions across said the RBC was in talks “with several bidders for parts of the BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Caribbean wealth-management business that it is exiting as part of a pullback in the Caribbean and Latin America”. Last November, after initial reports of closures in several Latin American countries, a Business Guardian report quoted a media release form the bank saying that this was unlikely to affect T&T or the rest of the region.

“We remain committed to strengthening our overall business performance and focused on markets where we can be a leading competitor over the long term.”

But Mac Donald has reported that two people familiar with the matter have said that “among the bidders for some of the Caribbean assets is Toronto-based Cidel Financial Group Inc.” RBC is also said to be advised in the process by Ernst & Young.

Mac Donald also said that “RBC is currently in talks to sell its Caribbean-based trust business, which helps the ultrawealthy plan tax and ownership issues in inheritance” but that this sale would not include a sale of RBC’s Caribbean brokerage business.

The WSJ report continues: “RBC is pulling out of the Caribbean and Latin America because the risks associated with potential money-laundering didn’t justify the profits the bank was making there.” It adds a ‘spokeswoman’ said “the business had

underperformed for several years and said the bank had a strong record on regulatory compliance, including anti-moneylaundering.”

on the Canadian bank’s modest presence in the region.

According to the CEO’s report, RBC Financial’s result were affected by several “one-time” items, including steeling longstanding pension issues to the tune of $222 million and a $577 million dollar charge related to the sale of the group’s Jamaica operation.

Shareholders of Trinidad and Tobagobased RBTT received about US$6.33 per share, payable in a combination of 60 per cent cash and 40 per cent Royal Bank of Canada common shares. The offer represented an 18 per cent premium to RBTT’s closing price on September 28, before the Business Guardian pegged RBC as the buyer.

According to its financial statements, RBC Financial’s results were down when compared to 2013 in its Interest Income, ($3,122,522 in 2014 to $3,498,572 in 2013) and non interest income ($1,473,398 in 2014 to $1593,651 in 2013) The Sunday BG contacted Natalie Mansoor, Head Asset Management, RBC Investment Management (Caribbean) Limited for a comment on the WSJ report sending her links to the material.

The transaction closed in June 2008 just before the onset of the global financial crisis, which has meant that the Canadian parent has had challenges generating a return on its US$2.2 billion investment. In October 2007, Peter Armenio, RBC’s head of US and international banking said on a conference call: “This franchise creates a base for future expansion down the road” not only in the Caribbean, but possibly in Central America and South America.

She said that she was out of the country but gave a commitment to review the story and then provide a response. Royal Bank of Canada announced in October 2007 that it would acquire the RBTT Financial Group for a total of about US$2.2 billion, as it sought to re-enter the region building

RBC said the deal, which is expected to close by the middle of next year, will “mildly” increase its earnings per share in 2008. But the combination will be “transformational” for RBC in the Caribbean, as the new entity will become the fourth largest bank by assets in the region, Armenio said. ¤

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MONEY MATTERS BUSINESS TECH

Montserrat Receives

US$4.84 Million from the EU

Anthony Smart

Group

Records Profitable First Quarter

T

F

The objectives of the plan are “prudent Economic Management, Human Development, Environmental Management, Disaster Mitigation, as well as Governance,” the government said.

In his report, part of the bank’s unaudited financial statements posted on the T&T Stock Exchange, Smart said total assets exceeded $37 billion at the end of the quarter. “This represents growth of 6.2 per cent over the three month period,” he said.

“Most outstanding were our loan growth of 7.2 per cent ($0.8 billion) and investment growth of 10.5 per cent ($1.2 billion) for the period.”

he funding is coming as part of the 10th European Development Fund General Budget Support Programme. It is the third tranche of a wider total of $17.65 million USD in funding allocated to the territory by the European Union.

In a statement, the government said the funding would support the “continued modernization of the public finance management systems” and the implementation of the island’s 2008-2020 Sustainable Development Plan and Sustainability Road Map.

“The main thrust is to put in place an enabling environment, legislation, policies and institutional arrangements that can provide the framework for the development of a diversified economy, the facilitation of sustained growth and the generation of employment opportunities,” said Mikael Barford, Head of the European Union’s delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. ¤ Courtesy: Caribbean Journal BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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or the three months ended December 31, 2014, the First Citizens Group saw its after tax profit increase by 1.6 per cent to $177.7 million. Commenting on “another profitable first quarter” for the financial institution, executive chairman Anthony Smart said despite rising inflation First Citizens was able to maintain expenses, grow total income and achieve an increase in operating profit by $3.8 million.

Smart added: “The group’s first quarter performance was particularly noteworthy in light of current market conditions which continue to be marked by high liquidity and low interest rates.” He said the bank is closely monitoring developments and the resulting impact on government revenue and economic activity but is confident of continued growth and profitability for fiscal 2015. ¤

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$17

Jamaica Gets Million Boost for Climate Change Mitigation Efforts

Ronald F deC Harford

J

Jamaica’s Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Peter Phillips (left), and InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) Country Representative for Jamaica, Therese Turner-Jones

amaica has been provided $17 million from the Inter-American Development Bank under the bank’s Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.

The funding will help the second phase of the Government’s Climate Resilience Programme, including the creation of financing mechanisms to help small businesses; adjustments to weather-related occurrences and a public education campaign to heighten awareness about the challenges associated with climate change.

“It is focused on, perhaps, the most important issue of our times, which is Climate Change, and the development of climate resilience in Jamaica,” said Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips at the signing ceremony for the new funding. “We are seeking to adapt to this particular predicament to which we are particularly vulnerable. As a consequence, we are faced with the need to undertake adjustments, which are costly. To that extent, we are particularly pleased to be the beneficiary of this financing arrangement.”

According to Ian Hayles, the country’s State Minister for Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, the programme is a “very important contribution” for Jamaica’s adaptive response to Climate Change.

“I, therefore, welcome the signing of this agreement, and see this as an excellent opportunity to build on the work that has already begun in fostering strong action on climate change,” he said. ¤ Courtesy: Caribbean Journal BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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T

Records $297.3m First-quarter Profit

he Republic Bank Group has recorded a profit of $297.3 million for the first quarter ended December 2014—an increase of 2.1 per cent over the corresponding period in 2013. Total assets stood at $60 billion at December 31, an increase of 3.7 per cent from December 2013 and 1.1 per cent over the year ended September 2014.

In announcing the results, Republic Bank’s chairman, Ronald F deC Harford said the loan portfolio continues to grow with a year on year increase of $2.3 billion (9 per cent) and a 3.2 per cent growth for the three months to December 2014. This led to an increase in net interest income of $25.2 million (4.5 per cent).

Harford said that operating expenses were up by $54 million (12 per cent) from 2013, a major contributing factor being the increased cost of compliance in the current regulatory environment.

“While a satisfactory performance was achieved for the first quarter, astute asset management will continue to be crucial given the continued sluggish economic environment in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the decline in oil prices and its potential impact on government expenditure and economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Harford further stated that the group remains well positioned for the future as it is well capitalised with declining non-performing loans and high liquidity.

US$6 Million CapacityBuilding Project to Provide Support for CARIFORUM-EU EPA

K

ey partners involved in a new Capacity-building Project to support effective implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) met in Georgetown, Guyana on 19 January 2015, to chart the way forward.

The Project, valued at €3,099,915, is financed from the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme (CRIP). In part, the project will provide support to CARIFORUM States to implement commitments undertaken with respect to the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, and will help build capacity in all states. The areas identified for capacity building at the basic, intermediate and tertiary levels are Competition, Public Procurement and Customs and Trade Facilitation. The project’s overall objective is to support the beneficial integration of the CARIFORUM States into the world economy.

The meeting of key partners on 19 January brought together representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and Equinoccio Compañía de Comercio Exterior, S.L., the Contractor. The forum presented an opportunity for the exchange of views on key elements such as administrative requirements, governance matters, and the work plan, including priorities to shape stakeholder engagement in the short term.

Representatives affirmed that the Project methodology should strive to embed learning outcomes and materials, on a sustainable basis, among academic and other participating institutions in the Region.

Project Manager, Mr. Eugene Petty who is also the Director of Development Cooperation in the CARICOM Secretariat-based CARIFORUM Directorate, called attention to “institutional capacity constraints across the Region which continue to hamper progress in the implementation of obligations under the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.” He informed resources have been set aside to address such constraints and build institutional capacity in the three thematic areas covered by the Project.

The head of Equinoccio’s delegation at the Meeting, Mr. Angel Diez Rubio, in noting the significance of the Project, highlighted the strong commitment of his team to partner with the CARICOM Secretariat for the successful implementation of the capacity-building initiative.

The Director-General of the CARIFORUM Directorate, Mr. Percival Marie, who has overall responsibility for the management of the Project expressed confidence that, given its credentials, Equinoccio and the consortium that the firm represents as the contractor, are well-suited to implement the terms of the consultancy. Mr. Marie also expressed the view that “in light of the project’s provision of significant, targeted capacity-building to a cross section of CARIFORUM stakeholders, it will redound to the benefit of the Region’s development.”

Signed on 13 December 2014, the project has a duration of approximately twenty-seven calendar months and is being implemented through a service contract, by CARIFORUM, as the Contracting Authority, along with Equinoccio, Compañía de Comercio Exterior, S.L., the Contractor. In the implementation of the project, Equinoccio leads a consortium that comprises: The London School of Economics (LSE) Enterprise, Ltd.; the Maastricht School of Management (MSM); and SGS Netherlands B.V. The Project is geared towards conducting capacity-building training of CARIFORUM stakeholders in the public and private sectors, as well as in agencies with responsibility for the different disciplines within the Region. This training will enhance the human, legal and institutional capacity to enable CARIFORUM States to honour their commitments and attain the objectives of the EPA. The beneficiary countries are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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T

First Citizens Market Outlook 2015:

‘Lower Fuel Prices Will Provide Tailwind for St Lucia’s Economy’

he First Citizens Market Outlook Seminar 2015 held on February 4th offered several insights into the Global, Regional and Local Economy for 2015. Presented annually by First Citizens Investment Services, the session featured an analysis and review of the previous year as well as economic and investment projections.

Starting off the morning’s presentations to over 50 persons at the St. Lucian by Rex Resorts, was First Citizens General Manager (Ag.) Sana Ragbir, who explained the status of the Global economy. Ragbir noted that “Global growth is expected to be supported by lower oil prices and weaker economic activity is expected in large players, namely: China, Russia, Brazil, Europe, and Japan as well as major commodity exporting countries. The US remains one of the only bright spots in the global recovery.”

First Citizens head of Research and Analytics, Vangie BhagooRamrattan, focused on the regional and local outlook touching on issues such as Foreign Direct Investment in the Caribbean and Credit ratings as well as debt obligations. She noted that Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada currently have the least fiscal flexibility. Quoting figures from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) she said that “Barbados’ debt is at around 97.7% of GDP (fiscal deficit at 7.1% of GDP). St. Lucia is at 80% of GDP with a deficit of 7.7% of GDP.” Despite the figures from 2014, Bhagoo-Ramrattan’s presentation was full of optimism for 2015 advising that the improved external economy, particularly the US, will drive export growth.

She noted also that the partial recovery of the world economy could create some space for boosting regional export volumes, exports of services (particularly tourism) and remittances receipts and that tourism should get a boost from lower oil prices.

With local general elections constitutionally due by 2016 the Research Head stated that this gave the current administration BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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“flexibility to see tighter fiscal policies through; notwithstanding opposition pressures.”

“We expect that St Lucia’s economic growth will improve going forward based on uptick in activity in tourist arrivals from the US and Europe,” she noted. “Lower fuel prices, and higher disposable income, will support the region’s tourism industry and will bolster household consumption and provide a tailwind for the economy. Lower oil prices will also be beneficial to the external accounts.”

The room of business professionals also received insight on the investment climate and current economic conditions from featured speaker McHale Andrew, the CEO of Invest Saint Lucia.

He offered a list of current and potential investment projects in various categories including manufacturing, tourism and softinfrastructure.

Andrew described the overall outlook as “encouraging.” He however said that Saint Lucia “requires more purposeful developmental focus.”

He forecasted that “Tourism will continue to lead the way in short term” but said that the development of Infrastructure (soft and hard) is crucial and also called for a “whole government approach” in order to achieve objectives.

The final presentation for the day was by First Citizens Investment Services Senior Business Development Officer Shaka St. Ange who delivered a review and outlook for the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange (ECSE). He also provided a list of upcoming Government Bonds and Treasury Bills.

Following the presentations the audience asked their burning questions of the panel which included queries about the impact of oil prices, the potential benefits of Saint Lucia offering economic citizenship and how the country’s debt situation can affect future investment. ¤

D

ominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit recently signed an Agreement with Chines Officials for US$16 Million to cover the construction of a number of new projects for the island.

According to a Government of Dominica statement, the Chinesefunded projects are slated to come on stream during 2015 and will include a new Hospital, Bridge and Primary School.

The highlight of the Agreement is a new hospital project, which will be launched this year, according to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

Dominica and China

Sign $16 Million

Agreement for

New Projects

“We have to address certain technical details of the drawing of the hospital,” he said. “We will also see the commencement of the much-needed bridge in the Layou / Clark Hall area, another gift which has been offered to us by the Government of China.

That will no doubt improve the communication and livelihood of those farmers and road safety in the area.”

The funding is also covering the construction of a new primary school called the Newtown Primary School.

“When complete, the Newtown Primary School will become, in many respects, the premier primary school in Dominica,” Skerrit said. ¤ Courtesy: Caribbean Journal

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Applications are Invited From Suitably Qualified Persons for the Post of Executive Director Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Inc. Position Profile and Specification “To Beautify, To Educate, To Inspire” The Organization Location Saint Lucia, West Indies Staff Volunteers and Board Members Budget To be funded by Art Foundations, Funding Agencies, Endowments for the Arts, NGOs, international corporations, individuals, friendly governments, the Government of Saint Lucia, through Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Foundation fundraising events locally and internationally, membership fees and merchandizing.

The Foundation has secured the patronage of several patrons, who have offered assistance in fund raising and donations. Several local institutions have all indicated their willingness to contribute.

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The Foundation

The Saint Lucia Sculpture Park is a non-profit foundation established to design and develop a national openair museum utilizing the entire island of Saint Lucia. The sculpture park will be open year round and will act as a catalyst to heighten aesthetic and creative awareness, and add dimensionally to Saint Lucia’s rich folkloric heritage. The Sculpture Park will help redefine Saint Lucia’s public spaces, enhance the island’s natural beauty, assist in creating greater environmental sensitivity, and foster a new culturally sensitive artistic movement. This unique initiative, which is expected to garner substantial local, regional and international assistance, has the support of the Government of Saint Lucia and a personal endorsement from the Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, Prime Minister & Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning & Social Security.

The initial phase will include contemporary sculptures, including 3 figurative works; the Saint Lucia Parrot (Amazona versicolor) by Professor Todd McGrain, Darren Sammy (the Saint Lucian Cricketer), and an installation of totems by Laurent Valère.

Proposed Sculptors include: Todd McGrain, Paige Bradley, Jeff Koons, Antony Gormley, Fernando Botero, Pablo Atchugarry, Igor Mitoraj, Corban Walker, Ai Weiwei, Richard Serra, Dale Chihuly, Anish Kapoor, Seward Johnson, Tony Cragg, Laura Facey, Angela Conner, Jonathan Borovsky, Jeppe Heine, Michael Craig Martin, Teng Shan Chi, Lee Zih Cing, Ann Christopher, Jorge Jimenez Deredia, Rafael Barrios, Michael Dunbar, Thomas Heatherwick, Marie-Madeleine Gautier, Anilore Banon, Jaume Plensa, Marco Cianfanelli, Yoshin Ogata, Tomie Otake, David Černý, Oliver Voss, Laurent Valère, Jallim Eudovic among others.

The Position Duties

The Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Foundation seeks a strategic leader to help guide this unique organization in its attempt to design and develop a national open-air museum utilizing the entire island of Saint Lucia.

The Executive Director must be able to manage all the affairs of the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Project, secure funding from various donors, and liaise with artists, engineers, and the Saint Lucian Government. The focus will be on building and maintaining collaborative relationships among all the stakeholders of the Foundation as well as fundraising to ensure the long term success of the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park. The Executive Director will need to take the lead with all planning efforts, budget preparations, investment oversight, land acquisitions, immediate and long-term fundraising, key calendar events, external communications and the on-going strong interface between the President of the Board of Directors and others supporting and assisting the Foundation.

The Executive Director will report directly to the President of the Board.

The successful candidate will be required to live in Saint Lucia and will be provided with housing, a car, and 2 months annual vacation and will be paid a basic salary plus commission on a sliding scale based on fundraising success.

Specifically, the Executive Director will: •

•

•

Support the Board in the governance of the Foundation and in the various legal and financial compliance elements of the Foundation’s charter and operation.

Prepare the annual budget, oversee the finances and annual audit, assure compliance with all legal requirements, and enter into contracts on behalf of the Foundation.

Engage in significant fundraising to accelerate the acquisition of land, site preparation and key works from world-class artists.

•

•

• •

• • •

• •

Initiate and help with efforts to cultivate friends and partnerships and to raise funds to support the development of Saint Lucia Sculpture Park.

Manage the activities of Board members, volunteers and supporters to gain meaningful contributions and progress.

Manage communications and website support and insure excellence throughout.

Maintain a strong, collaborative relationship between the Board, artists, Saint Lucia Government and various donors to the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park.

Negotiate terms with artists and land holders.

Supervise site preparation with local government authorities and engineers/contractors.

Interact throughout the year with key stakeholders and donors globally and communicate regularly with the membership through newsletters, email, the Foundation website, etc.

Provide operational support and guidance to the Foundation Board Lead an effort to secure greater engagement of local businesses and community organizations.

In a broader and strategic sense, the new executive director will: •

• •

Contribute to the board’s development and communication of the vision, mission, and objectives of the Saint Lucia Sculpture Park.

Ensure that the Foundation’s reputation, and identity are maintained.

Demonstrate to the various donors, artists and partners the value of their contributions

The Person Education No specific educational criteria required, but strong academic background very desirable.

Qualifications & Experience

Our successful Executive Director will likely be either a former Executive

Director for a non-profit organization and/or a successful fundraiser with proven managerial experience in leading member-based organizations.

Personal Characteristics The management aspects of the role are moderate, but the relationship, fundraising and communications elements are significant.

The ideal candidate will be an outstanding networker, effective at becoming acquainted with and sustaining interaction with each member, donor and contributing artist of this relatively small organization. The candidate must be capable of setting standards of excellence and getting results. The candidate must bring a presence and stature that will help sustain the quality, reputation and financial soundness of the Foundation To accomplish this diverse set of duties, we are seeking an impressive combination of self-confidence and operational “sleeves-rolled-up” attention to detail.

This is a facilitating and coordinating role as well as an executive one, and our successful candidate will demonstrate: • • • • •

Strong relationship and network building skills Excellent communications skills (in person and in writing) Impressive fundraising abilities Project management to supervise site development and sculpture acquisitions.

Basic understanding of budgeting, accounting, financial controls, nonprofit regulatory requirements, and cash management to sustain current operations.

Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Inc. www.saintluciasculpturepark.com Please email all applications to The President, info@saintluciasculpturepark.com Followed by a hard copy to: The President Saint Lucia Sculpture Park Inc. P.O Box 329 Bay Walk Gros Islet Saint Lucia, West Indies

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FEATURE

DIGICEL’S WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP Holly Hughes-McNamara: Regional CEO - St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada As Regional CEO for St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada, Holly holds management responsibilities for the overall operations of these markets. Prior to joining Digicel as Chief Financial Officer in July 2009, moving into the St. Lucia Country Manager role in May 2012, Holly served as CEO/CFO with The Karib Cable Group. Holly holds a first class honours degree in Accounting and Financial Analysis from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. She then qualified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and is also a Fellow of that Association.

When asked is it significantly different being female when climbing the corporate ladder, she says, “I really do not focus on gender, actually I often forget that I am the minority, I simply focus on the task at hand and get it done. Perhaps there is value in that approach?”

Siobhan James-Alexander: Country Manager - Digicel St. Lucia Siobhan has been employed with Digicel for the last 7 years, joining the company in January 2008 as a Computer Systems Engineer responsible for the OECS South markets. She has worked within many different departments in the company and has held roles of Products Manager OECS and Head of Operations Digicel St. Lucia before being promoted to Country Manager St. Lucia. Prior to joining Digicel, Siobhan held the position of Database Administrator on the ASYCUDA ++ Project in the Customs and Excise Department. Siobhan holds a Master’s of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of Liverpool, a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from Ryerson University and a Diploma in Project Management from the University of Cambridge.

In her newly appointed role as Country Manager, Siobhan is responsible for spearheading the overall development and operations of the company and ensuring that it continues to provide best service and care to customers.

Shenaaz Azeez-McAnuff: Human Resources Manager - Digicel St. Lucia Shenaaz Azeez-McAnuff is an accomplished Human Resource Professional with over 10 years’ experience in the expanse of Human Resources Management, working closely with Business Leaders at all levels. She has been employed to the Digicel Group for over 7 years, working with Digicel Jamaica as the Human Resources Manager for the Customer Service Departments and now attached to Digicel St. Lucia as the Human Resources Manager concentrating on both operational and strategic initiatives. Prior to Digicel she has also worked in Training & Development, Finance and Insurance sector.

Her first course of study is in the Discipline of Project Management awarded by Henley Management College with adjunct disciplines in Organizational Behavior, Business Process Improvement, Compensation & Benefits, Recruitment & Selection, Management Information Systems and Human Capital Development; additionally she is a Certified Train the Trainer.

Coletta Mc Donald: Customer Care Operations Manager - Digicel St. Lucia Coletta joined Digicel St. Lucia in August 2006 as a Customer Care Agent, moving shortly thereafter to the position of Customer Care Team Leader in February 2007. Her responsibilities after six months went from being on the calls assisting customers to managing a team of agents to ensure they continued to deliver world class care to the Digicel base. With a focus on people management and development coupled with her passion for care she moved to the position of Customer Care Operations Manager in April 2013.

In her current role she continues to promote staff development while managing the EC Call Centre providing support for 11 Digicel markets with the goal of maintaining the number one customer care position as well as implementing new strategies to continue to find ways to enhance and improve the customer experience.

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Tessa Antoine-Valace: OECS Marketing Communications Manager As Digicel's Marketing Communications Manager for the OECS (St. Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada & Dominica), Tessa drives Digicel's brand and marketing communications strategies. In this role, Tessa has led Digicel through a very successful period of brand consolidation in the Eastern Caribbean since July 2006 making Digicel one of the most recognizable brands in the region. Over the years, She has developed and executed a series of marketing campaigns including commercials that have stirred passionate discussions across the region in promotion of the Digicel brand. Key marketing campaigns developed by Tessa in recent years are Digicel Makes Me Smile, Digicel Be Extraordinary and Digicel 4G. Prior to joining Digicel, Tessa held positions at the East Caribbean Financial Holding Company (ECFH) as a Marketing Officer.

She holds a BSC in Management Studies (Upper Class Honors) and an Associate’s Degree in Social Sciences. As a woman in the Marketing field, she believes that what is important about any job is not the gender, but whether or not one is passionate about their job. “If you want to do a particular job, it doesn't matter what others think or feel about it,” she said, “it’s not a gender issue, as long as you’re good at your job your gender shouldn’t matter.”

Sherma Bartlette: Finance Manager - Digicel St. Lucia Sherma Bartlette joined Digicel in 2007. As Finance Manager she is responsible for the finance function, which includes production of management accounts, MIDs and Board Presentations. She is also responsible for developing and monitoring the accounting systems, procurement, implementing and monitoring internal control systems to protect and maximize revenue and safeguard assets. One of the most exciting parts of her job is meeting the requirements of the stakeholders, in the fast pace and rapidly growing Telecoms Company.

Sherma holds Bachelors in Accounting from Cameron University and is in her final stages of an MBA with a specialization in finance with the University of Leicester. She has a keen interest in strategic management and leadership. Sherma believes that women should not be afraid to take on roles that have traditionally been held by men and believes that the glass ceiling phenomenon is certainly a thing of the past.

Kentonia Censey-Smith: Diaspora Manager - OECS Kentonia has been working within the telecommunications industry for nine years. She initially joined the company as a Credit and Collections and Call center Agent in 2002 where she worked for three years. She pursued a Bachelor’s of Science degree with the University of the West Indies majoring in Management and Economics. Upon her return she was reemployed with Digicel within the Marketing department spearheading key sponsorship and events. During her tenure she launched the Digicel Festival of Fun day which has become an annual event for Special needs children. Among her various projects the Digicel’s Caring Connections was re-launched with a focus on Special needs, Kentonia played a key role in keeping the momentum alive. She was promoted to In-Country Diaspora Manager for the OECS South markets in 2013. Her role is key to the expansion of the business into the diaspora. Kentonia also supports Digicel Business with key projects and daily operations.

Kendra Bahtou: Retail Channel Manager - Digicel St. Lucia Kendra has been employed with Digicel for the past 12 years, out of which she has spent the last five years in the post of Retail Channel Manager for St. Lucia.

Kendra spearheads and develops the company’s retail and customer acquisition strategies, overseeing the retail footprint, store operations, promotions and offers. A key part of her portfolio includes the management of the device strategy, determining the handset offering, and handset distribution functions.

Kendra joined Digicel in March 2003 as a Sales Assistant. She has subsequently held several roles including; Customer Care Agent, Sales Administrator, Distribution Executive OECS and Distribution Executive Eastern Caribbean before being promoted to her current role of Retail Channel Manager in November 2009.

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CONNECTED MACHINES

EYE

IP SECURITY SURVEILLANCE

What is Digicel EYE? Digicel Business has introduced its latest Business Solutions product, Digicel EYE, which provides customers in St. Lucia always-on surveillance accessible from any mobile device anywhere and delivering peace of mind for their businesses or home.

Digicel EYE is a cloud-based video monitoring system that provides a secure, high-end video surveillance platform. It is designed to work with and/or replace analog video surveillance systems mainly used by small and medium sized businesses while reducing network adoption costs which would incorporate existing hardware.

Digicel EYE makes it easier for customers to keep track of their business operations without the hassle of expensive hardware installation and maintenance as it comes with round the clock customer support as well as offsite storage which eliminates the possibility of damage in the event of a natural disaster, physical damage or theft of the system.

Benefits

The service leverages the Microsoft Azure cloud-computing platform, eliminating the need for on-premise servers and storage, greatly reducing traditional hardware costs and installation time.

How can Digicel EYE help your business?

Digicel EYE can be used in multiple ways:

HD Video Monitoring Allows you to view high quality video of your business, monitor multiple cameras, zoom-in on points of interest, and playback recorded video.

Everywhere Access View live and recorded video from any device connected to the internet, including your laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Highly Secure Video Recordings Video is uploaded directly to the cloud, off-site storage protects recordings from physical damage or hardware defect .

• Simplified installation and maintenance • No training required • Ubiquitous access • Minimal upfront costs • No IT or security staff required • Operating expense

Partnership Digicel Business is the region’s leading full services business solutions partner. Our job is to keep you ahead of the game, solve your business problems and deliver value, innovation and partnership to your business.

Contact Digicel Business today at: 1 (758) 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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DEDICATED INTERNET ACCESS (DIA) Reliable, high quality internet connectivity for your business

Internet access and its applications is serious business, whether you are using professional internet access or conducting transactions over the internet. If you need absolute, guaranteed reliability and security, a Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) is the right choice for your business.

You’ll get a fully dedicated connection, over an unshared and uncontended line, directly into the Digicel Business network. The Digicel Business network meets the most stringent corporate security requirements for link encryption, information integrity and confidentiality, ensuring that your information is always protected.

Digicel Business management of the Wide Area Network (WAN) and Global Internet Peering (GIP) provides enterprises with maximum control over service resilience and quality, translating directly into a commercial advantage. Our engineering and operational experience has led to a consistent and proven record of delivery of carrier grade reliability and performance that is assured through our Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Why Digicel Dedicated Internet Access?

Greater Connectivity

Flexibility & Reliability

DIA is delivered seamlessly on Digicel’s Backbone Network to your premise(s) Dedicated connectivity with high availability and low latency.

Easily upgradable to higher speeds

Digicel Business architecture can provide fully diverse paths for a fully redundant ‘Always on’ Service DIA is delivered via a fully resilient internet backbone with best in class IP peering

Digicel’s DIA offers dedicated, guaranteed bandwidth for highpriority business applications

High Security

Customer Satisfaction

The dedicated link to your premises is using secure encryption mechanism ensuring a secure transport at all times World-class network quality and reliability supported by a proven pedigree of service with the world's premier carriers Leading Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) guaranteeing delivery and service availability

To get the technology you need to keep you ahead, Contact Digicel Business at 1 758 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com Complete solutions for your needs WWW.DIGICELBUSINESS.COM

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DISASTER RECOVERY (DR)

Business continuity for every eventuality

Developing a proper disaster recovery plan is quite a challenging task for any type of organisation.

Unexpected events that disrupt normal business activity can have a major impact on operations, staff and customers and restoring it can be a really arduous task. Having in place a comprehensive plan to deal with such events is a vital part of effective management. Disaster recovery operations reduce risk and eliminate costs while protecting your data and business operations.

With Digicel Disaster Recovery, IT personnel are no longer required to physically transport backups or begin their disaster recovery process by manually rebuilding servers and loading backup files. The data and applications are stored and mirrored offsite and server recovery is managed completely by Digicel Business.

Why Digicel Disaster Recovery?

Protects against natural disaster, power loss, human error or equipment failure Reduced costs Easy to use Agility and scalability Fast implementation No hardware requirements Leverage existing IT applications 24/7 helpdesk provides vital continuous support

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

Access all your communications from the same place Unified Communications allows you to access every aspect of your company’s communications through just one, unified interface, across multiple devices and platforms. All your calls, email, video conferencing, instant messaging, SMS and more, can now be quickly accessed through the same application. For example, access a voicemail as an email and answer a call through video, no matter what device you are on. Reduce your costs and help your staff, customers and clients collaborate more quickly, effectively and efficiently, with Unified Communications from Digicel Business.

Contact Digicel Business today at: 1 (758) 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com

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Why Digicel Unified Communications?

Allows your workforce to work anytime, from anywhere Improve efficiency with Unified Communications Access all your messages, emails, calls from the same place Integrates information from your smartphone, desktop or laptop whether on wireless, fixed-line or satellite Increases your company’s profitability Streamline your communications 24/7 help desk provides continuous support

Vision Service There is a significant lack of “factual” data available today to analyse driver behaviour and the cause of crashes.

The Digicel Vehicle Services tech service captures ALL vehicle usage patterns and crash information through the installation of an advanced “Event Data Recorder” type device in a vehicle(s), which in turn automatically sends this data back to a centralised “information store” enabling: Monitoring of Driver Behaviour Erratic/dangerous driving detection Crash Detection/Notification Location & severity

Fleet Management Real time tracking Eco driving Geo fencing

3D Crash Reconstruction Trajectory during crash

Reporting

• Pay-as-you-drive • Video Reporting • Pay-how-you-drive • Crash Reporting • Custom Reporting • Crash Notification

Customised

• NAVIGEAR 6XS LITE • 6-AXIS INTERNAL • USER APPLICATIONS • INTERFACES • EVENT DETECTION Algorithm Package • AUTOMATIC Report Manager 6 Degrees of Freedom Measurement/GPS Dead-Reckoning/CAN The EDR is capable of capturing: • The most subtle vehicle movements, such as swerving, severe braking, severe acceleration, driving on rough terrain.

• Direction and severity of an impact to a vehicle.

• Did the vehicle roll and what is the resting position.

• 3D crash reconstruction and advanced crash reporting.

• Information from the vehicle’s on board diagnostic system.

• Automatic crash notification.

The Advanced Event Data Recorder As the name would suggest, alerts are only sent from the EDR when a predetermined “event” happens or a crash occurs. These events can be remotely changed/upgraded.

The EDR is a powerful mini-computer [400MHZ] that is capable of running complex onboard applications that support advanced monitoring services such as • 6 Degrees of Freedom measurement • GPS Dead Reckoning • Automated Crash Notification/Reporting (ACN).

The EDR is also capable of connecting to peripheral devices in the vehicle such as the vehicle On Board Diagnostics (OBD) or a Camera(s).

3 6

Body Roll

1

5

Pitch Angle

2 4

“Information Store” This is essentially the “heart” of the Digicel Vehicle Services tech service and is where all of the valuable vehicular usage and crash information gets formulated and presented to Digicel Vehicle Services tech’s customers.

Digicel Vehicle Services tech recognises that for large insurance companies and fleet operators to embrace this type of service it has to be capable of “seamlessly” integrating in to their existing business systems/processes.

To get the technology you need to keep you ahead, Contact Digicel Business at 1 758 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com Complete solutions for your needs.

To support this requirement, the Digicel Vehicle Services Information Store has been designed on a Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) – Web Services and is being delivered on a cloud computing environment, meaning that the service is: • Scalable • Customisable • Easily Integrated • Economical

DIGICEL VEHICLE SERVICES BusinessFocus Mar / Apr | 31

Advertising Specialties & Promotional Products * Special Events * Calendars

* Corporate Gifts * Holiday Give Aways

* Personal Diaries * Much More........

“Your Source”

We’ll Put Your Name Upfront Tel: 758 453-1149 • Fax: 758 453-1290

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P. O. Box 2003, John St, La Clery, Castries, St. Lucia

FEATURE

Women in Business & Leadership Was It Ever A Man’s World?

It is almost anecdotal at this point that Caribbean girls and women are outstripping men and boys in academia. Girls get better Common Entrance scores, and more girls than boys are graduating secondary school and university.

That trend has a knock-on effect on the corporate world, but it’s not necessarily something new.

Women first got the vote in Saint Lucia under the island’s 1924 Constitution, which itself predated universal adult suffrage by nearly two decades. Women have been vital contributors to national development in Saint Lucia, and have proven themselves more than capable, rising to the top of their professions locally, regionally and internationally.

Much was made of a recent report published by the International Labour Organisation that cited Saint Lucia as one of only three countries where more than half of managers are women.

We are nearly at the point where it’s barely remarkable to see women achieving. But even as they go about their business as a matter of course, we are pleased to feature some of the most outstanding Saint Lucian women in several walks of life.

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There are Only Three Countries in the World Where Your Boss is More Likely to be a

Woman

By Roberto A. Ferdman

In just about every country in the world, someone like Marissa Mayer is sadly still an anomaly.

(Reuters/Robert Galbraith)

N

early a third of all businesses around the world are now owned or managed by women, according to a new study by the International Labor Organization (ILO). That number is hardly something to celebrate—for reasons I will discuss in a second—but there are a few (OK, only three) parts of the globe that appear to be somewhat (yes, only somewhat) exemplary in this regard.

Jamaica, Colombia, and Saint Lucia.

No other country in the world holds a candle to Jamaica, where just under 60 percent of all managers are women, according to the ILO. Colombia, the country with the second highest percentage of female bosses, manages 53 percent. In Saint Lucia, which is third among the 106 countries for which the ILO found data, the number is 52.3 percent.

Beyond those three, there is the Philippines, where just under 48 percent of all managers are female, Panama, where just over 47 percent are female, and Belarus, where the number is 46 percent. In the United States, which is number 15 on the list, about 43 percent of all managers are female; In Canada, the 43rd ranked, it's 36 percent; and in the United Kingdom, the 49th ranked, it's 34 percent.

But, as Deborah France-Massin, the ILO's director, says in the report, "there is a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when it comes to top management positions."

Though women are more likely to own or manage a business today than ever before, they're still extremely unlikely to hold a position of power in any of the world's largest companies. Less than 5 percent of those who own or manage the world's "biggest enterprises" are female.

The report does little to sugarcoat this societal shortcoming: "The larger the company, the less likely the head will be a woman," it says.

A similarly troubling trend seems to emerge when looking at gender equity among board members around the globe. A recent study by women's rights nonprofit Catalyst found that even among the world's most developed countries, women are still extremely underrepresented on the boards of large corporations. In all but one country— Norway—less than 30 percent of all board seats are held by women. Here, in the United States, where gender equity should be an example onto other nations, it seems to be just the opposite, at least by this measure: Less than 20 percent of all board seats are held by women in the United States. ¤

At the very bottom of the list are Yemen, Pakistan and Algeria, where only 4.9 percent, 3 percent, and 2.1 percent of bosses are women, respectively. The rest of the bottom ten is occupied by countries in or around the Middle East and North Africa.

Here are the percentages for all 106 countries the ILO included: Some of this should be seen as encouraging news. Women, after all, hold a much larger percentage of jobs globally (roughly 40 percent) than they have in the past. They represent roughly a quarter of all employers around the world, when you discount the Middle East and North Africa, where they account for only about 6 percent. And the number of female managers is soaring: In nearly 80 percent of countries, the proportion of female managers has grown since 2000, and in 23 countries the increase was by 7 percent of more.

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Roberto A. Ferdman is a reporter for Wonkblog covering food, economics, immigration and other things. He was previously a staff writer at Quartz.

W

hen the young woman was preparing to open a business in Jamaica selling pipes, vaporizers and other smoking paraphernalia, some acquaintances suggested she would have difficulty succeeding in a niche trade dominated by men.

Now, about a year-and-a-half after its launch, Ravn Rae’s smoking supplies store is growing and she’s proving doubters wrong in a Caribbean country where women have made such big advances in professions once dominated by men that a new U.N. study says it has the world’s highest proportion of female bosses.

“Women are the ones who are the main breadwinners. We push harder to earn,” says Rae at her smoke shop.

According to data analyzed by the International Labor Organization, nearly 60 percent of managers in Jamaica are women, who work for large companies or own their own businesses. That’s the globe’s highest percentage and way ahead of developed countries. Colombia, at 53 percent, and St. Lucia, at 52 percent, are the only other nations in the world where women are more likely than men to be the boss, according to the ILO’s global list.

The growth of women up the managerial ranks is due in part to improvements in the level of female education, but also because men have failed to keep pace and have in some cases gone backward.

The Caribbean and Latin America have seen such big improvements in the economic and social status of women that gender gaps in education, labour force participation, access to health systems and political engagement “have narrowed, closed and sometimes even reversed direction,” according to a World Bank study. More women are receiving advanced degrees even as a number also juggle household and child-rearing responsibilities.

The

Caribbean’s

Different

Gender Gap: Where Women Rise and Men Stagnate

But while government officials and educators celebrate this fact, they also have serious worries about stagnating men, who have lower levels of academic achievement and are at increased risk of falling into criminality, trends that undermine the gains by females.

Wayne Campbell, a Jamaican high school teacher who blogs about the problem of male underachievement, believes toxic notions about masculinity permeate entire communities, reinforced by a popular music culture that often celebrates law-breaking. Boys who display school smarts are often ridiculed as effeminate by peers and even adults in areas where academic excellence by males is typically devalued, he says.

“It’s almost as if manhood and masculinity have been hijacked by a thug culture far removed from education,” he said.

From the southern country of Trinidad & Tobago to the northern archipelago of the Bahamas, Caribbean education ministries have focused attention for years trying to solve the worrying reality of male underachievement and the social problems it leaves in its wake.

Not everyone is convinced regional women are close to pulling ahead of men in Caribbean societies. Camille Hernandez-Ramdwar, an associate Professor of Sociology at Canada’s Ryerson University who researches Caribbean cultures, said the majority of top positions are still dominated by men, even if countries like Jamaica and Trinidad have female Heads of State. She says women in the Caribbean still “have to contend with old-boy networks, male privilege, and males dominating in the justice, social, political and religious systems.”

But with far more women pursuing higher education compared to men, the gender gap could grow lopsided. For years, there’s been a steady 70-30 ratio in favour of women at the University of the West Indies, a public university system serving 18 Caribbean countries and territories.

“Caribbean culture has a laid-back, slow-paced vibe. But generally, Caribbean men are a lot more relaxed than the women,” Rae says, checking inventory at her smoke shop. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Iconic Women of Saint Lucia

Supporting The Next Generation Of Business Leaders

H

istorically, the office of Governor General has been as much a military appointment as it was a civil post. Governor Generals are heads of state in independent nations which were formerly part of the British Empire, and which remain part of the Commonwealth. The holder of that title was normally the head of the territory's armed forces. Until the late 20th century, the Governor General's official attire was the court dress, Windsor uniform or other military uniform.

But a Governor General is also meant to be genteel and refined. In addition to constitutional duties and responsibilities - swearing in the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and Cabinet Ministers; presiding over the State Opening of Parliament; signing of State documents; summoning, prorogation and dissolution of Parliament; appointments to Commissions and Boards - the Governor General also typically provides leadership in the country's social, cultural, intellectual and economic life.

She may not have a military bearing, but as far as the role of proponent of national identity, Saint Lucia's Governor General certainly fits the bill.

Dame Dr. Calliopa Pearlette Louisy GCSL, GCMG, D. St. J, Ph. D., LLD. (Hon), is the second longest serving Governor General in the British Commonwealth. Her Excellency was was appointed on 17 September, 1997. His Excellency Sir Colville Young, GCMG, MBE of Belize is the longest serving Governor General (1993-present).

Now in her 18th year in that position, Dame Pearlette has especially embraced the role of promoting the island's social and cultural identity, and recognising excellence and achievement.

Among the agencies of which she is patron are the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, National Community Foundation, Saint Lucia Cadets Corps, Saint Lucia National Trust, Saint Lucia School of Music and Junior Achievement of Saint Lucia.

Junior Achievement, or JA, has operated as a nonprofit organization in Saint Lucia since 1996. Licensed as a franchise of its parent company, Junior Achievement Worldwide, JA Saint Lucia was started as a project of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. Its Board of Directors is drawn from local businesses, educational and government sectors.

Each year, the Board meets with Her Excellency, a career educator. An alumna and former teacher at both Laborie Girls and St Joseph's Convent, she would go on to become Principal of the Saint Lucia 窶連' Level College. When that institution gave way to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, she was named Dean of its Division of Arts, Science and General Studies, whence she was elevated Vice Principal and then Principal.

It's fitting, then, that someone of such vast experience and influence in the education system would be involved so closely with JA. The programme is propagated through the BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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nation's primary and secondary schools. Through interactive sessions, experience and practical learning, it is geared towards introducing children of all ages to fundamental concepts like saving, managing money, career development and understanding the roles of various officers within a business environment.

Intended to complement the school syllabus, JA is committed to a unique approach to economic education and leadership development and seeks to equip and encourage participants to preserve and improve the free enterprise system that they will someday inherit.

JA Chairman, Christian Husbands, has described the annual meeting with Dame Pearlette "a boost to the programme... we get truly excited about what is to come," he says. The annual meeting provides updates on the strategic plan for the year, special projects, the schedule of events for the forthcoming year and a review of the accounts for the preceding period.

As one would expect, Her Excellency has much to contribute as well. With her abiding interest in arts, culture and the performing arts, she has been very expressive about the need to foster more well-rounded students. One of her several goals with JA is to see to it that the programme continues to grow from strength to strength and more schools, students, teachers and volunteers get involved at various levels and in various capacities.

Another of Her Excellency's duties is receiving foreign ambassadors, High Commissioners and heads of regional and international organisations, and visiting Heads of State or royalty.

Earlier this year, she welcomed Leo Martelloto, the President of JA Americas, on an official visit. He lauded her work and that of the Board towards achieving greater participation in JA, and hailed Saint Lucia's programme as "a model for other countries in the region."

In 2014, Junior Achievement impacted approximately 40,000 students in Saint Lucia. On an annual basis, over 10.9 million students in 123 countries benefit from participation in JA. With the support of the office of the Governor General, the next generation of Saint Lucian entrepreneurs is sure to be better prepared to tackle the ever more competitive global environment. ﾂ､

The Sponsor of EUFA Champions League BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Iconic Women of Saint Lucia

Heraldine Rock

Suzie D'auvergne

I

n an ideal world, Governments would reflect the society's brightest and best. All too often, they represent the brightest and best men. Worldwide, the participation of women in the political process and the machinery of Government has had a chequered history. In the Caribbean, notable successes for distaff involvement in governance include Guyana's Janet Jagan, Dominica's Dame Eugenia Charles and - of more recent vintage - Jamaica's Portia Simpson Miller and Trinidad and Tobago's Kamla PersadBissessar.

Here in Saint Lucia, of course, several women have served as parliamentarians, Senators, or members of the Cabinet of Ministers. But they all stand on the shoulders of Heraldine Rock, a pioneer and forerunner. Born Ives Heraldine Gajadhar in 1933, she would become known to Saint Lucians as 'Ma' Rock. A farmer and educator, she was public relations officer of the Saint Lucia Banana Growers Association. In 1964, Ma Rock decided that she could do more for Saint Lucia, and joined the United Workers Party. She was elected first vice-president, a position she would hold for the next 15 years.

She was less successful in the national arena, at least at first, losing to George FL Charles in South Castries. Undaunted, she contested the local government election for a seat on the Castries Town Board. And won. Eventually, Ma Rock would become the first woman elected to the island's Parliament, when she defeated George Odlum for the South-East Castries seat in 1974. Even in her party, few thought she had a chance. She was appointed minister responsible for Community Development, Housing, Water, Sports, Youth, Social Affairs, Co-Operatives and Ecclesiastical Affairs; Rock held that post until 1979.

In addition to overseeing the establishment of several community centres, Ma Rock also set up a government desk concerned solely with women’s affairs. That desk would metamorphose into the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and now Gender Relations.

Appointed a Senator from 1982 up to 1987, Ma Rock remained active in public life even after demitting the most public of offices. Among other interests, she served on the Board of Directors of the Saint Lucia Electricity Services and the Development Control Authority.

For much of her life, Ma Rock was a strident advocate for the nation's farmers and development of the agricultural sector.

She remained an active farmer until near her death in 2012.

Heraldine Rock remains a political pioneer and a beacon of national development. ¤

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W

hen Honourable Justice Suzie Agnes-Ida d'Auvergne passed away in August 2014, tributes poured in from throughout Saint Lucia, the wider Caribbean and the international community.

It was remembrance of a life well lived, of unique accomplishment and unbridled passion. Called to the bar in 1975, she spent five years in private practice before becoming the island’s first woman Magistrate. It was an unpopular move, as the magistracy was widely considered a dead end.

But young d'Auvergne had bigger ambitions. "Immediately, I set myself the goal of becoming a High Court Judge," she said, upon her retirement in 2004. She would go on to serve 14 years.

From 1982 she served as Saint Lucia’s first native-born Director of Public Prosecutions. As of 1988 she was the Island’s first ever woman Solicitor General. In 1990, she attained her goal, appointed Puisne Judge of the Eastern Caribbean States.

Remembering her father, Clement Sullivan d’Auvergne, himself a civil servant, Her Ladyship said: "The older folks did not allow me to forget that I was enjoying my father’s industry and hard work.

Where is Sulli to see his daughter make history in Saint Lucia?"

Seven years to the day after she was sworn in, Her Ladyship was part of history again. She administered the oath of office to Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy. Her Excellency says of Madam Justice d'Auvergne, "I admired her for her unwavering faith, her deep spirituality, her wit and good humour." She was known for her good humour, but Her Ladyship was more famous as a firm jurist, especially severe when matters were brought before her involving women and children.

Upon her retirement in 2004, Her Ladyship was appointed Acting Justice of the Appeal Court. She was also in that year awarded the Saint Lucia Medal of Honour (Gold) and the Papal Bene Merenti Medal. In 2006 she was awarded the Companion of St Michael and St George, CMG. Never one to sit still, or to limit herself, she was named to the administrative tribunals of the International Labour Organization (in 2011) and the Organisation of American States (in 2009).

Her many interests outside of jurisprudence included education she sat on the Boards of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and her alma mater, St Joseph's Convent - and history - she chaired the National Archives Authority for eight years. Madam Justice d'Auvergne was the eldest of seven siblings. ¤

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hen one thinks of Charmaine Gardner, it can be easy to forget that she is a third-generation entrepreneur, running a thriving business. After all, there are so many strings to her bow.

When Mrs Gardner returned from studying in Canada in the mid seventies, she heeded her father’s counsel and spent some time in the Government service, including teaching for four years. She also got married prior to taking up her role at Carasco and Son Limited, which her grandfather founded in 1921.

Under her guidance, the company got into retail, wholesale, manufacturing and real estate, and acquired an interest in enterprises like Saint Lucia Manufacturers, Clay Products Limited and Medical Associates. The core company employs 33 staff at its four locations, and Mrs Gardner’s son has joined the team as the fourth generation of Carasco entrepreneurs.

But Mrs Gardner is one of Saint Lucia’s and the Caribbean’s most vibrant personalities, her influence ranging from commerce to governance to education and social affairs. In 1982, she became the first woman to head the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, the first of three consecutive terms.

Having represented Saint Lucia on the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce, she was elected that body’s first woman president in 2000. In 2006, Mrs Gardner was elected President of 1st National Bank St Lucia Limited, the first woman in the bank’s history to hold such a post.

First appointed an Independent Senator in 1987, Mrs Gardner was involved in affairs of state until she retired in 1996. She was the first woman to serve as acting President of the Senate.

She has sat on major committees at the University of the West Indies, and chaired the Cave Hill School of Business, of which she is also the first woman president.

"It has been a tremendous balancing act, being a wife, mother, businessperson, and voluntary work, chairing and sitting on boards,” she says. “The critically important parts of my life are having God at the centre, my family around me and working with education and the women in our society."

Mrs Gardner is a Saint Lucia Medal of Honour (Silver) recipient.

A member of the Girl Guides as a child, she is now a senior international commissioner in that organisation. She helped found the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Saint Lucia, and the Saint Lucia Crisis Centre. ¤

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erthia Parle was always a good student and a quick study. Upon graduating from St Joseph’s Convent, she worked briefly in the civil service, before join the Steigenberger Cariblue Hotel as a trainee. She then took up a scholarship in Barbados that would shape the rest of her professional life.

The Barbados Hotel School prepared the young Parle for positions at resorts in Saint Lucia, Bermuda and Germany. In a third stint at Cariblue, she was made resident manager. But she soon struck out on her own, with support from her husband, Johnny, to enter the restaurant business.

In 1985, Capone's was opened in Rodney Bay. An Italian restaurant and pizzeria, it was soon joined by Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour and then The Patio Restaurant. For the best part of a decade, Mrs Parle was the managerial force behind these distinctive, groundbreaking eateries.

When Mrs Parle began seeing new challenges in the early nineties, Joyce and Desmond Destang had the perfect fit for her, a new hotel project. Her attention to detail and high standards meant the resort opened to rave reviews from day one. Unique marketing strategies helped Bay Gardens cause hoteliers in Saint Lucia and across the Caribbean to sit up and take notice.

Under Mrs Parle's watch, the hotel and its staff have copped countless local, regional and international awards. For her part, Mrs Parle has earned the recognition and admiration of her peers throughout the Antilles.

A former president of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), Mrs Parle was the first woman ever elected president of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). She was the first inductee into Saint Lucia’s Tourism Hall of Fame, and has won SLHTA and CHA Hotelier of the Year titles and SLHTA’s Crystal Award. Mrs Parle was twice nominated by Travel Agent Magazine as one of the most powerful women in travel and tourism.

After 13 years of excellence at Bay Gardens Hotel, Mrs Parle is now General Manager of Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II awarded her the honor of Member of the Order of the British Empire, MBE. In 2012, Mrs Parle was appointed by the Governor General to serve as an independent Senator in the Tenth Parliament, and was subsequently elected by her peers to serve as Deputy President. ¤

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Iconic Women of Saint Lucia

Berthia Parle

Charmaine Gardner

Paula Calderon

Iconic Women of Saint Lucia

Joyce Destang

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hen Bay Gardens Hotel opened its doors at Rodney Bay Village in 1994, Sanovnik Destang was still in secondary school. His parents, Joyce and Desmond, were teachers, although Joyce had also gone into real estate. Initially, the couple considered investing in an apartment complex. After all, as a real estate developer, this was where Joyce had established some acumen. But with the tourism industry starting to pick up at a greater rate, the time was right. It was their dream to own a hotel. They started out with 71 rooms.

21 years later, that hotel chain includes 195 rooms in three locations - the original Bay Gardens Hotel, Bay Gardens Inn, and the flagship, a four-star property on Reduit Beach, Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa. Bay Gardens Resorts, of which Sanovnik is now Executive Director, employs 200 Saint Lucians and represents and investment of some $60 million.

Joyce Destang is the visionary and the driving force behind this great Saint Lucian success story. Although she had no prior experience in the hotel industry, she has always been very hands-on in helping the chain develop and expand. With a staff of 200 Caribbean nationals, Mrs Destang has always surrounded herself with the best possible talent.

But having worked with young people for well over a decade, she was also in a position to see potential and help groom new talent. The former educator enrolled one of her former students, Berthia Parle, to manage the operation. Like Mrs Destang, Mrs Parle worked closely with her spouse, and their adroit handling has helped Bay Gardens flourish.

From the French Caribbean and Georgian Plantation influence in the Beach Resort’s design to the chanin’s burgeoning reputation as a world-class conference centre, thanks to partnerships with the Saint Lucia Football Association, and timeshare company Interval International, Mrs Destang’s input has been critical in growing the company.

A member of the Caribbean and Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Associations, and of the Rodney Bay Village Cooperation, in 2005 Mrs Destang was granted the title of “Ordinary Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” for her dedicated service to Saint Lucia’s tourism industry.

Mrs Destang says that when she opened Bay Gardens Hotel, it was with the intention of offering “good service and value for money.” More than two decades on, her perspicacity and courage have paid off in spades. ¤

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aula Calderon is undeniably synonymous with St. Lucian success stories, and not just in the category of women. She is a woman who can hold her own in a room full of men. This prominently passionate person who plays the hand she is dealt regardless, can only have accomplished what she has through good old-fashioned passion.

When it comes to leadership, Paula wears many feathers in her hat. Mother, Business Person, Pioneered the Development of Sickle Cell Associations in St. Lucia and the region, Pioneered the Caribbean Organization of Sickle Cell Associations, both of which she served as President, recipient of the Piton Medal – for her contribution to Netball, President of the St. Lucia Manufacturers Association (SMA).

The SMA was started by her late husband Lawson Calderon.

Paula sat on the board and served as President as of 2009 – 2014, an experience that seems to have come full circle for her.

“I am privileged to be the President of the SMA considering that my late husband was the first President and much of his work, objectives and ideas still continue to be a part of our Association.

The SMA has had very good leadership over the years, Laurie Barnard, Keith Smith, Roston Taylor, making it a very viable Institution to be a part of.

During her tenure the SMA established a Secretariat, assisted manufacturers to become ISO certified, develop incentives for their manufacturers to be recognized and launched the SMA Awards.

As a Leader, her approach is adaptation. She cautions that one has to be flexible and utilize various styles of management which in turn depend on values like the level of people, their work ethic, productivity, initiative, responsibility, commitment and dedication.

As a leader, the independent minded Paula says she is indeed proud of women locally, regionally and internationally who have succeeded in their various fields. She however acknowledges that women do in fact have to work harder than male counterparts, women have struggled and will continue to struggle to succeed. “I try to stay away from gender issues as I believe we are all equal and should be treated the same. As with any relationship, our relationship with men must be that of respect.” ¤

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Iconic Women of Saint Lucia

Joan Devaux

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ocated on the south west coast of Saint Lucia, just outside the historic town of Soufrière, you will discover two of the island's great treasures.

The first is the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens and Mineral Baths, managed in concert with Soufrière Estate. The latter was established in 1713 and granted to three Devaux brothers for services to King Louis XIV of France. The former has been around since 1983.

And it is here that the second treasure comes in. Joan Devaux (nee du Boulay) took over Soufrière Estate from her father, André du Boulay, in 1983. It was her vision, the year after he died aged 84, to plant the gardens now enjoyed by thousands of visitors and locals alike.

"I reluctantly agreed to take over the management of the estate for a short period of time," she says, "but after nineteen and a half years I still manage the estate. As copra and cocoa could not provide sufficient funds to improve and restore the estate I had the idea of turning the valley and the waterfall into a beautiful botanical garden."

Soufrière was the original capital of Saint Lucia, and many today call it the island's tourism capital. Mrs Devaux's shrewd management has made the Botanical Gardens one of the town's beloved natural attractions, alongside the Sulphur Springs and the twin peaks of the Pitons.

"The timing was right," she explains. "Cruise ship travel was then beginning and Pointe Seraphine, a docking facility and shopping

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area, was being completed. The creation of the Gardens, Baths and Waterfall I dedicated to the memory of my parents."

The combination of history and natural beauty is special to Mrs Devaux, the eldest of her parents' six children. Her brother, Desmond, and sister, Camille, were both involved in World War II, and Desmond perished alongside two fellow Saint Lucian pilots in the Great War. For her part, Joan du Boulay was educated at St Joseph's Convent in Saint Lucia, and Ursuline Convent in Barbados, before going to to Sherborne Dorset in England. She would holiday in Belgium, where she learned to speak French.

Of her father, Mrs Devaux recalls that "He designed new machinery for crushing limes, which was also adopted by other factories and when a root disease destroyed his lime crops in one year, he provided an alternative crop by importing the dwarf coconut from Malaysia."

Mr du Boulay played a vital role in the development of the copra industry and the Coconut Growers Association, among others.

In the 1930's, he restored the mineral baths that had been an important feature of the estate in centuries gone by.

Surely Mr du Boulay would be proud of what his daughter has done with the trust he reposed in her. Not only has she kept the memory of her parents alive, but she has built on a great legacy to take pride of place as one of the innovators of Saint Lucia’s tourism industry. ¤

Taste A Piece Of Paradise At Soufriere Estate

Explore the Diamond Falls, Mineral Baths & Botanical Gardens Congratulatonsions to the M&C Group of Companies on your 150th Anniversary of Business in St. Lucia tel: 1(758) 459-7155 email: soufestate@candw.lc website: www.diamondstlucia.com

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Karolin Troubetskoy

Contemporary St. Lucian Women

Janice Pereira

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The ECSC is the superior court of record for the nine circuits of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States - Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Grenada, Dominica, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Kitts and Nevis.

“It is with great honor that I accept this role of promoting responsible environmental and social management within the region’s hotel and tourism sector,” she said. The appointment is a perfect fit. Jade Mountain in particular has been widely lauded for the level of environmental awareness demonstrated by its open design.

judges.

he etymology of the term “fairer sex” in reference to women is uncertain. But the phrase takes on interesting connotations when applied to women of the judiciary. In the Caribbean, certainly, several women have become exceedingly well-respected

In 2012, Janice Pereira created history when she was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. The British Virgin Islands native was the 12th individual, first citizen of BVI and first woman to lead the Court since the ECSC was established in 1967.

Madam Justice Pereira had sat on the ECSC for nearly a decade before taking up her role as Chief. After her first five years on the bench, she was named a Court of Appeal Judge.

Women are very well represented at ECSC, and on the bench in the Caribbean as a whole. Half of the 18 judges on the ECSC are ladies. The Chief Justices of the Bahamas and Jamaica are women, and they represent a substantial proportion of the judiciary in Trinidad and Tobago.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred the honour of Dame Commander in the Order of the British Empire upon Madam Justice Pereira, in recognition of her sterling contributions towards facilitating the advancement of justice. This allowed her to be referred to as Her Ladyship.

Madam Justice obtained her law degree with honours from the University of the West Indies in 1979, and the Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in 1981.

Prior to joining the judiciary, as a practising lawyer, Janice Pereira twice acted as supervisor for elections in the British Virgin Islands in the 1983 general election (under her maiden name, George) and in the 1986 general election (under her first married name, Creque).

In recent times, Her Ladyship has been especially strident in her calls for the Governments of the OECS to ensure their fiscal support for the ECSC. ¤

arolin Troubetzkoy is no stranger to accolades, awards and positions. But of late, her portfolio has been growing even further. Owner and executive director of the Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts, she is in her second term as president of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, SLHTA. In 2014, the well-respected hotelier was elected first vice president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association as well, after two years as third vice president. Most recently, however, in February, Mrs Troubetzkoy was named Chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST).

Just last year, at the Travel and Leisure Magazine’s World's Best Awards in New York, that resort was recognised as the Top Caribbean Resort. For her part, Mrs Troubetzkoy has been extolled as 2011 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year, and Saint Lucia’s 2006 Hotelier of the Year.

Both Troubetzkoy resorts adhere to strict environmental standards, and they overlook a UNESCO Heritage Site in the Pitons, and two protected marine reserves. Anse Chastanet recently began offering a birdwatching package, with visits to Anse Mamin Plantation, Millet Bird Sanctuary, Des Cartier and Gros Piton Trails and dolphin and whale watching.

The new package complements excursions to popular natural attractions, Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens, the Sulphur Springs and the Tet Paul Nature Trail. The new CAST chair hopes to provide guidance and expertise in best environmental and sustainable development practices for the region, including water and energy management and the importance of “reducing, reusing and recycling.”

She has cited the need to increase the 18-year-old body’s online visibility as one of its immediate goals, as she seeks to engage with industry leaders across the Caribbean. Communication and collaboration are essential instruments in the Troubetzkoy toolkit. She speaks German, French, English and Italian, and has helped spark a major revival for the SLHTA in terms of its outreach and interaction with the public.

Karolin Troubetzkoy is the patron of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Saint Lucia, as well as the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Saint Lucia. ¤

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Joanna Charles

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“One of our priorities for the members in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States is to help shape the legislative reform process,” she says. “CAB will support our members by advocating for specific legislative changes, and working with the respective Parliaments and Central Banks to help make the new legislation fair and balanced for member banks and customers alike.”

“Before I had the business, I made certain choices,” she says. “I ran away from home, I got married at a young age, I had my first child when I was 17, and by the age of 21 I had three children.

he Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) announced a new Board of Directors in late 2014, led by Saint Lucia’s Joanna Charles. The CAB is a community of 46 Caribbean banks and other financial institutions that has been in existence for 41 years. Among her immediate goals, Ms Charles intends to build on the work done by her predecessors and work towards strengthening the banking industry throughout the member countries. In part, that will entail improving the legislative framework.

Ms Charles is Assistant General Manager at Bank of Saint Lucia, representing Eastern Caribbean Financial Holding Co Ltd. In the past, she has addressed the issue of access to funding for the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. The majority of Saint Lucia’s 7,000-plus small businesses are owned by women, some of whom feel that it is more difficult for them to access credit from banks.

t can be easy to force the cliche that women in business operate differently than their male counterparts. But Debra Tobierre’s compassionate and collaborative approach certainly comes from her unique experiences.

The owner of True Value Hardware and Emerald Vista Luxury Residences, the former teen parent believes in working for the wellbeing of those around her. She is adamant that “bad” decisions need not define someone’s life. And she is living proof.

Her life did not go according to the standard script. She never pursued higher education, instead raising her children and managing the family finances. But she avers that owning her actions let her shape and define herself, instead of letting her life get derailed.

“From very young I was determined not to feel sorry for myself,” she explains, “not to feel sorry that I was a young mother, I could not go out like my friends. I made the choice and I took personal responsibility for the choices I made.”

“Increasing access to credit by SMEs is an important issue for the members of the CAB,” says Ms Charles. “It is well known that the sector contributes significantly to the economic development of any country and it is in the interests of the members of the CAB to encourage same.” She says aside from bank financing, SMEs can access Government programmes through grant and aid funding, or equity financing via the stock exchange. A member of the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia, Ms Charles speaks passionately of some of her favourite initiatives with that organisation and the Saint Lucia Association of Bankers.

She entered the world of commerce as a result of her desire to create a better situation for her children. By 1998, she started True Value in cramped quarters, but - driven by a similar desire always dreaming of doing more.

“One of my favourite projects was the establishment of a school feeding programme at the Gros Islet Secondary School,” she explains. “It was wonderful working with the principal, teachers and parents associated with the school to reduce the likelihood that students would attend school under-nourished.” Fundraising efforts for a dialysis unit for St Jude Hospital and her work in the Young Employees Socialisation Programme are two of her other pet projects.

She would eventually acquire the building and the land in 2003.

The property has undergone an extensive facelift since then and the business is a pillar of the Vieux Fort corporate world.

Born and raised in a large family in Choiseul, Ms Charles says he parents taught herself and her siblings the value of education and maintaining balance between chores, business and school work. Today, having raised her adult son and nephew, she balances work, church, and a bit of exercise. “”It was challenging raising 2 boys while developing my career,” she concludes, “but I believe in balancing everything I do.” ¤

Her parents would often tell her that from a very tender age she cared deeply for the welfare of others, and refused to allow obstacles to bar her way. Mrs Tobierre takes every opportunity to speak to young women, with whom she hopes her message resonates. ¤

"When I first acquired the building - we had a little building that was really dilapidated, a tiny office with a small computer, low ceiling, very hot - what drove me was to improve on our environment, not just for myself, but for my customers and employees alike."

Speaking easily and often of “genuine love and concern for others," the present Government Senator (so named in 2012) lives by the credo that it takes a village to raise a child, and that of those to whom much is given, much is expected.

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Contemporary St. Lucian Women

Debbie Tobierre

Tanya Destang Beaubrun

Contemporary St. Lucian Women

Geraldine Pitt

G the region.

eraldine Pitt, CEO of the LIME Southern Cluster, is one of a growing cadre of Caribbean female professionals who are leading the charge in breaking down the gender barriers in business, and helping to unlock the true economic potential of

Since taking over the reins at LIME, Ms Pitt has overseen a transformation of the business and its fortunes as the company gears up for what is expected to be its biggest corporate transition in recent years.

Her trademark operational efficiency and management skills have placed LIME in a position to best deliver on its promise to customers and staff.

Being in the top ranks of a major corporation is nothing new to Ms Pitt. A Grenadian by birth, she managed a 500-seat call centre back home in Grenada before moving into the field of telecommunications where she worked for over ten years. In 2008 she stepped away from telecommunications briefly, and joined Courts Unicomer as business process/special projects manager for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and also served as acting senior manager for the company’s St Vincent & the Grenadines operations.

Looking back on her journey through the corporate world, Ms Pitt says experience has taught her that the touchstone to achieving success is being optimistic, developing a positive attitude and seizing the moment.

She said the opportunity to manage a 500-seat call canter in Grenada was a phenomenal experience that changed her life.

It involved coaching and mentoring a mostly female workforce, and for many of them it was their first job. Many of them were high-school dropouts with tremendous potential and in three short years they were able to transform their lives into one of purpose.

A working Mom with two daughters, she is just as committed to maintaining a good, balanced family life as she is to her career. For her, being a role model to her daughters is the most important and rewarding experience of all. ¤

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r Tanya Destang-Beaubrun has revolutionised the business of private medical care in Saint Lucia; her company, Integral Health Care, offers medical specialties including family medicine, urgent care and radiology. She has blended practicing medicine and managing a medium sized enterprise.

Owning her own practice was perhaps a natural choice, growing up amongst successful women. Her mom, Joyce Destang, is one of Saint Lucia’s iconic entrepreneurs. Beyond a natural affinity to business, Tanya always wanted to help people.

“My faith and intuition are the biggest things that have guided me in business,” she shares. “Women make decisions differently in business because we are wired differently, it has to be this way. We may come to the same end point but the way we go about doing it is different.”

Dr Beaubrun believes that the passion with which women run their businesses is a huge asset. “I have always put heart into this place so when I deal with my employees I want to know how they are feeling and doing and the same goes for my patients. If I am going to prescribe medication to you, what is your take on it... because if I am going to prescribe medication to you and you don’t want to take it, you are not going to.”

Blending her gifts of intuition and a knack for industry, her recent focus is health coaching and integrative medicine. “I want to focus on integrative healthcare which is mixing complementary therapies with traditional western medicine,” she continues.

“This involves treating patients holistically through lifestyle adjustments and stress management.”

It can be a struggle to juggle work and family. For Dr Beaubrun, it was difficult early on. “I thought that the balance was supposed to be even all the time, so whenever family got left out, or vice versa, I would feel guilty. So I went through a stage where every day there was guilt because there was something I had forgotten to do. It took me awhile to realise that I was just doing my best and I was leaving myself behind in doing that and I decided you know what; in the moment, I am where I am supposed to be.”

Dr Beaubrun has mastered using what makes her a woman as an asset in business. By leading through love and intuition she has created an environment where patients and staff feel empowered to do their best to continue to grow the business from strength to strength. ¤

Ladesa James Williams

Mrs. Williams began her career in banking in 2001 with her employment at Barclays Bank PLC as a management trainee having completed studies at UWI St Augustine in 2000 obtaining a double degree in Chemistry and Management.

She worked in Retail and Personal Banking in Antigua, Corporate Banking in St Kitts and as subject matter expert in Human Resources on the Integration Team in Barbados during the merger between the Caribbean operations of Barclays Bank PLC and CIBC which resulted in the formation of FirstCaribbean International Bank (now CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank).

During her 14 -year career she completed assignments in The Bahamas as Relationship Manager in the International Wealth Department; Corporate Manager in Antigua; Senior Corporate Manager Barbados and Country Manager of St Kitts & Nevis.

In her current role Mrs. Williams is responsible for strategy implementation, asset management, relationship management and leadership for 200 employees.

Mrs. Williams is a sports fanatic, a self-professed foodie and she became a first- time mother in December 2014.

She was the recipient of the Antigua & Barbuda National Young Professional Award 2012 and her personal motto is: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ¤

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arris Paints is a regional group of companies which distributes and retails paint, accessories and performance coatings in 17 countries across the region at over 1000 distribution points.

The company has manufacturing operations in Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Harris Paints prides itself on being a “one stop shop for all your coating needs” selling a complete range of products under both Harris and international brands, in addition to supplying its clientele with approximately 59,000 colours matching options.

Mrs Marguerite Desir, is a dynamic Business Leader from St Lucia who Heads the Harris Paints Business for three out of five countries where Harris Operates offices, St Lucia, Dominica and most recently Guyana. She also has full responsibility for the group’s Human Resource Management as Senior Vice President Human Resource and she is a Director for all the Harris Companies across the region. The multi-talented professional is further distinguished by attaining 13 years banking experience prior to joining Harris and a portfolio that included retail and technical customer service management in Saint Lucia for a large regional company. Mrs Desir holds a Masters Degree in management and is also a certified trainer amongst other training and experiences.

Under Mrs Desir’s Leadership, pride and celebration followed the announcement of the Saint Lucia Manufacture’s Association (SMA) Quality Awards in 2014 where Harris Paints St. Lucia topped the awards by becoming the First Place Winner for Excellence. Harris Paints also received the highest level of award (Diamond) in all five categories of the awards namely, Product and Customer Service Quality, Leadership, Social Responsibility, Implementation of Standards and Best Practice and Human Resource Development. Harris also placed first for The Lawson Calderon Eco Manufacturing Award, which reflected its main implementation of green business. Additionally, Mrs Desir was awarded by the SMA for her contribution as a woman in a leadership position to commemorate International Women’s Day. Mrs Desir continues to demonstrate a positive, courteous, performance driven and decisive approach in doing business, which has contributed towards her successes. She continues to urge professionals to Lead rather than Manage their teams, and also empathy with a result oriented mindset. Mrs Desir is married with two children and has mastered the art of work-life balance through her efficient manner of operating, to ensure that both her personal and professional life is well served. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Contemporary St. Lucian Women

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rs. Ladesa James-Williams Country ManagerSouthern EC Islands (Grenada, St. Lucia and St Vincent)

Marguerite Desir

Contemporary St. Lucian Women

Tracy Warner

Eroline Lamontagne

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hen events and marketing specialist Tracey Warner-Arnold was appointed Deputy Director of Tourism at the Saint Lucia Tourist Board in 2012, her return was universally welcomed.

Her previous stint with with the Board had been as Marketing Director, and she was expected to contribute heavily in that department. Warner-Arnold has led strategies to incorporate Saint Lucian culture into the tourism product, and the drive to explore alternative markets. The Jazz & Arts Festival, Carnival and the island’s annual Wedding Symposium are key elements on both fronts.

The USA, Canada and United Kingdom are the Caribbean’s leading tourism markets, but Saint Lucia had had no specific emphasis on Canada. Under Warner-Arnold's watch, however, that changed, with Saint Lucia seeking to groom the Canadian market over the past year. Another key market is the Caribbean.

In 2013, over 1.5 million intra-Caribbean travellers marked a 2.1% bump over the previous year. For Saint Lucia, the Caribbean is the third-largest source market. In 2013, 19% of visitors to the island came from neighbouring territories.

In a bid to boost Caribbean arrivals, SLTB launched 'Caribcation' in 2014, with incentives and specials for Caribbean nationals wishing to vacation in Saint Lucia. “Tourism continues to experience encouraging growth and the Caribbean market has played its part in achieving those successes,” says WarnerArnold. The marketing veteran has a keen appreciation for entertainment, the role of digital media and the influence of social media, having worked with the International Cricket Council's World Twenty20 Championships, and with some of Saint Lucia's biggest Carnival events.

Features in North American television shows, The Bachelor, Better TV, Braxton Family Values and The Social, she says, “generated over 23 million in gross impressions and over $42 million in advertising value for the destination.” Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition “garnered worldwide attention and over 3.2 million in gross impressions.”

Alongside direct consumer outreach, SLTB has been cultivating relationships with the travel trade, tour operators and airline industry, and now the Saint Lucian Diaspora. With renewed prominence given to research, the Board is focusing on romance, experiential travel, culinary exploration, yachting and corporate travel. Further positive results are expected, as the island aims for a banner year in tourism. So far it’s been a winning formula for Warner-Arnold, the Tourist Board, and Saint Lucia. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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he Fond Doux Holiday Plantation story began in 1999, when Eroline and Lyton Lamontagne opened a heritage site for day tours, providing snacks and lunches for visitors. Some 16 years later, Lyton, a noted conservationist, and Eroline, who manages the business, have taken their eco-friendly agro-tourism concept to a new level. Located on a 270-year-old, 130-acre estate beneath the Pitons, Fond Doux is one of the Caribbean’s oldest working cocoa plantations. Despite the estate’s size, the resort’s capacity is limited. Their 15 cottages, featuring either Colonial French or Caribbean style architecture, offer a different experience for visitors. Eroline says “We are uniquely special, because we meet people one on one.”

The addition of the cottages jump-started the shift from tourist attraction to full-on resort. Several are colonial-era buildings, bought from around the island and restored at Fond Doux. The two-story Angelina is over 160 years old, and was slated for demolition in Castries, before it was rescued and given a new home in Soufriere. Dedicated to self-sufficiency, Fond Doux is built on strict eco-tourism principles. The cottages are integrated into the rainforest and the plantation supplies organic produce for the restaurants, an area on which Eroline is keen to improve.

She says she is working with a major restaurant to provide training for her team, and a collaboration with Top Chef runnerup and Saint Lucia culinary ambassador Nina Compton will ultimately benefit the restaurant staff and chefs. New attractions include rainforest showers, a plunge pool, a retooled reception area and a gym, but underpinning it all is the resort’s dedication to conservation.

“It was always our intention to stay in tune with local traditions and workmanship,” Eroline explains, “So all our cottages were built with eco-building practices and natural preservation in mind. Through these and other efforts, including water and power conservation and the preservation of historic buildings through using sheer elbow grease and shovels alone, we will continue to be advocates for eco-tourism and sustainability, not because it is fashionable, but because it is good for business, the environment, and Saint Lucia.”

Fond Doux has won Green Globe sustainable management certification, and Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly in the Hospitality Eco-Friendly and Hospitality Standard Room Design categories. Green Globe standards implemented at Fond Doux include energy efficiency, waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

The 48 staffers are encouraged to support the property’s ethos and to participate in environmental conservation programmes. ¤

Eroline Foods

Eroline Foo

d

s

Convenience shopping with a difference

Convenience shopping with a difference

Eroline Foods was founded in 1988 and began business activities as a small retailatoutlet of speciality Stock your cupboards with the in finest local and international brands unbeatable prices.in frozen foods.

Eroline foodsFrom went daily through a major transformation 1999, when and Mrs Lamontagne a franchise with the then Julien’s staples to local food items,in souvenir giftsMr and alcohol, we have all undertook your food and beverage needs.

Supermarket. Our biggest initiative in our 21 years of operation was joining with this national chain. Eroline Foods became an associate Open Everyday Major credit and travellers accepted. of Consolidated Foods, when Julien’s and JQ supermarkets mergedcards in 2005 to become the cheques largest food retailing store on the island

Soufriere, St. Lucia Tel: 1758 459 -7125 / 459-5299 Fax: 1758 459 -7882 Email: info@erolinesupermarket.com BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Women in Government

Alvina Reynolds

Emma Hippolyte

T

he year 2015 promises to be a landmark year for Saint Lucia’s health sector. The National Health Complex is set be commissioned at Coubaril, reducing Victoria Hospital to the status of polyclinic and the much-anticipated new St Jude Hospital is scheduled for completion. These two projects, worth more than $300 million in expenditure, will bring the health sector in for close scrutiny. Honourable Alvina Reynolds, Minister for Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations, will be the centre of attention.

The first woman elected as Member of Parliament for Babonneau, Ms Reynolds joined the Cabinet after several years as a Health and Family Life Specialist and a National United Nations Volunteer, under the United Nations Development Programme. Her early working life included 13 years teaching at the primary and secondary levels. A community worker with qualifications in Social Work, Community Development, Education and Counselling, she has brought a holistic approach to health care management, inclusive of preventative health care to the Ministry.

That tenor will inform the way in which the new national facilities are operated, but the present administration is also taking a broader view of the sector. “At the Ministry, we share the view that significant investments made to physical infrastructure must be supported with similar investments in other health systems,” she says, mentioning “human resources, health information systems, preventative maintenance, referral networks, strengthening of prevention and promotion initiatives and reintroduction of the community mental health programme.”

Progress has been made on several fronts, with substantial investment in information systems, restoration of the Dennery Hospital, extension of the Gros Islet Polyclinic, refurbishing and longer opening hours at community polyclinics and health centres. Health care financing is a major priority for Government. A bipartisan committee to look at the cost of health care to the end user has been set up by the Prime Minister. The Minister earlier this year negotiated a European Union consultancy to help develop a strategy for establishment of Universal Health Care. “The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations is committed to improving access of all residents to quality health care services in a comfortable, safe and conducive environment,” she insists.

“Issues of health are like no other” ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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I

t is hardly unheard of for women to serve as heads of Government in the Caribbean. But if Saint Lucia is to join Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago (and briefly, The Bahamas), the quest might begin with Emma Hippolyte. Of course, Miss Hippolyte already has the title of Prime Minister on her resume, if only for a few days, the latest on her list of firsts.

Prior to her 2011 election as Member of Parliament for Gros Islet, and her appointment as Minister for for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, Miss Hippolyte had served as an opposition Senator. A Certified General Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, she was the first woman Director of Audit in 1987. She acquitted herself with aplomb, and when she was fired, successfully sued the Government for wrongful dismissal.

Subsequently, Miss Hippolyte joined the National Insurance Corporation, as Communications Manager, then as NIC’s first female Director. It was a period of major revival for the fortunes of the NIC, coupled with a far more prominent public profile. She has worked internationally, as consultant and Senior Auditor of The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, and on the External Board of Auditors of the Organization of American States.

Known by the sobriquet “Aunty Emma” during the 2011 elections, Miss Hippolyte founded the National Community Foundation whilst at NIC, and in 1990, the Concerned Citizens for Deprived Children in her native community, Soufriere. Miss Hippolyte has worked closely with the business community, spearheading a Buy Local campaign and pushing for more stringent standards. She has also earmarked agriculture as one of several key areas for export development.

“As we stand ready to embrace and support any sound initiative aimed at increasing Saint Lucia’s exports whether in manufactured goods, services or agricultural products; we are in the business of promoting private-sector-led growth in which exports to regional and international markets must be a critical driver of our growth process,” she says. In February 2015, Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and Minister of Infrastructure, Philip J Pierre both travelled overseas on state business, and Miss Hippolyte was appointed acting Prime Minister. Saint Lucia became the seventh Caribbean Community territory to elect or appoint a woman Prime Minister, and Aunty Emma had made history once again. ¤

HE Menissa Rambally

HE Dr June Soomer

In the year 2000, appointed Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation at the tender age of 21, Menissa Rambally became the youngest contemporary minister in Saint Lucia and the Caribbean. Immediately prior to taking up her present appointment as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ms Rambally travelled the Caribbean as a political consultant and social policy advisor.

HE Yasmine Walcott With Martinique now an associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Saint Lucia's Foreign Mission to the French Caribbean territories has perhaps taken on new and greater significance. Consul General, Yasmine Walcott, previously served the Office of Private Sector Relations and the Tourist Board, the latter as Marketing Officer. A former secondary school teacher, she represented Saint Lucia at the 1994 Miss World pageant.

Since 2008, she has been Saint Lucia’s Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Caribbean Community with responsibility for Diaspora Affairs. Dr June Soomer has a burning passion for regional integration. She is a former lecturer in West Indies history, and has worked at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank as an advisor in the Strategic Policy Department.

HE Elizabeth Darius-Clarke Minister-Counselor and interim Charge d’Affaires in the Embassy of Saint Lucia to the United States of America, Elizabeth Darius-Clarke has sat on committees for Human Rights, Hemispheric Security and Administrative and Budgetary Affairs at the Organisation Of American States.

She is a management consultant, and a near 20-year veteran of the teaching service.

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Women in Government

At the turn of the century, just a third of 1% of the diplomatic corps in Washington, DC comprised women. Among them was Sonia Johnny, who became Saint Lucia’s first woman ambassador in 1997. Since then, Her Excellency has been joined by notable ladies including Lorraine Williams, named Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States High Commissioner to Canada in 2003. In 2015, four women represent the Government and People of Saint Lucia internationally.

Marketing

•

to the

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Missus

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By Pilaiye Cenac

W

•

ho wants to be decked in pink when being relevant is an option?

Brands that choose to ignore the new woman in this sheconomy could be in for some trouble.

•

Those brands are still: • •

• •

Packaging products for women in pink and frills, thinking that this is enough to reach that market.

Presenting images of women as homemakers waiting on husbands to come home from a hard day’s work and kids to come in from school.

Using scantily-clad females to sell products e.g cars Designing messages for men as a result of seeing women as less capable in some areas e.g banking and investment.

Based on research, here’s a little information to help understand why those approaches above may not be as effective today: •

•

The economic importance of women in undeniable. They are product/ service users, influencers, buyers.

They possess immense personal purchasing power: they account for the majority of all consumer purchases. The man is no longer the sole breadwinner and decision maker; therefore, marketers need to speak to the woman, the household’s gatekeepers.

More women are in leadership positions than ever before, and the condescension of past marketing approaches just won’t cut it. Brands

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•

•

•

•

must respect women’s intelligence, speak their language, and find a way to make significant contributions to their lives in their new positions.

Women represent the majority of the online market, from social media to online gaming. The majority of women use social media to connect with friends and family, and secondly, to interact with brands. Women who engage with brands online are more likely to buy from those brands. Marketers must make those virtual connections/relationships meaningful.

Women are rebelling against the idea of the ‘perfect woman’ and are moving toward loving themselves, imperfections and all. They don’t want to be ‘fixed’ by brands; brands suggesting that they are not good enough as they are will alienate them. Women want to see truer representations in the media, and marketers should not be afraid to show women as human and flawed, facing challenges and struggles.

Empower them.

Men just want the transaction completed; women are interested in creating relationships. Therefore, brands should endeavor to understand what the woman needs and expects from the company during those transactions to facilitate those relationships.

Women are not all the same, so avoid generalizations. Invest in research and do some further segmentation.

Consider the lifecycle. Consider the fact that women play so many roles so seamlessly.

Women are more brand loyal than men. Brands should prove themselves

•

worthy of her trust and her money.

Women are more likely to recommend brands to others; they are especially keen on recommending brands that support worthy causes.

Women have high expectations, and brands need to perform to meet or exceed those expectations. Women are more likely to speak out than men when dissatisfied. Listen, then act swiftly.

Women are more detail-oriented and better at detecting inconsistencies.

Be authentic or risk losing their trust.

Women prefer ads with real people and real situations. Replace stock images with images of real women with real stories.

Women gather more information before making purchases; therefore, they want more information in advertisements. Women are also more receptive to advice than men. Marketers need to be sure to promote all the details such as after-sales service, warranties, the fine prints, the benefits of the product and not just the features.

Use content marketing for effective communication with women.

Women buy with their emotion and their logic so it is important to engage them in a more rounded way.

Women’s needs, expectations and experiences have changed and many feel misunderstood by marketers as the marketing approaches and representations have not changed.

Do you hear that roar, in numbers too big to ignore? Time to listen, understand, and then act. ¤

Pilaiye Cenac is an entrepreneur. Her qualifications include a BSc. in Psychology and Sociology and an MSc. in Marketing.

She is also a PMP and a published writer.

One of her companies, In Tandem, focuses on low cost approaches to enriching the customer experience. She can be contacted at pilaiye@gmail.com.

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A

quiet yet forceful demeanor is what radiates from Sianna Charles, Operations Manager at Drive-AMatic Car Rentals. Drive-A-Matic is a regional car rental company with over 30 years of business.

Today the Saint Lucian branch of the company boasts of a fleet of over 100 vehicles. At its helm is Sianna, who recalls the moments of childhood that shaped her development as a leader. “As a young woman growing up, I always had this way about me, quiet and subtle, gentle, caring, but still possessed the qualities of leader,” she recounts, “I always had my way of being a no nonsense kind of woman.”

She attended the Corinth Senior Secondary School, but coming from a humble home at Morne Fortune, her parents were not able at that time to provide the required funds for tertiary education. It was at that point she made the decision to go into the working world.

At the age of 19, she started as a sales clerk with Images at Pointe Seraphine, her first bit of sales experience. While working, Sianna tapped into her determination to succeed and took part-time courses in Business Management, Marketing and Introduction to Accounting at the Continuing Education Division of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.

It was while working for a short time at Avis Car Rental that she was offered a position at a newly opened car rental business within the Reduit Beach Avenue; starting in 1996 at Drive-AMatic Car Rental she has grown from strength to strength and now leads the company.

She recalls that though she took short breaks away from the company to explore other avenues of professional development she has always found her way back. The directorate of the company realized her potential and drive and she grew from sales representative to supervisor. After another period away, she received a call from the chairman of the group of companies, who offered her a managerial position.

To date, Sianna has no regrets about the decision to return; she remarks that this was the perfect choice, as it has been a very good experience. However, the journey has not been easy, and she has faced many personal hurdles.

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“I am 5’ 1” and gaining the respect of others within my field and the industry has been challenging,” she notes, “but it really takes your own inward motivation and ability to get the job done”.

“As females we always get men who feel that they can do it better,” she continues. “In my field I have gained a lot of experience as I worked my way from the bottom, and have always been an all rounder. There is no position within our organization that I cannot fill in, so I can safely so that I have all the experience needed”. She adds that she could not do it without the help of all her staff whose efforts she greatly appreciates.

When asked about personal challenges, she expressed that the only test she faces daily would be being a single mom of two boys; Thoran aged 14 and Hudson aged 7. Being a parent and at the same time keeping on top of her daily work schedule and constantly producing good results has been no easy feat.

However, she credits her achievements to her wonderful team and Managing Director, Mr Aldo Ho Kong-King and Chairman, Mr Bernie Weatherhead who still carry a great degree of confidence for her and see her potential.

Drive-A-Matic has grown with Sianna’s leadership.

From a small office on Reduit Beach Avenue, they now operate in their own building which is situated in Rodney Bay where Sianna now manages 14 staff members, as well as a Courtesy Desk at Windjammer Landing and their Southern Office in Beanfield, Vieux Fort.

Drive-A-Matic Saint Lucia is a member of the Sungroup Inc. of Companies originating in Barbados, with sister companies in Saint Lucia namely; Going Places Travel, Virgin Holidays, Reduit Service Station, SUNGENERAL Insurance, and SUNTOURS Caribbean. As of 2015, Drive-A-Matic Car Rentals now operates in AntiguaBarbuda.

In summary, Sianna especially wanted to again thank her staff for all their confidence and support over the years. To date, the company is one of the leading and largest car rental companies in Saint Lucia. Sianna is proud to be part of its growth and to be among the women who have successfully contributed to the hospitality industry over the last 19 years.

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Montessori Philosophy of Education offered pre primary educational services. Over the continuing years through her dedication and the assistance of her hard working staff she achieved good success allowing the school to acquire a sound reputation.

Motivated by that and to expand her services Myrtle decided to acquire her own property and set her sights on one at lower Pavee Road. She still vividly remembers her encounter with the loans officer at the bank she went to in order to secure a loan.

“It was humiliating and I almost cried” Myrtle recalls as the officer initially refused her application indicating his doubts as to whether a school was a feasible enough business to service a loan. However and determined, she was finally able to secure a loan which set her on the path for even more success. In 1995 she moved Wee Wisdom to her new Pavee location and incorporated infant and toddler services to her already existing pre primary services.

A

s an Early Childhood Educator, Myrtle Murray is a strong believer in the Montessori Philosophy of Education, the guiding principle along which she operates her two schools which offer toddler, pre primary and primary schools services. A Montessori type of early education targets and develops the child’s independence, focusing on the sensitive periods (blocks of time) in the child’s life. Montessori dictates that the child develops at his or her own potential and the child’s learning environment is important towards proper development.

Myrtle began her teaching career in 1976 at the Sans Souci School (now Carmen Rene Memorial School) and later on graduated from the Saint Lucia Teacher Training College (19771979). She returned to work at the Sans Souci School as a qualified teacher and after many years proceeded to St. Maarten to take up a teaching appointment at a private school. She then moved to America where in a quest to learn the Montessori Philosophy of Teacher Education, she enrolled and graduated from The Malcolm King College in 1988 obtaining a certificate in Early Childhood Montessori Education for children 2 ½ to 6 years.

Myrtle later returned to Saint Lucia and soon thereafter decided to take charge of her teaching career so as to be able to chart and control the type and quality of educational services she wanted to be associated with. In 1989 she established her own Wee Wisdom Montessori Centre at Barnard Hill from which she

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In furtherance of her professional standing Myrtle obtained a certificate in Small Business Management from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in 1996 and in 1997 attended the Golda Meir Educational Training Centre in Israel where she obtained a certificate in Science in Early Childhood Education.

Foreseeing the developmental potential of the northern sector she purchased a school zoned plot of land in Rodney Heights and constructed and opened The Montessori Centre in 2000 as the northern branch to Wee Wisdom. There, toddler, pre primary and later primary school services became available catapulting her establishment into providing an uninterrupted early childhood educational journey for children from 18 months to 12 years.

Not unexpectedly her expansions brought many challenges for which she constantly had to keep on top of. A major one was her often inability to easily get or source a cadre of good Montessori and even primary school teachers, in particular, who met the high standards her schools are associated with. For Montessori, she was able to encourage and have some of her teachers receive officially Montessori training in America and she too returned to the Montessori classroom in 2005 to gain a certificate in Early Childhood Montessori Education for children 18 months to 3 years.

In 2007 Myrtle purchased another property near The Montessori Centre and in that year constructed The International Montessori School, which now houses her toddler and pre primary services, releasing The Montessori Centre to function as her primary school facility.

Her career as an educator continues to be a journey she enjoys as despite the challenges she is often rewarded by the comforting remarks of satisfaction and gratitude from past parents and student alike, something she accepts with humility.

Her operations involve a lot of planning and the preparation of proper and well coordinated school programmes and ancillary

However, much of her business success stems from overall prudent, especially financial, management and she is a firm believer that reinvestment is the key to a successful business.

It allows you to enhance on your product and be more competitive, she indicates, as failure to so do is often the cause of business failure. On any average day Myrtle spends some time

activities in a stimulating environment, sufficient to capture the attention of the wide range of students her establishments cater for. To facilitate her expansion her staffing compliment has steadily increased to also involve teachers in French, music, sports and dance. They have all been an integral part of her school’s operations.

making the rounds of her establishments as again she indicates that business success dictates that owners and managers find the time to monitor, first hand, certain aspects of their operations as they must never be too busy to directly safeguard what has served them well.

The Montessori Centre Age range from

18 months-12 years ( Toddler-Grade 6 )

Trained Staff in all classrooms.

Small class size, individual/ small group instruction

Extra Curricular Activities includes:

French, Spanish, Yoga, Music, Creative Arts, IT, Football, Track & Field, Tennis, Swimming & Dance

Rodney Heights, Box 220, Castries Tel: (758) 452-8114 Web: themontessoricentre.org Fax: (758) 452-9409 Email: montessoricentre@candw.lc BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Donna Graham: Managing Director, Governance & Controls

Nigella Fevrier Barnette: Credit Manager

Donna comes to FirstCaribbean International Bank following successful careers in both the private and public sectors in Canada. She worked as a Management Consultant from 1999-2002 at the Canadian firm of McKinsey & Company where she developed business strategies for a number of Fortune 500 Companies across multiple sectors, including Financial Services.

Nigella Fevrier Barnette holds the position of Credit Manager within the Corporate Banking Department and is responsible for leading the Credit and Operational Risk functions within the department.

Donna joined CIBC in 2002 to develop an internal Strategic Consulting group for the Retail Bank. In that role she served clients across all the retail businesses and assisted them with strategic challenges ranging from product development to distribution, organizational design and cost cutting initiatives.

Nigella was born and raised in the eastern community of Mon Repos and started her banking career as a Customer Service Officer with Barclays Bank in Vieux Fort.

In addition, her accountabilities included selection of employees with senior management potential and their training and development. Donna moved into the position of Vice President, Internal Audit, CIBC Retail Markets, Wealth Management and Retail Operations in 2004. Under her guidance, an Employee Retention Strategy was designed and rolled out to the division. She was also at the forefront of a number of innovative approaches to auditing such as Integrated Audit, and Continuous Auditing and Monitoring.

She has several years of experience in the banking industry having worked in all the major departments including Customer Service, Personal lending and now Corporate Banking.

She holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Business Administration with Distinction from York University, Toronto. She is the recipient of several academic and national awards.

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Nigella is a Graduate of The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus where she attained an honors degree in Accounting. Following her first degree she pursued and successfully completed the CGA program of professional studies with CGA Caribbean and is currently working towards certification. Nigella spends her spare time working with children with special needs through Special Olympics St Lucia.

Carol Mangal: Branch Manager

Soraya Warner-Gustave: Senior Corporate Manager

Portia Compton-James: Manager Retail Banking and Operations

Carol Mangal is a career Banker with over 20 years’ experience having worked in various departments of Barclays Bank PLC and CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank. She is currently employed as the Branch Manager for our Rodney Bay Mardini, Flagship Branch.

Soraya Warner-Gustave is the Senior Corporate Manager at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (Barbados) Limited in St Lucia. Her banking career spans over 30 years.

Mrs. Portia Compton-James joined the Bank under the heritage CIBC as a Customer Service Representative.

Prior to this she was the Branch Manager for our Vieux Fort Branch when under her leadership the Branch Team exceeded all of their Sales and Convenience Targets making them one of the top performing branches regionally in 2013. Carol was the recipient of the 2013 CIBC Achievers award for Exemplary Leadership.

She holds a Diploma in Financial Services Management from the Chartered Institute of Bankers and the Institute of Financial Services in the United Kingdom and is currently in the final stages to obtain her Master’s Degree in Leadership with the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Despite her busy schedule as a Banker – Carol also makes time to engage in other activities and is currently the Treasurer of the St Lucia Amateur Swimming Association. Carol is married and is the mother of two sons.

Mrs Warner-Gustave is a high achieving, well networked, entrepreneurial Business Executive with an outstanding record of maximizing opportunities and growth within the most challenging and competitive environments.

An accomplished business leader, Soraya oversees a multi-disciplined and multicultural team, with responsibility for the development of the strategic direction and change management in the Corporate Strategic Business Unit within the territory.

Since then she has held the position of Customer Service Manager, Supervisor -Processing Center, Senior Administrative Officer, Branch Manager, and Senior Branch Manager. She currently holds the position of Manager Retail Banking and Operations.

Mrs. Compton-James is the perfect epitome of dedication and resilience and strives to deliver nothing short of excellence. She is presently pursuing an MBA in Leadership and Innovation.

Soraya is a member of the CIBC FirstCaribbean St Lucia Country Management Team contributing to the strategic vision and mission of the Organization, creating a value culture for clients, employees and communities. Mrs. Warner-Gustave is also a graduate of the University of Leicester.

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M&C Drugstore was established in 1952 and currently employs 102 team members. It is the largest drugstore chain in Saint Lucia with five locations islandwide – Baywalk Mall, Gablewoods Mall, Bridge Street, Vieux Fort and Soufriere. M&C Drugstore is proud to feature the women of their management team.

Fredreika Joseph-Leon (BSc, MSc) General Manager 16 Years of Service

Sarah Serieux-Lesmond (BSc, MBA) Operations Manager 7 Years of Service

Julita Millar (BSc, MBA) Store Manager 4 Years of Service

Fredreika joined M&C Drugstore in 1999 as the Assistant Manager and was later appointed as the General Manager. During her tenure Fredreika was given study leave which enabled her to attain a Masters in International Business. Her successes in the company have been recognized by her inclusion in a number of Goddard Group Senior Management courses. Going beyond her customers’ expectations is her greatest joy. She is passionate about continuous learning and the development of her team. Her outlook for the future is to maintain M&C Drugstore’s position as the customers’ store of choice.

Prior to joining the team Sarah worked in the hospitality field. She ensures that M&C Drugstore operates efficiently with a primary focus on the customer and the continual development of all team members. With the company’s financial assistance, Sarah recently completed her MBA with the Australian Institute of Business.

After 20 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, Julita joined the M&C Drugstore team. She supports the company’s growth strategy through the strengthening of the team while focusing on the customer. She is currently the Acting Operations Manager and plays a key role in the development of the company’s middle managers.

Adetha Blaize Senior Buyer 20 Years of Service

Kimberley Descartes-Smith Accountant 5 Years of Service

Natalia Jules Inventory Supervisor 4 Years of Service

Adetha began her career at M&C Drugstore as an Administrative Assistant and has worked in her current position for 8 years.

Through her attendance at various trade shows she ensures that all purchasing is in keeping with current trends. Customers are therefore assured of the availability of a wide selection of exciting and quality products.

Kimberley joined M&C Drugstore in 2009 as the Accounts Supervisor and was later promoted to Accountant. She is currently on her final level of the ACCA qualifications and plays a key role in the operations of M&C Drugstore. Kimberly enjoys the challenges and continuous learning that comes with her current role.

Natalia holds an Associate Degree in Accommodations Operations Management from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and is presently pursuing a BSc in Business Management from The University of the West Indies Open Campus. Natalia is responsible for ensuring the proper management of M&C Drugstore’s inventory and aspires to someday become the company’s Operations Manager.

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Aurelia Clauzelma Store Manager Location: Gablewoods Mall 22 Years of Service

Bernadette Henry Senior Supervisor Location: Soufriere 8 Years of Service

Mary Bernard Assistant Store Manager Location: Baywalk Mall 2 ½ Years of Service

Aurelia started as a bagger at the Bridge Street branch and has worked her way to Store Manager. Aurelia was instrumental in the 2005 setup of the Soufriere branch, and supervised both the Soufriere and Vieux Fort stores. In 2008 she moved back to the north and managed the stores in the Rodney Bay area. Aurelia has worked at every M&C Drugstore on the island and is especially passionate about the merchandising and presentation of her store.

Bernadette is driven and hardworking qualities that enable her to lead her team to reach milestone after milestone over the years. Bernadette is currently pursuing a professional certificate in Business Management. She always looks forward to serving her customers and ensuring that their needs are fully met.

Mary has an Associate Degree in Hospitality from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.

She also started as the Assistant Manager of the Bridge Street branch but now manages the Baywalk Mall branch. Mary is passionate about customer service and enjoys building lasting relationships with her customers.

Francillia Casimir, BSc Store Manager Location: Bridge Street 5 Years of Service

Sherline Aimable Senior Supervisor Location: Vieux Fort 4 Years of Service

Francillia started as a Trainee Manager and was promoted to Store Manager in 2011. With the company’s financial assistance she completed her Bachelor’s degree in 2014. Francillia is excellent in the development of systems and processes and plays an instrumental role in training others in that field.

Sherline joined M&C Drugstore as the Senior Supervisor for both the Soufriere and Vieux Fort locations and is continually attaining new skills through the training provided by the company. Sherline is passionate about keeping her customers happy and can often be found interacting with them on the sales floor.

One of the philosophies of the M&C Group is to encourage the professional development of all team members. To this end, the Group provides significant support, including financial, so as to facilitate team members’ growth and development including internal promotions.

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A Woman's Business is 24 Hours

M

rs. Sandra Maylor-Monrose is one of the most fascinating business people to date. In her youth she always use to belittle and question herself saying she had no education, however in spite of her lack of tertiary education she knew something that many people with master degrees and PhDs don’t: passion converts into determined perseverance and faith is the miracles ambition, she has proven that education can be an assets but not the key, our mind is our education and hold the key of our further. At the age of 13 she started working part time in a factory in the south of the island in order that she complete primary school six grade and never had a chance to attend a secondary school, she then move to Castries with a positive mind, busy attitude never gave up, she then put her future into motion and didn’t look back, for sure she always smile and will tell you something to make others smile, knowing that this is one of the things that everyone need, no matter what goes wrong our smile must always be captivating.

Mrs. Monrose challenge her skill from seamstress to car rental in the 70’s and still have the drive and passion for car rental being one of the most professional person in this tourism sector with over 36 years experience. In her history with car rental she operated one international and locally base rental companies on the island, today Mrs. Monrose is Managing Director and operate her own car rental company name Best Rates 24 Hours Car Rental which started in 1997, she rented her personal car then walk or use public transportation, she gradually move to three cars and then to five in two years. Developing was one of her dream which has been fulfilled through prayers and aim to offer the best rates and provide 24 hours service as name stated.

Best Rates 24 Hours Car Rental is passionately operating it services and support under the skills of family staff members. The company is a member of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association also one of the founder members of Motor Vehicle Rental Association of St. Lucia, which she previously held the position as treasure, PRO and Trustee and present Treasure 2015 -2017 for Motor Vehicle Rental Association of St. Lucia.

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Her decision to still continue this potential business came in receiving flexible finical support from cooperate entities like Simpson Finance , J Q Capital and Sagicor Finance ,not forgetting Sterling Insurances Services, they all have been the gold to her path. With no hesitation she prayed that she made the right decision while investing the challenges of her mind, selfesteem, career, confidence and honesty to ensure her customers satisfaction.

Mrs. Monrose is proactive, competent and an enthusiastic individual with high level of set standards; she uses the extensive training in professionalism engaging each challenge with the great influence of communication in all her business discussions. With a recall of challenging changes of life, getting involved with the less fortunate disable people, and also assisting persons in thinking the positive way going towards the betterment of life no matter what they are going through. Her attitudes to life is get up, stand up, look up and pray ,call on the Lord never think that you are a failure you never fail until you try, our mind do not educate us, we educate our mind also recommend that you have confidence in your own sound advice.

Mrs. Monrose has the flexibility, adaptability to assimilate into any work environment, doing account, car wash and maintience, leadership with a positive attitude, good interpersonal skills and still willing to learn and develop enchanting skill to enrich her and continue in doing sponsorship and donation toward proposal.

While capitalizing her benefit and recounting her losses she is devoted, willing to continue the business despite the many challenges which has come and may come to the business, she always pray and thank the Lord for both the losses and profit this has brought her thus far.

Customer feedback is our capital factor; therefore, we are in constant conversation with our customer querying the performance of our vehicle in order that we keep abreast with whatever standard is required to meet the customer expectations.

Professional Service & Reliability We are committed into providing professional, efficient, excellent services of high integrity and guarantee customers satisfaction.

Add:

P.O. Box C P5694, Castries ,St. Lucia, W I Tel: 1(758) 452 1330 dy/ng Mobile: 1(758) 584 4502 Tax: 1(758) 450 1632 24hourscarrental@candw.lc Opp Carilec Blg, Sans Souci, Castries, St. Lucia, W.I. Heranorra & George F.L. Charles Airport

www.bestratescarrental.com

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Karen Fontenelle-Peter FCCA General Manager

The Ladies of Caribbean Metals Limited Got YOU Covered

C

aribbean Metals Limited celebrates its General Manager, Karen Fontenelle Peter. Karen is one of eleven children, she jokes that her first management job was that of watching over her troublesome younger brothers and sisters. She attended the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School and upon graduation Karen began her career at Peat Marwick Mitchell (precursor to Price Waterhouse Coopers), one of the premiere Chartered Accounting firms on the island at the time. Karen worked on and off as a secretary every holiday, from the CCSS to the then “A” Level College (now Sir Arthur Lewis Community College), followed by several stints as a temporary member of staff, until she landed a position as an Assistant Accountant.

Ever searching for new opportunities she joined Caribbean Metals Limited in 1998 in the capacity of Sales & Marketing Manager to market its metal roofing and steel products. Like with her previous job, she went after it and got it.

But, three years later at CML, the three-year-cycle started taking its toll and she started feeling less than challenged but still focused on obtaining her accounting certification. Her passion for excellence had her revisit her earlier dream and so she left CML in December 2000 to begin her accounting career in Trinidad and Tobago to pursue the ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants). She completed it in just two years – the shortest possible time frame.

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Karen then returned to St. Lucia at the end of December 2002 and was again offered the position she vacated at CML - Sales and Marketing Manager. Back in this role, she gained respect from both staff and customers and held onto this position until that big day came at CML when she simply walked through the company’s solid metal doors as General Manager of CML; a position that she still holds nine years later.

Today, Karen can boast of all together 20 years of management experience. Her first bit of management experience came at Sunshine Bookstore, which she successfully managed for three years. She considers Management her passion including the mentoring and taking personal interest in the development of young persons.

In an effort to pave it forward she has served on many Boards including the Public Service Commission for 3 years that ended in 2013. Currently, she is an Executive member of the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture serving for a second term. She is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Castries though not playing an active role because of time constraints but supports the club whenever called upon. Her advice to young persons: DREAM BIG and always keep your focus. Decide as early as possible what you want to be. Don’t see setbacks as roadblocks, but as experiences which can also be seen as stepping stones.

N

Shenaz Narcisse Sales & Marketing Manager o longer an "all boys’ club"…. Caribbean Metals celebrates its leading women

Caribbean Metals Limited celebrates its Sales & Marketing Manager Shenaz Narcisse. Ms Narcisse represents one of the young women across the country making sizeable waves in an industry that has been traditionally dominated by males. Since entering the company in 2007, she has grown quickly to now hold a key managerial position.

Upon graduating from University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering she joined Caribbean Metals as the Production Supervisor. Her talents soon became focused on sales in the capacity of a Sales Representative. She explains that her Engineering background was perfectly suited for construction sales.

“The business is really focused in the construction industry,” she explains, “so the knowledge of construction through engineering helped me to best serve my clients”.

When asked whether she finds it difficult to work in the construction industry, she responded, “I don’t find it difficult working in a male dominated field. From school all the subjects I took were subjects that traditionally only males would do”.

Perhaps the secret to her success so far is her unrelenting determination to constantly grow professionally.

Shenaz’s colleagues describe her work ethic as of one that is unmatched. As the Sales & Marketing Manager she has given

invaluable time, effort and attention to her department even offering training to staff after hours. These training sessions with employees are in the areas of product knowledge, standards and specifications; she is a committed advocate for educating oneself and others.

When the position of Sales & Marketing Manager became available in 2013, she jumped at the opportunity for career advancement. For her, it was more about opportunity to develop her portfolio. The enthusiasm with which she speaks about her job and her career shows a tremendous degree of drive and dedication.

Constantly setting new goals she is currently working on a Masters in Project Management. She also holds a Postgraduate degree in Airport Designs. She is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Saint Lucia.

Beyond academics, she is always a willing participant in the many extra- curricular activities put on by the company. She is also an executive member and basketball player of the Courts Jets Sports and Social Club.

For Shenaz, possibilities for the future are vast and varying. What is clear is that she has already made an invaluable contribution to the construction industry and though she muses on a possible switch to aviation she surmised that she is deeply interested in a career in Construction Law. Indeed, wherever the future leads her, it is sure that she will continue to be an example of pioneering success for other St Lucia women to follow.

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“Graduates from USC are well-rounded and well-disciplined,” she explains. “Why? Because we teach values; we do not divorce the culture of Seventh-day Adventism from the institution. We are not going to preach to become an Adventist, but the religious aspect is part of it, God is part of it, and that means we produce persons with integrity.

T

he University of the Southern Caribbean, USC, has been around for nearly 100 years, but with a new campus and a recently appointed coordinator, the institution is set to embark on what looks like an exciting new chapter in Saint Lucia. Founded by the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1927, the university is based in Trinidad and Tobago’s Maracas Valley, with six satellite extension campuses in Scarborough, Tobago; San Fernando, Trinidad; Georgetown, Guyana; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, Saint Lucia; and St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.

“I see education as a business. Not in the sense that you make money off it, necessarily, but in the sense that education is analogous to manufacturing. You start with an individual, the student, as your raw material, you go through the process of production - teaching, training and imparting values. And at the end of it all, you find that you have molded a life.”

With the new physical plant, USC Saint Lucia can offer more courses to more students, and not just from Saint Lucia, either.

USC includes faculty, staff and students from over 38 countries, and ultimately the vision is to grow the Saint Lucia campus to the extent that it is on par and in fact surpasses the other satellite campuses.

Since 2007, the Saint Lucia Extension Site has offered evening classes towards degrees in Social Work, Elementary Education, Business Management, Psychology and Behavioural Science.

Veteran educator Cecilia Catherine Inglis-Leon came aboard in March 2014 and USC recently leased a property in Sunny Acres that is being converted into a full campus. USC Saint Lucia can now more than double its present intake of students. For now the institution has 70 students, but Mrs Leon is optimistic that the student body will grow. "For now, we are grateful,” she says of the present numbers. “But we are just getting started. In the new building we can take 150, and that is our target... for now."

Mrs Leon assumed her present role somewhat reluctantly. In 2014, she was retiring from the teaching service after 34 years, including over a decade as principal of Vide Bouteille Secondary School. Former president of the Secondary Schools Principals’ Association, she is an Elder and Education Director in her church, as well as a member of the Family Life Council and executive committee of the Saint Lucia Mission of Seventh Day Adventists.

The coordinator has history with USC. Her two sons are among alumni such as Harvard professor Dr David R Williams, thoracic cardiovascular surgeon Dr Cuthbert Arthur, former St Kitts-Nevis Leader of the Opposition, the late Malcolm Guishard, and Saint Lucia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, HE Menissa Rambally. USC offers “values-based” education, with a holistic curriculum that attends to the mind, soul, and body. Mrs Leon points out that whereas USC is a Seventh-day Adventist institution, potential students need not subscribe to the creed.

But she insists that its Christian foundation and its core values are among USC’s principal strengths.

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“I want to take it and make it grow,” says Mrs Leon. “I want when I am finished with USC for it to be the second biggest campus.

I want us to pass the San Fernando and Tobago campuses. I want when you think of USC, you cannot even say Trinidad and Tobago, but you have to say Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia.

“It’s a big undertaking. I don’t know if it’s that I like to work, I am a hard-working person, so when something seems hard for some people it seems like it’s nothing for me. It’s not that it’s nothing, I just like to do things. When I go to bed at night, I like to reflect, and I like to know I’m satisfied I have worked, and I have done things.”

USC Saint Lucia is making major moves under its new leadership.

Dedicated, focused, and - most of all - extremely passionate about her current role, Mrs Leon is poised to continue the university’s journey and take it to realms perhaps previously undreamed of.

USC Office Sunny Acres P.O. Box GM 1057 Castries, St. Lucia

(758) 458-2130 stlucia@usc.edu.tt

STUDY AT USC SAINT LUCIA • Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education • Bachelor Degree in Nursing • Bachelor Degree in Social Work • Bachelor Degree in Behavioral Science • Bachelor Degree in Business Education • Bachelor Degree in Business Administration • Bachelor Degree in Psychology • Master’s in Educational Psychology on line

Entry requirements: Applicatnts should possess five (5) CXC passes including English Language and Mathematics For our programmes in Nursing or Social Work: a SALCC Associate Degree is required

SLU

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Cruising Into Employment With Mampa Employment and Mampa Training Institute Whether in the House of Assembly, atop the political platform, or in the streets of the nation’s towns and villages, youth unemployment is one of the most serious issues facing Saint Lucia. One woman, though, has spent more than a decade impacting employment in an increasingly positive manner, not just in Saint Lucia, but throughout the region.

Jacqui Raveneau started Mampa Employment Agency in 2002.

Her principal emphasis at the time was on getting jobs for her clients in the local market, be they skilled or otherwise. By 2005, however, the company’s ambitions had already begun to grow, and they started exploring the cruise sector, with measured success.

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But over the years, Mampa has done nothing but grow from strength to strength. Whether you come in with your CXC’s, a first degree, a Master’s degree, whether you’re looking for work in hospitality, banking, agriculture, human resources or publishing locally or anywhere else in the region, they can help.

Although a substantial amount of Mampa’s work is still to source jobs on the local, regional and international market, it is the cruise ship sector that has come in for the most attention of late, especially over the past few years. In 2014, the company found work for over 3,000 Saint Lucians, in collaboration with six cruise lines, including NCL, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara and Pullmantur with more set to “come on board” in 2015.

Working with those aforementioned cruise lines, Mampa has become a manning agent, meaning that they can now recruit talent for various departments, from entertainment to culinary, from personal trainers to wait staff, from housekeeping to food and beverage. That recruitment methodology is a common paradigm for the cruise sector, but one that is only recently being fully explored locally.

There are hundreds of cruise vessels worldwide, with the Caribbean offering the most popular destinations on the planet.

In 2014, over 4,000 Caribbean nationals were employed on cruise ships, and Raveneau says that there are often more jobs available than there are applicants.

Recruitment in fact includes the Caribbean and Central America.

Cruise ships plying the Caribbean Sea and further afield are staffed by hundreds. Some have a complement of over a thousand. The catch is that cruise lines can and do recruit from every corner of the planet, and ships’ crews can hail from dozens of different countries.

And none of that is to say that Mampa’s task is limited to recruitment. Raveneau explains that the Mampa Training

Institute, or MTI, is a certified BTEC Edexcel Centre, offers young, middle-aged and older Saint Lucians the opportunity to hold a vocational certificate in Hospitality from the United Kingdom.

MTI in facts offers training in Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, Kitchen Services, Hospitality Skills and Culinary.This certificate and diploma carry transferrable credit to institutions all over the world, so the individual can continue their education, should they so desire.

Take Control of your future.

MAMPA TRAINING INSTITUTE (MTI) / BTEC EDEXCEL CENTER Is now offering courses in the various sectors as follows:

As Mampa prepares to celebrate its 13th anniversary in October of 2015, the company has a great deal to be proud of. Mampa has grown physically. Its operations are no longer limited to just Saint Lucia. With offices located throughout the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and beyond, they offer international internships from Belize to Japan. The firm is also incorporated in North America.

HOSPITALITY - Professional Cooking, Food & Beverage, Kitchen Services, Housekeeping, Principles of Customer Service in Hospitality, Leisure Travel and Tourism BUSINESS - Management, Marketing, Law and Legal work, Principles of Business Administration, Understanding Business Enterprises, Understanding Enterprise and Entreprenership HEALTH - Medical Administration, Medical Secretaries, Knowledge of Custodial Care, Working in the Health Sector, Working with Individual with Diabetes, Introduction to Health and Social Care Duration of courses are from 4 weeks to one year. On completion, students are guaranteed interview with MAMPA Employment Agency for career development in their chosen field.

Mampa Grenada received an award at the Grenada’s 44th Independence celebrations 2015 in "Service in contributing to the business Sector," and has also been nominated to enter the Global Business Excellence Award, which can be described as the Academy Awards of the corporate world. Raveneau, the agency’s managing director, speaking like a true recruiter, says; “From there onwards, the sky's the limit. Just to quote from Nelson Mandela/Marianne Wilson; “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”.

For more information, please feel free to call or us: Register Now Mampa Training Institute 39 Brazil Street Castries, Saint Lucia, W.I Tel: - (758) 451 6163 Cell: - (758) 584 7262 Mampa18@hotmail.com

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S

Bois D' Orange, Gros Islet.

P.O. Box CP 5483, Castries St. Lucia W.I. Tel: 1(758) 452 8854 Mobile: 1(758) 285 8854 / 721 8854 Email: simonaleon911@hotmail.com

imona Leon – Morille has always loved to cook.

Growing up, more often than not, you could find her in her mother's kitchen whipping up innovative dishes for her siblings to try. Food was always on her mind--how to prepare it, how to enhance it, how to make it better.

Although Leon is now a full time cook with her own catering business, her life pursuits did not always hint at her successful future of doing what she loves.

Although I baked my first cake at 8 years old, I was still punished by my mother for being in the kitchen and messing with her flour. Though my mother wanted me to succeed academically like my siblings, surprisingly, in the year 1977, at the age of 14 years, she bought me my first Lady Bird Cook Book from the Voice Book Shop titled “Cooking with Mother.” And the following year for my birthday, she bought me another Lady Bird Cook Book titled “I Can Cook” which I appreciated even more. From this point I never let those books out of my sight, until the unfortunate happened – my cook books got destroyed during Hurricane Allen.

Maybe she thought she was punishing me at that age by giving me those books, but today I can really thank her for them.

I’ve always wondered to myself if I would ever be able to lay my hands on a copy of those books once again. Her early days at the Methodist Primary School went by in a blur of mixing and chopping, steaming and baking, the flashing of knives and the clanging of pots. Attending school was never her desire, and she would often endure punishment for expressing her passion for food and neglecting her studies. She went on to attend Girls Vocational School, but still felt that school did not let her be who she really was: a creative mind with a passion for the culinary arts.

"My father even bought me a typewriter," she says. "Who told him to buy me a typewriter? I just wanted to cook. Nobody was seeing that that was what I always wanted." Leon eventually dropped out of school to start working as a clerk at Fabric World, a locally owned business operated by her neighbor Katie Mogal.

After what seemed like an eternity of working at Fabric World, Leon was becoming a young woman and her urge for change was becoming more and more present. Little did she know, one experience would change the course of her life forever.

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A visitor entered Fabric World needing a skirt made. The visitor had just arrived at Port Castries on a cruise ship. Leon had her mother do the job, to which the visitor seemed more than pleased with the product. The next thing she knew, 20 yr old Leon was offered a free one week cruise, which led her to getting a job as an information officer for the next six years.

Upon her return home in 1989, Leon became one of the first receptionists at Windjammer Landing. She worked briefly at the Saint Lucian Hotel, before she took up a position at Candyo Inn. Then came what could be considered her "big break."

In the beginning of 1994, Simona was set to start work at Bay Gardens Hotel but the job fell through at the last minute. Down hearted and out of work, Leon felt a pull to pursue her first love once again: cooking. At age 29, she was not getting any younger and she felt it was time to take that risk to do what she knew she was meant to do.

Through the years, Simona did not get to indulge her gift full time, but she never gave up. She was always feeding her art, learning more about the lore of cooking, experimenting and gaining greater proficiency in her craft. "When I was 19, I catered my first wedding," she says, beaming with pride. "Even as far back as Fabric World, I was catering, doing little things for people, for my friends, not for the money, but just because I loved doing it."

Through the years, she catered small jobs for many friends. She recalls the days when her client and friend Doreen would call her to cater one of her many birthday parties or family gathering and without a kitchen sufficiently equipped to handle large orders, Leon spent many occasions cooking well into the early morning in Doreen and John’s kitchen. As the reviews came in and the word spread about her creativity in the kitchen, the orders began pouring in.

So began "June's Catering." Simona had made it. She was finally living her dream--and getting paid for it!

Throughout her life, Leon was saving as much of her income as she could, having been living with her parents for most of her life. Simona was then able to buy catering equipment and operate her business from home.

The Bois d'Orange property in which the business started was her mother-in-law's home. Since then, Simona and Warren, her husband and business partner, have expanded the home and the business. She is now preparing to install a state-of-the-art facility in a recently completed building.

Over the years, starting in her mother's simple kitchen, Simona has evolved her craft, taking courses and gaining certification along the way, but mainly just maintaining her interest in the latest developments in her chosen field of culinary arts.

June's Catering now has five full-time employees. Depending on the size of the job, Simona sometimes needs up to fifteen staff personnel for various events. But, she admits that her administrative support staff is absolutely critical.

"I cannot do it alone," she says. "I didn't really know how to manage the finances at first. The business is growing, and I just want to keep doing more, and not have to worry about the money and the actual business side of it." Simona's love for what she does has translated into what is truly a good business. But at the core of it all is the satisfaction of a job well done. "I just like to see people eat and say 'Wow, that is good.' I love to hear that people are happy and to know that their bellies are full," she shares.

Leon pauses when asked what her favourite catering event is-after all, she has catered for so many dignitaries including The Governor General, Cabinet of Ministers, Judges, Atlantic Rally for Cruisers Participants, St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, Digicel, BOSL and numerous other corporate clients.

She eventually settles on two events she remembers most: "The 2014 Saint Lucia Business Awards," she says, "was a real compliment to [her] ability to deliver." But, her biggest job, she says, was the international cricket competition at Beausejour.

She explains that cooking for the England Cricket Team was fairly easy, but says she was "utterly thrilled at the reviews" she got when she catered for the India series in 2006.

And, as for why the business is called "June's Catering," Leon explains that "since [she] was a little girl, that's all anyone has ever called [her]." Long before the actual business existed, that's been the name that held her passions, and like its owner, June's Catering just keeps evolving and getting better every single day.

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Vira Albertie

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ira began her insurance career in 1980 as a file clerk for a major insurance company. Now over three decades later she has earned progressively responsible experience and today she manages the St. Lucia Branch of Sun General Insurance Inc..

Her experience in the industry is deep and diverse having held positions in all key areas within an insurance office.

During her past sixteen years in management, she has led her Branch through start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes. Vira firmly believes that leadership is more than a title; it is a privilege and every day she considers her work a gift that allows her to exercise her strong technical skills and abilities. Vira has the ability to understand and evaluate the insurance needs of customers and discharges of a duty of care to customers and staff. She enjoys working for a Company that is acutely focused on meeting customers' needs and ensures that its products and services are excellent.

She holds the Caribbean Insurance Foundation Certificate and over the years has attended numerous insurance seminars and insurance courses, some of which include Motor Claims Management, Marine Claims Adjusting, Forensic Investigation, Risk and Insurance Surveys. She is a member of the St. Lucia Insurance Institute and a member of the Insurance Council’s Motor Sub-Committee.

Although seemingly unassuming, she is extremely passionate about everything she does, professionally and personally.

She states, “I did not set out to choose a career in insurance.

However, once I got into it, it offered me the chance to succeed professionally. At the same time, I am able to contribute something positive and necessary by assisting Companies and individuals in guarding themselves against loss. I am happy that I have remained part of a financial services sector that is one of the most respected in the world.” ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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A SunGroup Member Company

Joralia St Louis

J

oralia St Louis began her career in Insurance in 1992 at the age of twenty, with Minvielle & Chastanet Group of Companies where she worked in the Insurance Department as an Underwriting and Claims clerk.

Determined to excel and with eleven years of experience in insurance Joralia was ready for a new challenge and joined the beacon team in 2003 at their newly established St Lucia branch office in the capacity of Branch Administrator. During her tenure with that company she completed both her Bachelor of Science in Management Studies with the University of the West Indies in 2007 and Diploma in Insurance with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) of London in 2008. She is currently in pursuit of her chartered insurer status with the Chartered Insurance institute (CII).

Her qualifications and experience paved the way for her promotion to Branch Manager in 2008 a position which she held for six year before being appointed to Branch Manager II in August 2014.

Greatly respected by her peers in the industry she was elected to chair the General Sub-Committee of the Insurance Council of St Lucia in 2008 and continues to serve in this capacity to this day. This position has also led to her serving on the Climate Change committee of the ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science & Technology and the Flood and Drought Mitigation Committee of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).

Joralia’s discipline and love for people has led to her involvement with her local church where she serves as secretary and youth director. When not at work Joralia can be found exploring the outdoors or relaxing at home with her husband Timothy of twenty years and her two teenagers Kadisha and Nathan. ¤

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STERLING INSURANCE SERVICES ST. LUCIA LIMITED

Service • Integrity • Sincerity

For Stability in Insurance Broking Consultancy and Risk Management Services

Diane V. Smith

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orn in the small community of Vigier, Diane completed her secondary education at the Vieux Fort Secondary School, and was sent to the ‘Secretarial School’ at the institution (now Sir Arthur Lewis Community College).

Upon completion, Diane was the successful candidate out of a group of three, selected to become secretary to Mr. Cornell Charles of J Q Charles Ltd. “This was just the beginning of my search for a career path which would ultimately lead to becoming the best I could possibly be,” Diane recalls. It was during her tenure as secretary, that she recognized her love for people in general and more specifically her fascination with the human psyche.

This motivated a second career pursuit - Personnel management / human resource management/professional development which she emerged a certified professional from the University of Connecticut. With these two career goals in hand, Diane functioned from junior to senior to manager in both the Insurer / Underwriting and the Intermediary / Insurance Broker fields, ultimately leading to the prestigious title of Business Owner / Managing Director of Sterling Insurance Services St. Lucia Ltd. Now 11 years since the opening of its doors, the business is no longer in its infancy. “With the support of my husband, Keith, and my children, I was able to recognize my readiness to take the ‘bold step’ of transitioning from employee to employer, with the new responsibility of this significant role change: ascertaining the welfare of my employees.”

Together with her dedicated staff, including Vanamay Pamphile, Sterling’s Risk Management Specialist and Diane’s most loyal and longstanding business champion, “We are able to provide a consultancy and insurance brokerage service, which positions our company as the best customer friendly service provider in the insurance industry, and the name Sterling Insurance Services St. Lucia Ltd is a household name, throughout and beyond St. Lucia.” Diane Smith believes good family support; love for oneself and for others; acting with honesty, practicality, and compassion; being focused, pro-active, persevering and consistently engaged; as well as becoming qualified in your area of operation, are the keys to success. ¤

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• motor • marine • aviation

• property • liability • employee benefits

www.stluciainsurancebroker.com

Tel: 1(758) 452-5558/453-2746 Fax: 1(758) 452-5585

K&D Investments Building, Bois D’ Orange, Gros Islet P.O. Box GM699, Castries, St. Lucia, W.I. E-mail: sterlingservices@candw.lc

MUST READS

Volume 11

By: Lyndell Halliday

Organizational Excellence

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by Lyndell Halliday

hat does it take to build and sustain a truly excellent organization? This edition of Must Reads examines this challenge from the perspective of two different authors.

Featured in this issue are Jim Collin’s Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t (HarperBusiness, 2001) and Patrick M. Lencioni’s The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else by (Jossey-Bass, 2001 Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins Jim Collins is a former professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. Collins and his team have conducted extensive research on business over the last 20 years and Collins has written or co-written five books on the results of these research efforts. The most well-known of these books Built to Last has been a leading business best seller for many years. Built to Last was a study of eighteen world class companies and what made them superior to their competitors.

Good to Great can be best described as a prequel to that earlier published classic.

In Good to Great, Collins examines how ordinary companies can make the leap from mere good performance to truly exceptional performance.

Collins focussed on companies that demonstrated continued superior performance in their industries over at least a fifteen year period. Eleven elite Fortune 500 companies were selected based on their track record of significantly outperforming other companies with

respect to returns on the stock market over a sustained period of time. Each of these companies was compared to a key competitor in their industry which failed to make the leap from good to great.

Collins begins by arguing that good is the enemy of great. In other words, many companies fail to truly become great, because they are content with being good enough. There are a handful of companies, however, that are not satisfied and make a relentless effort to transform themselves into really extraordinary companies.

Based on his team’s five year research effort, Collins identified seven concepts that were consistent across each of the eleven elite companies that distinguished them from their competitors. The seven factors are: 1. Level 5 leadership, 2. First decide who, then what, 3. Confront the brutal facts, 4. The Hedehog concept 5. Culture of discipline, 6. Technology acceleration and 7. Keep turning the flywheel. Collins further defines and develops each of these concepts and illustrates them with stories from the elite companies that make up the study. Collins thus offers a roadmap which he proposes can be used by any company that wants to make the leap from good to great.

There are some questions about the degree to which Collin’s roadmap can be replicated and if the concepts are universally applicable. Nonetheless, Good to Great excels as an insightful study on some of the world’s best companies and most business leaders will find a treasure trove of knowledge within its pages.

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else

by Patrick M. Lencioni Patrick Lencioni is a management and leadership consultant who has written ten leadership books and has contributed to leading periodicals such as the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal and Fortune. A previous column featured one of Lencioni’s earlier books The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

In The Advantage, Lencioni argues that there are two crucial ingredients to being an exceptional company – being smart and being healthy. Being smart encompasses well known factors such as strategy, people and innovation.

Organizational health on the other hand evolves around organizational and interpersonal dynamics such as teamwork, alignment, meetings and culture. Lencioni makes the case that most companies already know what it takes to be smart and thus what truly distinguishes exceptional companies from ordinary ones is that the exceptional ones are not just smart – they are healthy. As a result, the focus on his book is on what it takes to build a healthy organization which Lencioni believes is critical to building a competitive advantage.

According to Lencioni, organizational health is built on four core disciplines.

The four disciplines are 1. Build a cohesive team, 2. Create clarity, 3. Over communicate clarity and 4. Reinforce clarity. For each discipline Lencioni provides a set of key behaviours or guiding questions that will enable the reader to implement the defined steps to improving the health of their own organization.

The Advantage is easy to read, and Lencioni’s four disciplines can be applied to any type of organization and leaders from business, not for profit, community, church and sporting organizations alike will benefit from reading this work.

However, be warned that implementing the actual disciplines will take a leader with tremendous courage and self-belief.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. ¤

Lyndell Halliday is a business executive who has served in a range of leadership roles across the Caribbean. He is currently employed as the General Manager of Automotive Art (St Lucia) Ltd. Mr Halliday is also a part time facilitator at the National Research and Development Foundation where he teaches Leadership, Strategic Operations Issues and Business Ethics and Social Responsibility for the Australia Institute of Business MBA and BBA programmes.

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Nevis Aims to Become "Greenest Island on Earth" by 2018

ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS

N

evis is preparing to become "the greenest island on Earth" by 2018, when the government expects to meet its energy needs entirely from renewable resources, said Greg Phillip, CEO of the island's Tourism Authority during a recent visit to Puerto Rico. Greg Phillip was in San Juan with a delegation of officials and hotel and airline representatives to promote Nevis' attractions.

He pointed to several renewable energy projects - a solar power station, wind farm and a geothermal plant - intended to produce electricity for more than the 12,000 residents of Nevis.

Nevis expects eventually to sell surplus energy to St. Kitts, its partner in the twin-island federal state, and to other Caribbean islands, Phillip said.

US to Fund Wind Farm in Jamaica

A

major wind farm project in Jamaica will soon receive a huge boost from the United States government. According to the United States’ Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the agency will disburse the first tranche of $43 million in financing for Blue Mountain Renewables’ 34 megawatt wind project in Jamaica.

The project, which will begin construction in June, will be what the White House called a “tangible example of public and private sectors in both countries working in harmony.”

The financing was announced at the Caribbean Energy Security Summit in Washington earlier this year.

The project will also inject nearly $90 million overall in investment into Jamaica’s economy, the White House said.

The wind farm would be the second major wind project on the island, following the Wigton Wind Farm, which first generated wind energy in 2004. ¤

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Determined to become a destination for "sustainable tourism," Nevis is on track to achieve 100 percent energy from renewables by 2018, when the geothermal plant is supposed to begin operating, Phillip said.

The St. Kitts and Nevis government is currently building a second solar farm with the aim of reducing the Caribbean nation's dependence on fossil fuel.

The first solar farm was commissioned in September 2013 and now generates electricity for the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in St. Kitts. ¤

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ECONOMY & TRADE FOCUS

US Energy Policy and the Caribbean

By David Jessop

Vice President Joe Biden speaks with Prime Minister Perry Christie of The Bahamas and Prime Minister Michiel G. Eman of Aruba as they attend a multilateral meeting with leaders at the Caribbean Energy Security Summit at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 26, 2015. [Photo: US State Department ]

V

ice President Joe Biden speaks with Prime Minister Perry Christie of The Bahamas and Prime Minister Michiel G. Eman of Aruba as they attend a multilateral meeting with leaders at the Caribbean Energy Security Summit at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 26, 2015.

[Photo: US State Department ] The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, recently met with Caribbean leaders in Washington to discuss the region’s long-term approach to energy security. The meeting was unusual, because it set out clearly for the first time in many years what now leads US policy towards the Caribbean.

Speaking about this, the US Vice President said that two issues motivated the US in the Caribbean region. “President Obama has made it absolutely clear that (in) both the Caribbean and Central America energy and security are primary issues for us…This is extremely important to us.

It’s overwhelmingly in the interest of the United States of America that we get it BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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right, and that this relationship changes for the better across the board. So I want you to know that the combination of those two issues are paramount issues with us, equal to anything else we are doing around the world,” he said.

countries demanding more affordable supply; expressing their discontent when they hear about investments they don’t seem to see any results in; governments dependent on a single, increasingly unreliable, external supplier.”

Speaking to a mix of Caribbean Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, he made clear that falling oil prices and the plummeting cost of alternative energy offered an opportunity for both the US and the Caribbean to develop a new approach to energy. security.

Placing energy in a broader strategic context and in language that appeared to be aimed at the Caribbean’s PetroCaribe relationship with Venezuela, he suggested that “whether it’s the Ukraine or the Caribbean, no country should be able to use natural resources as a tool of coercion against any other country.

“Economies squeezed by the high cost, making companies less competitive, crowding out other investments in the future of your countries; citizens in your

David Jessop is the Director of the Caribbean Council and can be contacted at david.jessop@caribbean-council.org.

Previous columns can be found at www.caribbean-council.org.

In outline, the Vice President suggested that now was the time for the Caribbean to act on the basis that the cost of energy from renewables like wind and solar had fallen; natural gas technologies are advancing, providing new options for delivery from small barge shipments of LNG, to floating receiving terminals; Trinidad was exporting; there were US companies holding licenses to export gas; and the Americas, he said, had become the epicenter of energy production in the world.

In short, the Vice President’s vision was of energy within the Americas becoming a part of the process of integration and that it was in the US’s own self-interest

to see “Caribbean countries succeed as prosperous, secure, energy-independent neighbors” and as “an integral part of the hemisphere, where every nation is middle class, democratic and secure.”

This is a very different approach to US policies of the past which, when set side by side with the other principal planks of US policy towards the region, the US Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and detente with Cuba, makes clear how far US thinking about the region has moved.

Strikingly it is also a policy when it comes to energy that does not seek to throw US money at the region but to suggest that by ensuring the right investment climate and an enabling environment the Caribbean can attract private sector investment to change its energy profile.

It is an approach that steps back and suggests that it is for the Caribbean alone to make the best long term decisions on its future and about the long term strategic aspects of energy supply; while offering US support with improving coordination with other governments and

the active encouragement of international financial institutions in a more joined up role.

Whether it will work is, however, another question. The new US approach requires governments presently wedded to PetroCaribe and Venezuela’s increasingly shaky economic and social structures to accept that they have to turn away from an arrangement that in some cases underwrites recurrent expenditure, has built up indebtedness, and is now probably unsustainable. It requires, too, an acceptance of the need to restructure economies that are over oriented towards the state, and adopt models that are more private sector led.

Oddly much of this has been missed by the media and the focus instead has been on the Vice President’s remarks, largely taken out of context, on the need to deal with corruption, so that projects are selected because they are the most competitive; comments linked to the need to modernise physical infrastructure, institutions and regulations, and to take on entrenched interests.

This is a very different and significantly more limited model of a relationship to that on offer from China or at present from Venezuela. It makes clear indirectly that the US is now interested only in bilateral relations and limited regional interventions based on models that liberalise and modernise the role of the state.

Whether the region is ready for this is far from clear as the absence of some regional leaders from the Washington meeting would seem to suggest.

Structural changes of this kind take

time and above all, their success or otherwise will depend on governments and oppositions identifying on a national interest basis long term needs, and having an environment that makes economic sense for private sector led investment in newer technologies.

It also requires nations like Trinidad to take forward across possible future political change, proposals like that made by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar for a Caribbean Energy Thematic Fund for CARICOM member states. This suggestion, made at the energy summit in Washington, affirmed Trinidad’s commitment to working with the US to support energy resilience by doing more

with the Caribbean Development Bank, the World Bank, the IMF and others to transform the energy matrix in the Caribbean so that there is greater reliance on renewable sources and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

There is of course a legitimate political choice between what the US now proposes and other offers based on alternative economic and political models. However, the recent strategically important oil price fall ought to give pause for thought across the region about long term energy stability and future requirements.

As this column has suggested previously, energy security requires a high degree of national consensus, practicality, and a willingness to think not in terms of what works now or offers immediate political advantage, but what is in the long term national interest of every nation within the region. ¤ Courtesy: News Americas BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Implementing China’s New

ECONOMY & TRADE FOCUS

Caribbean

Policy

By David Jessop

R

China’s Leader Xi Jinping

ecently, Dong Xiaojun, the Chinese Ambassador in Jamaica, wrote a commentary on the recent meetings held in Beijing between China and the Foreign Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC); the political grouping that includes all of the nations in the Americas other than the US and Canada, and the dependent territories.

The Ambassador made it clear that for China, the meeting on January 8th and 9th was “of milestone significance and profound influence.”

It aimed, he wrote, to institutionalise overall co-operation and move the relationship to a higher level. In addition to identifying the strategic outcomes of the meeting he observed, specifically, that China is “unswervingly committed to the development of comprehensive co-operation partnership with Caribbean countries and intends taking more measures to strengthen its support for the region’s economic development.”

The Ambassador noted too that China deemed the Caribbean “an important force in the international community” and “intends enhancing mutual support and collaboration with Caribbean countries on international and regional issues.”

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China understands, he wrote, “the concern of Caribbean small island countries on climate change and international financing, and is ready to provide countries in the region with assistance to the best of its capacity.”

“No country or regional organisation will be neglected or left behind the tide of China-CELAC co-operation,” he stressed.

His words, like all official statements emanating from China, are deeply considered and should be welcomed.

They confirm that Beijing hopes to move its multilateral relationship with the region to another level, offering potentially the opportunity to rebalance international relationships and new forms of collaboration.

In Beijing one of three documents agreed – the 2015-19 China-CELAC co-operation plan – sets this out in detail. It includes sections on international and political affairs in which both sides agree to enhance collaboration internationally on a new global development agenda, climate change and other issues. There are parts on trade, investment and finance, which sets as a joint China-CELAC objective the increase in two way trade to US$500 billion over ten years and to increase the stock of what is largely Chinese investment to at least US$250 billion over the same period.

More potentially significant, however from a Caribbean perspective, is the language that speaks to encouraging closer co-operation between micro, small and medium sized enterprises with a view to supporting the “internationalisation and integration of SMEs in global value chains.”

There is a section on infrastructure and transport which suggests that a new China-CELAC infrastructure forum may be

David Jessop is the Director of the Caribbean Council and can be contacted at david.jessop@caribbean-council.org.

Previous columns can be found at www.caribbean-council.org.

Courtesy: News Americas

established and there is emphasis placed on the development of transportation, ports, logistics, broadband, radio and TV, energy and urban development. The agreement also speaks to improving connectivity within the hemisphere and with China.

There are sections identifying cooperation in energy and natural resources; agriculture; industry, science and technology; aviation; education, which envisages thousands of Government scholarships and training opportunities, and language teaching by both sides; collaboration between the media and publishing houses in CELAC nations and China; tourism, including increased flights from China; environmental protection; and people-to-people and political exchanges. The list goes on.

The scale of the vision and interest is breathtaking given that for China this is not idle rhetoric but a commitment to accelerate and change the relationship.

That said, the problem, when it comes to much of the Caribbean, will be to find scaled down ways to deliver what is on offer. The inequality in size between China and every Caribbean nation, the fact that the region is fractured politically and economically, has few contiguous borders that would facilitate integration, has no single position on China, and largely lacks the capacity to deliver in real time, will make it hard to implement.

Moreover, there is little to reassure the region’s private sector and nothing on joint ventures. Few if any of the bigger

or medium sized Caribbean companies have yet established any significant relationship with China that could bring broader benefit to the region, and some may wonder what this agreement means for them.

The danger is that in a Caribbean context many of the envisaged cooperation initiatives may be seen as reflecting a desire to utilise the region as a geographically convenient platform for accessing the US and other markets.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, China’s commitment needs to be coupled demonstrably with the recognition that the Caribbean needs more basic support to be able to grow its economy and private sector. Put another way, if a new relationship is to work to everyone’s benefit, it has to be

about more than governments talking to each other, or about budgetary support, debt restructuring and refinancing as the Bahamian Prime Minister surprised some in CARICOM by suggesting in Beijing. Rather, China has to be able to provide a wider economic stimulus that goes beyond creating employment through investment when it comes to the Caribbean, otherwise the region is unlikely to avoid repeating its economic history as a geographically convenient location for others.

For instance, China might work with those industries like rum and tourism and their representative organisations in the private sector, to determine how their value

added product and their associations might be supported to penetrate the Chinese market. It might also develop schemes that create Caribbean joint ventures or Caribbean business associations in China. Such an approach could enable industries to develop the necessary skills and contacts to address the huge continuing trade imbalance in Chinas’ favor, and demonstrate Beijing’s commitment to the export of local goods and services. There are also many other practical ways in which China could help.

For instance, China might support the establishment of a frequent inter-island shipping service that is efficient, reduces costs, and enables inter-regional trade via the global transshipment ports and manufacturing zones now envisaged for the region. China is now deeply

engaged in most of the region at a bilateral level and its companies are well embedded. Despite this, a multilateral approach will be difficult. The Caribbean is different from Latin America, the regional integration process has failed, it has overlapping relationships, small economies require reciprocity, and each nation has a different sense of sovereignty and culture.

The challenge is as Caroline RodriguesBirkett, Guyana’s Foreign Minister, observed in Beijing; the plan has to be converted into workable projects and implemented with alacrity. The easiest part, the agreement, is complete: the need is to find ways to put it into action. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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ECONOMY & TRADE FOCUS

Donor Community Commits to Helping Transform Caribbean Energy Sector As US Hosts Inaugural Energy Security Summit

P

ARTIES to the just-concluded inaugural Energy Security Summit, among them the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), have agreed a menu of measures primarily intended to help transform the Caribbean’s Energy Sector. The pact was agreed in Washington DC at the conclusion of the Summit, convened and hosted by U.S. Vice-President, Mr. Joe Biden as part of a proposed Caribbean Energy Security Initiative he had announced back in June 2014, while on a State visit to Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the parties, where Caribbean countries are concerned, it is imperative that they pursue “…necessary and specific reforms, including recommendations from the 2013 CARICOM Energy Policy and the outcome of the 2015 Dominican Energy Pact, to support policy and regulatory environments that facilitate the introduction of new technologies favouring sustainable and clean energy that provides legal certainty for investors and improved predictability in price and supply for users.”

Among Caribbean signatories to the landmark agreement were: The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Curacao; Dominica; The Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guyana; Haiti; Jamaica; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; and Trinidad and Tobago.

Other parameters are:

Other parties to the pact included the Governments of the United Kingdom; The United States; Canada; Colombia; France; Germany; Mexico; New Zealand; and Spain, together with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat; the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); the European Union (EU); the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group; International Renewable Energy Agency; the Organisation of American States (OAS); and the World Bank Group.

In a joint-communiqué issued via the White House Office of the Press Secretary, the parties said: “We state our commitment to support the Caribbean’s transformation of the energy systems of Caribbean states; to share lessons learned through new and expanded regional information networks; and to report progress in relevant fora.”

Also included in the agreement is the implementation of a number of measures “in accordance with national laws,” among them the: “Comprehensive, planning-based and research-driven approaches to energy transition, including implementation of pilot and demonstration projects, based on successful models, so that individual clean-energy projects are part of a fully integrated, climate-resilient energy transition plan towards clean sustainable energy for all.”

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“Where viable, alignment of national legal and regulatory approaches to facilitate greater clean energy investment throughout the Region, provided that countries can access finance and other resources on affordable terms, to set the stage for future electrical interconnection in keeping with the goals of Connect 2022.

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Where technically and commercially feasible, promote and develop affordable: (i) no- or lower carbon electricity generation through wind, solar, geothermal power, hydropower, bioenergy, ocean energy, energy recovery from waste, and other clean energies; and (ii) energy efficiency measures. Recognising also, that alternative fuels, such as natural gas, can play a useful bridging role.

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Open, transparent, competitive and criteria-based processes, including liberalisation where cost effective, to procure energy investment and facilitate access to finance for cleaner and climate resilient energy projects and infrastructure.

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Data and energy information exchange and coordination with, between, and among countries and stakeholders to minimise duplication and enable the monitoring and evaluation of energy projects to maximise the impacts of efforts towards fully integrated, low-carbon and climateresilient energy transition plans.”

Puerto Rico & Dominican Republic Sign 11 Cooperation Agreements

P

uerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have signed a total of 11 bilateral agreements during a visit by Dominican President Danilo Medina to the American territory in January 2015. The cooperation agreements cover areas including trade, education, agriculture, tourism, the environment, security and job creation, among other areas.

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Medina said the two sides also identified potential linkages between industry in both areas, along with several agreements that could reduce tuition for higher education.

Another agreement included the creation of a US$500,000 annual fund to provide scholarships for Dominican students to study in degree and graduate programmes in Puerto Rican universities, which will be financed by equal contributions from both governments.

Additionally, the governments pledged to promote the teaching of English in the Dominican Republic, with help from the University of Puerto Rico. Other pacts included investment promotion, environmental protection and natural resource management, among others.

Medina said his government and that of Puerto Rico met “on the same page.”

Courtesy: Caribbean Journal

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ECONOMY & TRADE FOCUS

Dr Didacus Jules

OECS Welcomes Martinique into its Fold

F

or the last three decades, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) was made up of nine members. On February 4, 2015 membership rose to ten, with Martinique signing on as the first French Territory to be part of the Sub-Regional grouping.

The OECS movement is built on many principles, one of the most important being integration. With the recent inclusion of Martinique, the OECS now has 10 members states and represents a little over half a million people.

Martinique is the first French territory to join the OECS. The Director General of the OECS Secretariat Didicus Jules says Martinique will be a key ally in addressing security concerns in the economic union.

“In light of what is happening internationally, as you are aware with the rise of ISIS and all of what is happening, in fact one of the people in the attacks in Paris was a Martiniquan gendarme, so the whole question of regional security, there has been a serious tightening of that,” he said.

Saint Lucia and Martinique share a long and rich history of relations, with hundreds of Saint Lucians migrating to the neighboring island.

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Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony is hoping, with Martinique’s ascension to associate membership status in the OECS, the French can share their expertise in alternative energy with its sister states. ”The French are far more advanced than we are. One of the most memorable visits I have had is to Cayenne, in the middle of the jungle in French Guiana and there I found a community, including Saint Lucians who had gone to Cayenne many years ago in search of gold, and lo and behold they had electricity, they had refrigerators, all powered by solar energy,” he said adding “I’m very excited by this decision…..there is a lot that we can learn from Martinique as well as the other French territories within our part of the world.”

The OECS has served as a model of integration. The members share a common currency, full free movement of people and goods between countries and have shared pharmaceutical procurement process. They promote cooperation in defense issues, international diplomacy and economic policies.

The heads of government say going forward, with the strengthening of ties with Martinique, nationals of the OECS can expect greater benefits in areas such as health, tourism and alternative energy. ¤

Evacuation Plan =

Survival Plan Disasters can strike at any time.

Awareness of such hazards although helpful, is not enough to mitigate the disastrous results if we are not fully prepared.

•

Are the doors along the evacuation route unlocked and unobstructed?

•

Are exits clearly marked?

•

Are the fire doors unobstructed and undamaged?

How do we go a step further to ensure our homes, office buildings, schools and malls are up to code?

•

Are exit signs and or emergency lighting installed and functioning?

As a business operator, you have a duty to protect your staff and patrons at work while at home, your family, possessions and pets are top priority.

With preparedness being the difference between life and impending danger, are you prepared?

•

Are all Fire Extinguishers correctly installed and maintained?

•

Are all Fire Hoses correctly placed and maintained?

•

Is the Fire Alarm operating with no faults indicated?

•

Is there a procedure in place to evacuate a person with special needs?

•

Are all fire and evacuation plans current and reviewed annually?

•

Has a Fire Safety Adviser been appointed? ¤

Where do we begin?

Can you confidentially tick off every component on an evacuation checklist?

If you cant …I mean honestly can’t, here is where you begin…

•

Is there a fire and evacuation plan?

•

Have evacuation and fire drills been conducted on an annual basis?

•

Are evacuation routes clear of obstructions?

Kezia Preville is the Business Development Manager at Regional Fire & Security Ltd which operates offices based in St. Lucia, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago; the location of its parent company. She currently manages the St. Lucia office, now situated in Rodney Bay and can be contacted on info.stl@1rfsgroup.com or (758) 451-3473 for more information.

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IN THE KNOW

Gardens With a

By Brian Ramsey – Alternative Security

I

n the Caribbean we love having plants in our yard even if it is a few croton plants in old paint buckets.

Certainly plants enhance the beauty of our living spaces and give us a sense of peace and calm especially after a stressful day. For some individuals taking care of their garden provides then with exercise and is a great stress reliever becoming a haven to retreat to and allow the mind to wander. Many of these individuals have luxuriant gardens filled with flowering plants that attract hummingbirds and other nectar feeding birds while others focus their plant nurturing skills on fruit bearing plants.

While a beautiful garden can be a joy to relax in and look at, that bountiful plant filled space can also be a great attraction to thieves and not just for the fruits that it may contain. Indeed the presence of plentiful shrubbery gives intruders many hiding places to lie in wait and observe activities in the home or move across a yard without being seen.

Now we would never suggest that individuals eliminate all plants around

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Security View their home as a security measure. There are however some steps that can be taken that allow one to have a garden while still maintaining security.

Burglars love a yard with heavy shrubbery that they can hid behind to move around unseen by either the occupants of the home or nearby residents. To help guide homeowners with what is appropriate for plants in a home garden there is a simple rule that says nothing over three feet or under seven feet. This rule is intended to indicate that plants should not exceed three feet (1 meter) in height as such low shrubbery reduces the space that someone can hide behind. Nothing under seven feet is to point out that where there are trees in a yard the lowest branches should be at least seven feet above the ground. Such a height makes it difficult for someone to jump and grab the branches to be able to climb up into the tree.

There are times however when in designing a garden the homeowner wants to have an area with heavy shrubbery, possibly as a focal point in the garden

Brian Ramsey has a B.A. in Accounting & Management, along with an M.B.A. in Finance and over 29 years in the Caribbean security field. He is the Regional Development Director for Amalgamated Security Services Limited which operates in Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago and is the parent company of Alternative Security Services (St. Lucia) Limited. He can be contacted at bramsey@assl.com.

or to get the contrast of different types of flowering plants. When such heavy shrubbery is a design feature of a garden a clear area should be placed around it so that any intruder has to cross the clear area to get to the building. That clear area serves as a deterrent because it increases the chances of the intruder being seen.

When a homeowner chooses to have fruit trees in their yard, those trees should not be planted next to the fence, as the sight of fruit hanging over the fence or next to the fence encourages thieves to venture

into the yard. Furthermore it is very easy for someone to climb over the fence and climb the tree or even use the fence as an aid to get into the tree. In designing their garden the homeowner should consider planting fruit trees in a central part of the yard so that the thief has to cross open areas to access the fruit tree.

One of the design options for fence lines in a garden is the use of thorny or spiny plants. The thorns on the plants provide a barrier to someone seeking to climb over the fence. One plant that is frequently used for this purpose in the Caribbean is bougainvillea. Many individuals when using bougainvillea do not realize that

this plant grows continuously once placed in the ground and the branches can become very thick and heavy. As such to keep bougainvillea to a desirable height requires constant pruning. When planed next to a chain-link fence the bougainvillea can sometimes become entangled in the fence eventually pull the fence down. When planted next to a wall however bougainvillea makes an ideal and attractive deterrent. For deterrent shrubbery next to a chain-link fence, homeowners should consider low growing spiny plants.

At night a garden can take on a dark and dismal appearance, with an area that is visually attractive in the day time becoming a forbidding sight at night.

However if you add light to a garden at night its beauty returns becoming an almost magical place. Decorative lighting in a garden not only enhances the scenery but improves the security as it makes it more difficult for intruders to move around undetected. To achieve that night time illumination automatic timers can be used that turn on the lights at pre-set hours. An increasingly popular option for

One of the features that enhance the appearance of a very large garden is the presence of structured pathways. These encourage visitors to wander through the garden and at the same time discourage walking on the lawns so that the lawns retain a manicured appearance. In considering structured garden pathways, gravel is an ideal surface material for the path from a security perspective. As people walk on gravel it usually emits a crunching sound which can provide an alert to homeowners that someone is in their garden.

night time garden illumination is the use of solar lights as these draw their power from sunlight saving the homeowner from recurring electricity costs. One of the aspects of solar lights is that they must get direct sunlight for an extended period in the day in order for them to stay on all night. When positioning solar lights therefore the extent of daytime sunlight exposure that the particular position will receive must be taken into consideration.

With a little planning, homeowners can have their beautiful relaxing gardens and at the same time enhance their security by denying intruders places to move around unseen. 造 BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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IN THE KNOW

How to

BUY

Property in Saint Lucia

By Trudy O. Glasgow

O

ne of the main investments you are likely to make is to purchase your own home.

Your financial adviser will tell you to plan, budget then buy the property that you can afford. It will provide financial security for you and your loved ones for years to come. In this article, we will review the steps one will need to take in the legal process to buy property in Saint Lucia. Foreign investors must get an Alien’s Landholding licence to purchase land in Saint Lucia. This will be discussed in a future article.

There is a lot to consider when buying property in Saint Lucia (or anywhere else for that matter). Your real estate agent, your financial institution and your lawyer are essential to guiding you through this process. Once you have identified the property that you are interested in buying with the assistance of your real estate agent, it is time to visit your financial adviser to secure the financing. From there, you will need to see your lawyer to complete the process.

Your real estate agent is likely to discuss the following with you when viewing properties: location, neighbours, moving costs, home repairs, valuation fee, resale potential, inspection of the house BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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from top to bottom and what is being built in that area. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Your financial institution is likely to discuss the following with you: your disposable income, expenses, collateral, financial responsibilities for example do you have any outstanding student loans or any other loans? Do you have any dependants; your social responsibilities for example, are you married? Do you have any children; and other investments?

Once you have viewed the house, decided to purchase it and consulted your financial adviser, the next step is to see your lawyer. He or she will get the legal documents drafted, executed and registered. When instructing your lawyer to prepare the deed of sale (to purchase the property) and the mortgage or hypothec (to borrow monies needed from your financial institution), you will be required to bring in the following documents: •

National Insurance Corporation Compliance letter

•

Income Tax compliance letter(declaring that you do not owe any income tax, and if you do, that

Ms. Trudy O. Glasgow, B.A (History), LL.B (Hons.), B.V.C, LL.M, P.C.H.E, is a practising Attorney at the law firm of Trudy O. Glasgow & Associates and a court-appointed mediator in Saint Lucia (and has also taught law at University level in the UK). Ms. Glasgow is the current Vice President of the Bar Association of Saint Lucia and sits on various boards including the National Research and Development Foundation (NRDF), Legal Aid Board and the Rotary Club of Gros Islet. She writes a weekly legal column, Simply Law, in The Voice newspaper and recently published a book which is a selection of her articles with some new material.

This article is for general use only, for advice specifically about your case, please see your lawyer.

suitable arrangements have been made) •

Property tax compliance letter- (to declare that you do not owe any property tax, and if so that suitable arrangements have been made)

•

A form of photo Identification: for example, National Identification card, passport, or driver’s licence

A search will also have to be done on the property at the Land Registry to confirm that the land does not have encumbrances on it, for example, a caution, note, or outstanding loan. A recent copy of the land register must also be provided. A map sheet is also needed in order to include on the documents, the location of the land with its unique block and parcel number. The land being purchased will be described on the deed of sale and mortgage in the schedules.

Your lawyer will also ask the buyers/ purchasers some questions, for information which needs to be included on the deed of sale and/or mortgage: • • • •

Names of the purchasers Postal addresses Occupations Marital status (single, married, divorced, legally separated, widowed)

The parties (purchaser and vendor) will be required to go to their lawyers’ offices, pay the requisite legal fees and disbursements and sign the documents. The lawyer(s) will also sign the document(s) as a witness (es) to the transaction and take care of the registration process and copies.

The deed of sale is prepared by the purchaser’s attorney. A lawyer can act for both parties as long as this has been agreed by the parties. Therefore, if one lawyer is representing both parties, the deed of sale can be signed in each other’s presence.

The mortgage taken with a financial institution will ordinarily have their own attorneys and representatives from the financial institution who will also sign on behalf of the financial institution as well as the purchaser/mortgagor. The mortgage would also be prepared by the purchasers’ attorney and vetted by the financial institution’s lawyers.

It usually takes about fourteen to twenty eight days for the registration process to be completed at the Land Registry and the Inland Revenue Department.

Legal fees and disbursements (out of pocket expenses) for these transactions are set by the Bar Association of Saint Lucia; it is based on the value of the property being sold. The stamp duty, vendor tax and other taxes are also calculated at Inland Revenue based on the value of the property. These would be included in the disbursements in your final bill.

Once the documents have been registered, your lawyer will contact you to collect your copy from his or her office. The Land Registry retains a copy of the file, as does your lawyer. If you needed a mortgage, the financial institution would need a copy as well. If you require additional copies, it is preferable to notify your lawyer of this at the beginning of the transaction, and a nominal fee would be included to facilitate this. ¤

Opens at Capella Marina Village

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iamonds International announced the opening of their new boutique store located at Capella's Marina Village, Marigot Bay on Monday 12th January 2015. The boutique store is expected to be the first in several high end retailers expected to take up shop at the up-and-coming Marina Village. Home to the Capella Hotel and berthing place to some of the finest Mega Yachts to visit the island, Diamonds International recognises this as another very lucrative investment in the island of St Lucia.

Diamonds International is the largest jewellery retailer in the Caribbean, whose name has become synonymous with exquisite jewellery and famous timepieces. In St. Lucia, Diamonds International has established itself as the leading retailer of diamond jewellery, loose diamonds, Tanzanite, as well as designer brands such as Dior, Bvlgari, Movado, John Hardy and Hublot.

With Six stores on island, Diamonds International Capella will be the second in-resort location on island. This is a fantastic way to jump start the new year and Diamonds International promises a lot more to look out for in 2015. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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IN THE KNOW

CNSC AGM Barbados

Caribbean Export Supports the Caribbean Network of Service Coalitions (C-NSC) Towards strengthening the Region’s Services Sector

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he Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) facilitated the planning session for the 2015 work programme and annual general meeting of the Caribbean Network of Service Coalitions in early February at the Marriot Hotel, Barbados.

The meeting which gathered representatives from the fifteen (15) CARIFORUM States spent 4 days developing the work programme for Year 2 of the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Services Fiche; a programme with a total value of €3.2million. Participants focussed on developing actions both at the National level as well as the Regional level. At the end of the exercise a draft work programme was developed which is anticipated to be finalised within two (2) weeks after further consultations at the respective National levels.

The services sector incorporates industries such as financial services, creative industries, health and wellness, professional services, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), education and also tourism. Chargé D’Affairs of the European Commission to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mrs. Silvia Koffler noted at the closing ceremony that “the services sector in most CARIFORUM countries is a significant contributor to GDP, accounting for more than 50% of GDP in most cases.” She further indicated that the Commission is always pleased to work with Caribbean Export in the development and strengthening of the Services Sector in the region so that mutual benefits under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) can be realised.

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Caribbean Export is reported to have awarded over €1.6million in grant funding to firms operating within the region’s services sector during the implementation of the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) accounting for 28% of all grant contracts. The significance of the contributions made by the services sector to the region’s economies is apparent and Caribbean Export Agency with the support of the European Union is committed to developing the sector further.

“The EPA provides a platform for CARIFORUM firms to expand into the EU market….this increased access under the EPA will facilitate successful transition in the EU market.” stressed Koffler.

Services Specialist at Caribbean Export Allyson Francis underscored that “it is only through effective implementation that we can really provide the support for our private sector to take advantage of the opportunities available under the EPA.” She also urged her regional colleagues to return to their respective institutions to pursue what was agreed following the discussions during the meetings.

At its AGM, the CNSC elected a new president – Julianne Jarvis of the Antigua and Barbuda Coalition of Services. She will provide leadership of the Network over the coming year. Caribbean Export wishes to congratulate Ms. Jarvis and looks forward to working closely with the new Executive Team over the coming months. ¤

Caribbean Export Launches Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards to Recognise the Region’Ws Exporters

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aribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) recently announced its inaugural awards programme the Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards in recognition of the stellar contribution made by the region’s exporters, to the regional economy.

During the media launch held at the Agency’s headquarters in Barbados, Executive Director Pamela Coke Hamilton, stressed that “Now is the time to support our exporters and assist them to expand further, because in so doing, we are not only helping a firm increase its bottom line, but moreover we are impacting the economic well-being of our entire region and our people.” The Executive Director brought to the audience’s attention that in 2013 the total CARIFORUM exports were estimated to be US$51 billion, with the average contribution of exports to GDP being 17% for goods and 36% for services.

There are six awards available, and they are: Emerging Exporter of the Year; Young Exporter of the Year; Female Exporter of the Year; Green Exporter of the Year; Caribbean Exporter of the Year and a Special Award for Excellence in Services Exports.

Full details on how to enter and the nomination process can be found on the Agency’s website and also from local Business Support Organisations. ¤

Blue Arch Construction Holdings Ltd Client Satisfaction, Quality, Timely Deliver

“At this period in our region’s history, where economic growth is projected to be marginal for 2015, Caribbean Export believes in the power that exporters have to contribute to sustainable growth,” she commented further.

The Agency’s launch of the Caribbean Exporter of the Year Awards is supported by the European Union as part of the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme and is hoped to foster and strengthen a greater export culture throughout the Caribbean by giving significant recognition to the winners and sending a strong message to current and potential buyers, investors or other stakeholders that these exporters are market leaders and successful business persons.

Charge d’Affaires of the Delegation of the EU to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Silvia Kofler, congratulated Caribbean Export for taking the initiative and “challenged the private sector to take this initiative and to capitalise on possibilities for export.

Even with capacity issues the private sector needs to take advantage of the provisions of the EPA.”

Project Management: • Construction Budgeting/ Estimating • General Project Over Sight • Sub contractor Coordinator General Construction Experience • Design/Build • New Construction • Facility Upgrade

Greenheart Products Available in Store or upon ORDERS P. O. Box GR5078, Morne Serpent, Grande Riviere, Gros-Islet Tel: 450-2311 Cell: 758 285-8520

cp.oculien@gmail.com

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IN THE KNOW

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By Karena Bennett Business reporter bennettk@jamaicaobserver.com

ed Stripe's UK-based parent, Diageo, lauded the local brewing company for double-digit sales growth within a region beset with currency movements.

Concurrently, Red Stripe has garnered the interest of the US Embassy Agricultural Department with its plan to substitute imported barley with locally grown cassava in its beer production.

"In Jamaica strong consumer campaigns on Red Stripe along with the introduction of new formats led to net sales growth of 14 per cent," stated Diageo in its December second-quarter 2014 results released February 5.

The report, which also showed that Diageo made US$2.1 billion net profit over six months compared with US$1.6 billion a year earlier, indicated that Red Stripe sales benefited from faster restocking of remote corner shops and bars – otherwise termed route-to-consumer interventions.

"Chile, Peru and Jamaica benefited from our route to consumer interventions and all delivered good growth," stated the report.

"Elsewhere spend also increased on Red Stripe driving greater consumer engagement around the football platform," stated Diageo.

Representatives of the US Embassy toured the company's cassava farm and production plant to examine the cassava beer initiative for which the Embassy may possibly provide assistance for the operations.

Agricultural attachĂŠ of the US Department of Agriculture, Morgan Perkins told the Jamaica Observer that the visit is also aimed at keeping up-to-date on the latest development in Jamaica, to assist with the model and to determine if such development can be used as an example for other countries.

"I think it is a super interesting project and it has good signs," Perkins stated. "One of the main focuses in agriculture worldwide is trying to use locally available products where ever possible in order to facilitate food processing which cuts down on the carbon footprint."

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Lauded by Diageo for Strong Sales Growth - and by US for Cassava Initiative

Perkins added that what's even more interesting about Red Stripe's project is the element that they are trying to expand production to get more local farmers and youths involved. "It improves the production techniques and keeps the project interesting," he said.

Red Stripe has invested well over $200 million in its cassava project and may accumulate expenditure of up $1 billion over the next five years. Ultimately, the local brewer wants to replace 20 per cent of its imported barley with locally grown cassava.

Over the next two weeks, the company will be receiving factory equipment for the new processing plant and will also be signing a lease contract for an additional 250 acres of land at Wallen, St. Catherine, to have the project operational by early April.

"It's great to have the US embassy on board," general manager of Red Stripe, Cedric Blair, told the Business Observer. "It would be good if they are able to support us in some way, shape or form, we don't know yet, but we are committed to this."

However, the US Embassy representative stated that before any help can be provided, the Department would have to conduct more research to find a model that would fit Red Stripe's initiative.

"The problem with doing an innovative project is that it doesn't fall into the categories that people are used to dealing with, so some amount of work needs to be done," Morgan said.

Red Stripe plans to have 2,500 acres of cassava under cultivation to meet its target of replacing 20 per cent of barley with locally grown cassava. Currently, the 36 acres at Bernard Lodge account for close to 700 metric tonnes, while Wallen's 250 acres should provide another 6,000 metric tonnes of cassava.

"The whole cassava initiative has created a lot of interest. This project has touched so many lives and already it has a huge emotional connection to Jamaica and Red Stripe. As a large company, giving back and giving this sort of opportunity that creates employment and nation building, means a lot to us," Blair said. ¤

Do You Have a LIFFE?

Life Insurance and Future Financial Empowerment

By Carina J Altenor- Daniel

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"An Investment in Knowledge Pays the Best Interest." - Benjamin Franklin

o one wants to admit that they could die prematurely.

But the last thing you want is to not have any protection in place in case of an inconceivable tragedy.

Hardly anyone is concerned about establishing a financial safety net for their children’s future and even for their retirement. Certain cultures teach us to live for the moment; missing out on the realization that planning for the future begins by making a decision now, and not later.

The misconceptions that most individuals have regarding life insurance are extremely destructive to the advancement of impending generations.

Brittney LaCombe, a 20 year old student from St. Petersburg, Florida suddenly became the head of the family and household when her mother fell sick at an annual Mother’s Day camping trip on May 8th 2011. The following morning she died at the hospital from a pulmonary embolism with only $300.00 in her bank account and no life insurance.

In an attempt to prevent her family home of seven years from going into foreclosure Brittney sought assistance from her community, friends and family members, however due to her mother’s enormous debt, the bank came and foreclosed on

the house in a matter of weeks. It was too late.

helps protect the financial future of a family due to unexpected death.

‘’One day we woke up, and our life was in a million pieces. It just didn’t click right away that our mother was gone. We were robots going day to day.’’

Intriguingly, there are also living benefits to purchasing life insurance. The right type of policy builds up a cash value which can be used in case of any emergency, to finance a college education, purchase a home or to help supplement a retirement income. You would also receive cash from your policy if you were to become disabled.

According to a study conducted by LIMRA an insurance industry research outfit, 80 percent of consumers believe most people need life insurance and 3 in 10 believe their spouse or partner needs more. The most commonly cited reason for not purchasing more is cost (63 percent cited "too expensive").

Interestingly, a recent LIMRA study found that consumers overestimate the cost of life insurance by nearly three-fold.

Life insurance is a crucial part of any family’s financial security. When an individual buys life insurance, what he is really buying is peace of mind, not because he knows that he is going to die, but because those he loves are going to live. Although unsettling to think about, it’s important to have financial safeguards established in the event of premature death.

Making this decision ensures that a spouse can continue to have a comfortable house to live in or gives a child the opportunity to attend a college or university of their choice. Life Insurance

If you are a single mother, and you are uninsured, your family is at high risk of winding up like Brittney and her two younger sisters. It must also be taken into consideration that your health could change at any time. You could develop a disease that could make you uninsurable.

With so many diseases and epidemics on the rise, are we taking chances with our children’s wellbeing by waiting for things to get better?

As women, mothers and wives it is essential that we carefully reassess our current goals, priorities and decisions to those that guarantee our family’s future financial empowerment. ¤

Carina J Altenor- Daniel is a Life Underwriter with Sagicor. carinaaltenor@gmail.com

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IN THE KNOW

Caricom Begins Reform Process

Rodney Bay

Wins Prestigious Award

General Manager Simon Bryan receiving the award.

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Aim to Implement 5 year Strategic Plan

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GY Marinas proudly announces that Rodney Bay Marina in St. Lucia is the runner up for the Superyacht Marina of the Year Award presented at the London Boat Show by The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA).

he 35th Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers of the Caribbean commenced on Friday, January 16 at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana. Foreign Ministers from the Region gathered at the Secretariat in a working session to decide on the way forward for the implementation of the revised five year Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community.

For the second year in a row, TYHA, in conjunction with partner GJW Insurance has awarded its Gold Anchor holders (of which Rodney Bay Marina holds 5) several prestigious titles that recognise excellence in marina properties.

During consultations with Heads of Government, it was agreed that it was necessary to re-examine the future direction of the Community and the arrangements to move it forward which would include the role and function of the CARICOM Secretariat.

The five year strategic plan for the Community will, among other things, identify the priority areas of focus for the Community and guide the restructuring of the Secretariat.

The winning marinas are considered the best by their customers in the UK Coastal, UK Inland, International and Superyacht categories. Winners and runners up of the prestigious Awards received laser-etched glass trophies and framed certificates to proudly promote their achievement at their home marinas.

Secretary General of CARICOM, Irwin Larcoque said the reform process for the Community has begun. “The reform process has taken root, work has begun to implement the Strategic Plan and the reform of the Secretariat is ongoing…2015 can therefore be a watershed year in the history of our Community.

“We are thrilled to be recognised as one of the top Superyacht marinas internationally, and I would like to thank The Yacht Harbour Association once again for recognising IGY’s quality of service and facilities. Last year IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas in Mexico was awarded the International Marina of the Year, and another IGY marina, The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol in St. Maarten was the 2014 runner up. We couldn’t be more proud of our marina teams,” said Kenny Jones, MBE, EVP of Operations for IGY Marinas.

“The effectiveness of acting together has proven itself time and again; let us continue to use that strength in our ongoing quest to provide a better life for the people of our CARICOM Community.”

St. Lucia has made tremendous headway in the yachting sector by bringing more vessels to its shores year after year.

General Manager Simon Bryan was recently elected the official Representative of the St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association for the Yachting and Maritime sector in St. Lucia. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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He reiterated that each country had an important role to play in the successful implementation of the integration plan. “The enthusiasm and commitment displayed by all parties involved are testimony to the strong belief in the strategic plan’s potential to assist the member states in meeting and defeating the current challenges. Our regional institutions worked closely with the CARICOM Secretariat in designing the initial draft of the plan; this is the kind of collaboration envisioned going forward.” ¤

Antigua and Barbuda Names Another Special Economic Envoy Considers T&T for Head Office Relocation

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Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne with new Special Economic Envoy Armand Arton

ntigua and Barbuda has named investor Armand Arton as the country’s newest special economic envoy. Arton will serve as the twin-island country’s special economic envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Arton is the latest appointee to the role, which has also been bestowed upon Robert De Niro and Martin Franklin in recent months.

“I am delighted to announce that Armand Arton will act as a Special Economic Envoy for our country,” Browne said. “My government feels that Mr. Arton’s knowledge and expertise in the field of Economic Citizenship will be beneficial in helping us to achieve our vision of positioning Antigua and Barbuda as a best practice model for citizenship and residency programmes in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and beyond.”

Arton’s role is to attract foreign direct investment to the country by advocating for its Citizenship by Investment Programme, the government said.

“Promoting global citizenship as a way of life comes with certain responsibilities,” Arton said. “It is our obligation to advocate transparency and to nurture best industry practices so that global citizen programmes can play their primary role in the modern economy – serve as a means for sustainable development and strengthening multicultural dialogue.” ¤

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nsurance giant Sagicor is considering Trinidad and Tobago as one of several country options as it prepares to relocate its registered offices in Barbados.

In a published statement yesterday, Sagicor president Dodridge Miller said the recommendation to re-domicile its office followed Standard and Poor’s recent action to downgrade entities within the Sagicor Group.

These downgrades were a direct result of S&P’s downgrade on the sovereign credit rating of Barbados recently, Miller’s statement said.

The Sagicor Group needs to restore its credit rating and redomicilation of Sagicor will result in its registered office being relocated from Barbados to a country with an investment grade rating. He said consideration is being given to a number of locations, including Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. A recommendation will be made after an evaluation process is completed.

“There are several steps involved in this process and subject to shareholder approval, we expect to have it completed by the end of 2015,” Miller said. ¤

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TOURISM FOCUS

Another Record Year for Saint Lucia’s Tourism Industry

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7-Months of 2014 Yield Their Highest Ever Increases he year 2014 will go down as yet another record breaking year for Saint Lucia’s main economic engine, the vital tourism industry.

Canada trails as the fourth largest market, despite a 15% increase in arrivals. France and Germany are steadily gaining market share, both recording increases in 2014.

According to figures released by the island’s principal promotions and marketing agency – the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, total stay over visitor arrivals are estimated at 338,158; an impressive 6% increase from 2013.

Total airlift to the island increased 5% in 2014. Airlift from the US increased 10%, thanks mainly to additional service on US Airways from Charlotte, on United Airlines from Newark; Jet Blue from JFK and Boston; and Delta from Atlanta and JFK.

The figures recorded for 7 months of 2014, namely February, March, April, June, October, November and December were the highest numbers ever reached for these specific months.

Airlift from the UK increased 14% following the year round service from Thomas Cook as well as the additional frequency on Virgin Atlantic. Airlift from Canada grew 18% with the additional service from Air Canada out of Montreal as well as the new service introduced by Sunwing from Toronto.

At a news conference convened on Tuesday, January 13th to review the industry’s performance for 2014, Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus, flanked by senior tourism officials, among them Tourism Director Louis Lewis, Deputy Director of Tourism Tracey Warner-Arnold and Maritime consultant in the Ministry of Tourism Cuthbert Didier, reaffirmed the buoyancy of the US market as the island’s main geographic market.

“The US is by far the island’s largest source market, commanding just under half (42%) of total arrivals. Further, arrivals from this market due to targeted marketing strategies grew 11% over last year’s figures,” Theophilus noted.

The UK maintained its position as the second largest source market with a 22% share of arrivals.

The Caribbean market shrunk by 8% in 2014, acquiring 16% of market share. Minister Theophilus was however quick to announce key strategies which he says his Ministry and the SLTB will aggressively pursue in an attempt to stem the tide and return the Caribbean market to profitability in the long run.

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The Caribbean however recorded an 8% drop in airlift following LIAT’s consolidation of services.

Finance-wise, total expenditure increased 14% for the period January-December 2014. The US and UK markets recorded the greatest real growth in expenditure due to increases in both an average daily expenditure and total arrivals.

Impressive gains are also expected within the yachting sector which recorded a 17% increase in arrivals up until November 2014.

Growth in that sector was attributed to direct successes in governmental yachting legislation and Saint Lucia’s ability to attract mega yachting initiatives like the Russian regatta, the Mercury sailing event and the ARC and its affiliated events. ¤ For more information about the island of Saint Lucia call 1-800 456-3984, or 1-888 4STLUCIA or visit www.saintlucianow.com.

The 24th Annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival Launched

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Draws Internationally Renowned Talent, April 30 – May 10, 2015 he annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, now in its 24th year, raises the curtain on April 30 with a lineup of performers who blend island culture, famed musical talent and diverse music genres.

Internationally renowned performers taking center stage this year include singer/songwriter Robin Thicke, two-time Grammy winner Jon Secada, Jamaican reggae musician and actor Jimmy Cliff, Latin sensation Timbalive, American rapper Flo Rida, acclaimed Paris-based pianist Alain Jean Marie and two-time Grammy nominee Joey DeFranceso featuring Grant Stewart.

The 11-day festival kicks off on April 30 and runs through May 10 featuring hundreds of musical performances and art showcases throughout the island. Locations span from Saint Lucia’s iconic Pigeon Island National Park, where main stage events will kick-off on Friday, May 8, to various other venues island wide.

“This year’s festival continues to infuse artistic events with starstudded musical performances, providing a platform for local artisans, entertainers and cultural enthusiasts to also command world attention during the two-week celebration,” remarked Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries Minister Lorne Theophilus.

Presented by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, the festival continues to attract some of the most recognisable and sought after names in the music business and has become a magnet for visitors from the U.S., according to Theophilus. Completing the line-up is a string of other local entertainers, together with more than 100 local artisans, who will perform at jazz venues island wide throughout the festival.

With a renewed emphasis on the arts component of the festival, an Arts Village will be incorporated in a dedicated site in the north between two major shopping areas, while the acclaimed fashion show, “Hot Couture,” will return with a spotlight on Saint Lucia and the region’s cutting edge style. ¤ For more information about the 24th Annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival visit http://www.stluciajazz.org.

Named One of the World’s Best Luxury Hotels

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t. Lucia’s Ladera Resort in Soufriere is recognised as one of the best luxury hotels in the world and best luxury hotel in St. Lucia according to the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2014 list.

The resort is a romantic paradise situated 1,100 feet above the Caribbean Sea overlooking the Pitons featuring all villas and suites with an “open wall” featuring breathtaking views.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards is a recognised global organisation providing luxury hotels all over the world with recognition for their world-class facilities and service excellence.

The awards aim to encourage and raise service standards within the luxury hotel industry.

“We are delighted to receive this new accolade and thankful to all our St. Lucian team,” said Olivier Bottois, Ladera’s Vice President of Operations. “They truly are the best!”

Hotel guests vote based on the service excellence. Winners of the 2014 World Luxury Hotel Awards can be found by going to http://www.luxuryhotelawards.com/winners/2014-hotelawards. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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TOURISM FOCUS

CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION

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Education Foundation Developing the Caribbean’s Next Tourism Leaders

Announces Scholarship Awards for 29 Caribbean Nationals

By Guy Britton ourism - is the largest single economic driver in the Caribbean, and promoting its continued development remains one of the most crucial objectives for the wider region.

That’s why the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has its CHTA Education Foundation, which, since 1987, has helped educate industry personnel and students pursuing careers in tourism.

It’s a foundation whose goal has been aimed at one target: ensuring that the next wave of tourism professionals and leaders are adequately prepared and educated for the future.

Since 1987, the Education Foundation has awarded around US$2 million in scholarships and grants to qualified applicants dedicated to the hotel and tourism industry.

In the last year, the foundation has awarded US$136,308 in scholarships to 29 Caribbean nationals pursuing a higher education or professional development in the industry.

“This year’s applicant pool was comprised of a talented group, all of whom deserve to receive funds towards their education so that they may become productive individuals working in the vital Caribbean hospitality industry,” said Richard Kahn, Chairman of CHTAEF. “We are only limited by the funds we’ve been able to generate from corporate donors such as Interval International, Virgin Holidays and FirstCaribbean International Bank as well as The New York Times Travel Show auction where hotel stays are donated from across the Caribbean.”

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The scholarship recipients, who come from across the Caribbean, are either just launching their studies in tourism or continuing their education. They are awarded based on either prior academic work or internships in the industry.

The full list of scholarship recipients this year are listed below: • • • • • • • •

Kim Blaize (Anguilla) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Associate Science Hospitality & Tourism Management, Anguilla Community College Derry-Ann Adams (Antigua) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Gabrielle Thomas (Antigua) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, Associate Degree Baking & Pastry Arts, Johnson and Wales Chara Darceuil (Bahamas) - Interval International scholarship, BS Hotel Management, Florida International University Kirvez E. Ferguson (Bahamas) - FirstCaribbean International Bank scholarship, Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Brittany Hanna (Bahamas) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, BS Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Rache Josey (Bahamas) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Kara Manouzi (Bahamas) - Interval International scholarship, Master of Science, Hospitality Management, Florida International University

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • •

Nastassia Sears (Bahamas) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, B.S. Culinary Arts with major in Resort Management, Johnson and Wales, North Miami Latreia Smith (Bahamas) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Associate Pastry Arts, Johnson and Wales Domonique Sturrup (Bahamas) - FirstCaribbean International Bank scholarship, BS Baking and Pastry Arts, Johnson and Wales, Providence Kenia Taylor (Bahamas) - Interval International scholarship, BS Hotel Management, Florida International University Blaire Thompson (Bahamas) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Bachelor Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales, North Miami Christine Gibson (Barbados) - FirstCaribbean International Bank scholarship, Hospitality Studies, Barbados Community College Deidre Small (Barbados) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, Master of Science in Tourism & Events Management, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Jovari Hagley (Grenada) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, B.Sc. Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad Jannel Johnson McQueen (Grenada) - Interval International scholarship, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University Kareen Etienne (Haiti) - Interval International scholarship, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University Brittany Ho (Jamaica) - Interval International scholarship, Hospitality Management, Florida International University Kelsey Girod (Jamaica) - Virgin Holidays scholarship, BS Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Jordan Richards (Jamaica) - Inteval International scholarship, Culinary Arts, Johnson and Wales Josh Parkins (Jamaica) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales, Providence Alejandra Calvillo (Puerto Rico) - Interval International scholarship, Travel & Tourism and Hospitality Management, Johnson and Wales Druso Daubon (Puerto Rico) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of America Patricia Diaz Centeno (Puerto Rico) - Interval International scholarship, B.Sc. Hospitality Administration, Boston University Jael Avion Joseph (Trinidad & Tobago) - FirstCaribbean International Bank scholarship, AIB BA Business Administration Tourism and Hospitality Management, Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality Institute Shandelle Edwards (Trinidad & Tobago) - Interval International scholarship, Tourism and Hotel Management, Johnson and Wales, North Miami Sara Jagdip (Trinidad & Tobago) - CHTAEF general scholarship, BS Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management, Johnson and Wales Sarita Singh (Trinidad & Tobago) - CHTAEF general scholarship, Tourism and Hotel Management, Mount St. Vincent University ¤

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Names New CEO

Above: the new CHTA Leadership Team; from left, CMO Matt Cooper, COO Vanessa Ledesma, current President Emil Lee and new CEO Frank Comito (CJ Photo)

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By Alexander Britell

he Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has named a new Leadership Team, including a new Chief Executive Officer.

Frank Comito, a former Executive Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association, was elected as CEO ahead of the recently held CHTA Caribbean Travel Marketplace Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

His election was announced at the CHTA’s Board of Directors meeting at the Sheraton Hotel in San Juan and made official at the opening ceremonies of the 2015 Caribbean Travel Marketplace Conference.

Comito succeeds Jeff Vasser in the role, after the latter stepped down at the end of 2014.

Comito is part of a new executive team that includes CMO Matt Cooper and, in a first for the organization, a new Chief Operating Officer, Vanessa Ledesma.

The capacity an organization like CHTA has to impact our industry, our economies, business and lives and the livelihoods of people throughout the region,” Comito said. “That capacity lies in our ability, very simply, to connect the dots.

He said there were opportunities to have even greater impacts in the region.

“My challenge is to help to connect the dots, to help make our members, our national hotel associations, their jurisdictions and the region as a whole a better place for tourism,” he said. ¤ BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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HEALTH & WEALTH

Diabetes and

Stress

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by Dr. Takira Glasgow

he seasons of gift exchange and indulgences, affection and revelry, have given way to the tax season, which may cause some distress; financial or otherwise. Stress is defined in Psychology as a person’s response to an external stimulus that may be positive or negative. Eustress has been defined as a positive motivator or challenge that keeps a person moving forward in a healthy way. Distress on the other hand, is the opposite of happiness.

on night shifts may cause obesity which is linked to insulin resistance. Especially for women, a link has been found between work that is high in demand and low in permissible decision making and up to 45% increased risk of onset of type 2 diabetes. High work related stress is also linked to increased health care expenses, long commutes and poorly controlled blood glucose of long duration.

The primitive ‘fight or flight’ mechanism induced by stress can manifest itself in the onset or worsening of endocrine disorders such as Diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results in absence or dysfunction of the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, and insulin resistance.

While diabetes is not usually diagnosed at times of stress, diabetes is influenced by stress, specifically distress, which increases blood glucose levels via counterregulatory hormones.

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Physical or emotional trauma, illness, sleep deprivation or other stresses can result in persistently elevated blood glucose levels, because of the actions of cortisol, adrenaline and growth hormone, among others. This can result in diabetes and its complications. For example, stress can trigger diabetic ketoacidosis (type 1 diabetes) which can be fatal. Other studies show that stress may lead to immunologic surveillance defects which can increase the frequency of infections or tumours.

In addition, persons with stressors and diabetes have more risk factors for heart disease than persons without stressors.

Cognitive dysfunction and memory loss are greater with diabetes plus stress; memory of transactions, deadlines and appointments can suffer for those who work.

A recently published study indicated that working night shifts increased the risk of diabetes, especially for black women, partly due to the abnormal diurnal hormonal changes. In addition, sleep deprivation BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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Apart from the workplace there are other special groups of persons to be considered:

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Hospitalised patients: blood glucose levels in acute illness may predict the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Pregnant women: maternal anxiety and stress during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage and decrease birth weight.

Children: the Swedish diabetes study suggested that children aged 5 to 9 exposed to stressful events were more likely to develop type 1 diabetes in childhood. In a separate but similar study, psychosocial stress was proposed as a trigger for diabetesrelated autoimmunity in infancy.

Marginalised groups: lack of acculturalisation and both sociocultural instability and physiological maladaptation (thrifty gene hypothesis) are linked to an increased prevalence of diabetes in these populations.

Older persons: stress increases cognitive decline and memory for older persons with diabetes.

The management of established diabetes becomes increasingly stressful with lack of family involvement or other dysfunction in professional or personal relationships, particularly when raising children. Persons with diabetes may feel “different” or “sick,” fearful of hypoglycaemia, and of the complications: amputation, heart disease, blindness, impotence. In addition, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and coping issues are directly related to poor diabetes control due to the hormonal and behavioural effects

of stressors. Persons with diabetes may feel lack of control, poor adaptability to change, social withdrawal and “this is not me” denial as well as guilt and frustration over unhealthy crutches such as smoking, alcohol and comfort foods. They are more likely to make wrong decisions about self-management which manifests as persistently elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as high risk of heart disease.

Stress management has been found to improve long term glycaemic control.

Education about all areas of diabetes and self management, including provision of tools such as glucometers and pedometers, improve overall health and quality of life.

Mindfulness based stress reduction is the newest complementary medicine solution, but simple things like prayer, social support - communication with family, friends and your diabetes physician, normal healthful routines- exercise to elevate endorphins, getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, are equally beneficial. Health education programmes should be encouraged in the workplace. Most of all, a positive outlook and motivation are essential, no matter what the season. ¤ References: BMJ-British Medical Journal. "Shift work linked to heightened risk of type 2 diabetes." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 July 2014.

Diabetologia. "Black women working night shifts have an increased risk of developing diabetes." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 January 2015.

University of Edinburgh. "Stress raises risk of mental decline in older diabetics, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 February 2010.

Ranabir, Salam, and K. Reetu. “Stress and Hormones.” Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 15.1 (2011): 18–22. PMC. Dr. Takira Glasgow is a medical doctor with her office at Tapion Hospital. She also serves as the Treasurer of the SLMDA with memberships of the SLDHA, AACE and CES.

events 2015 CARAIFA - The Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors 29th Annual Sales Congress 2014 April 26 – 29, 2015, Hyatt Regency, Trinidad CARAIFA is an umbrella organization of regional Life Underwriting associations whose members are engaged primarily in the sale of the products of Life Insurance and Financial Services companies. CARAIFA hosts an annual conference of the Life Underwriters/Financial Advisors throughout the region in May each year.

These congresses feature motivational and inspiring speakers from our region and internationally. Theme: "The Pursuit Continues.." www.caraifa.com

ST LUCIA JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL April 30 to May 10, 2015 – The Caribbean’s Premiere Cultural Event Revamped, redesigned and with a broadened artistic direction, the Caribbean's premier cultural event — the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival — will attract thousands to Simply Beautiful Saint Lucia. Cultural enthusiasts, festival lovers and music aficionados will be wooed by over 50 world-acclaimed entertainers and artisans over the 12-day festival, which runs from April 30 to May 10, 2015. Performances will be set against the iconic and historic Pigeon Island National Landmark backdrop, along with other scenic vistas across Saint Lucia, showcasing an innovative infusion of Music and Arts designed to highlight the island's rich historic and cultural legacy. www.stluciajazz.org

Caribbean Insurance Conference 31st May – 2nd June, 2015 – Montego Bay, Jamaica Attendees include senior level executives; administration executives; heads of marketing, distribution, and information technology; along with top regional producers. The 2015 Caribbean Insurance Conference will feature a mix of general sessions, panel discussions and excellent networking opportunities.

For more information on the 2015 conference, please visit the official conference website at: http://iac-caribbean.com/about-the-cic/

CARILEC’S Engineering and Occupational Health & Safety Conference 26th – 29th July, 2015 – St Lucia This Conference and Exhibition is planned to meet the demand and interest shown by HR Managers and Health & Safety Officers from our member utilities.”

The conference seeks to address the new perspective of health and safety as a feature of corporate responsibility; major issues of Occupational Health and Safety such as the adoption of international standards and the associated benefits. www.carilec.com

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MAJOR MOVES Rajnauth-Lee was selected from among applicants from the Caribbean, North America and Eastern Europe.

The Bahamas has officially assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Caribbean Community.

New CARICOM Chairman and Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie said it would be his “duty” to work with CARICOM heads of government and Secretary General Irwin LaRocque to lay the foundations for CARICOM’s new strategic plan.

“The responsibility is now mine to continue to advance the interests of our Community and strengthen the integration process with the assistance of my colleague Heads of Government and the Secretary-General, and the support of the people of CARlCOM,” said Christie, who succeeds Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne in the post.

Christie’s first major act as chairman will be representing the Caribbean region at the upcoming China-CELAC meetings in Beijing on Jan. 8-9.

Christie will deliver a statement on behalf of CARICOM and will be meeting with the President and Premier of China.

“The visit will also provide an opportunity to discuss bi-lateral relations with China including areas of technical cooperation, maritime issues and a possible air services agreement,” according to a statement from the government of the Bahamas. ¤

CCJ Appoints New Justice The Caribbean Court of Justice has a new member.

The regional court’s Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission has appointed Maureen Rajnauth-Lee as the tribunal’s newest judge.

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A native of Trinidad and Tobago, RajnauthLee is a Justice of Appeal of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago.

She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and of the Hugh Wooding Law School.

“Judges appointed to the CCJ are evaluated on the basis of wide- ranging criteria that include experience, high moral character, intellectual and analytical ability, sound judgment, integrity and an understanding of people and society,” the court said in a statement. ¤

bank.

Karen Darbasie First Citizens Bank has appointed former Citibanker Karen Darbasie as Group Chief Executive Officer of majority Trinidad & Tobago state-owned

In a recent statement, First Citizens Executive Chairman Anthony Smart said that Darbasie had accepted the bank’s offer “to assume the position of Group Chief Executive Officer with effect from April 07, 2015”.

Darbasie has 21 years’ experience in the financial services industry and held the position of Country Treasurer and local market Head of Citibank (Trinidad & Tobago) Ltd and Managing Director of Citicorp Merchant Bank Ltd. “She is the holder of a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Electrical Engineering from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Science with distinction in Telecommunications & Information Systems from the University of Essex and a Master of Business Administration with distinction from the University of Warwick,” he noted. ¤

Jason Julien appointed Deputy CEO at First Citizens Bank Trinidad & Tobago State owned bank now has two Deputy Chief Executives.

The bank recently appointed Jason Julien, the current General Manager of subsidiary First Caribbean Investment Services (FCIS), as its Deputy Chief Executive of Bank Operations.

He joins Sharon Christopher, who holds the position of Deputy Chief Executive of Corporate Administration.

Julien and Christopher now both report to Anthony Smart, who was appointed by the Board as Executive Chairman recently following the resignation of former Chief Executive Larry Nath.

Jason Julien, 38, is also Chairman of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT).

Contacted on his appointment which was made known to bank managers yesterday, Julien said: “I am honoured to have been appointed Deputy CEO, Banking Operations and to be part of such an excellent senior management team. Working alongside Sharon and our management in collaboration with our Chairman and Board, we can continue to build upon the great legacy that is First Citizens.”

He added: “First Citizens is a proud institution that has proved its resilience over two decades and will continue to evolve to become the national champion in financial services.”

Julien started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1997 and then moved to Citigroup in 2001. He left Citigroup and spent seven years at Guardian Holdings Ltd (GHL) before assuming his present position at FCIS. Julien, a former pupil of Queen’s Royal College (QRC), earned a national scholarship to study at The University of the West Indies (UWI) at age 17. ¤

NEW COMPANY REGISTRATIONS COMPANY

NATURE OF BUSINESS

DIRECTORS

Caribbean Association for Rheumatology Inc.

Exchange of Information and Encouragement of the General Advance of Rheumatology

Dr Amanda King - Greenidge Dr Cleopatra Altenor – Theobalds Dr Marie Grandison - Didier

Sports Academy (St Lucia) Limited

Elite Sports Management

Henry Joseph

FD Corporation Ltd.

Retail

Duane Jean Baptiste

Savills (St Lucia) Ltd.

Real Estate Company

Julia Chastanet, June Du Boulay

JUSTUS Holding Company Limited

Property Holding Company

Joey Thompson, Evan Hermiston, Andie Wilkie

Parents Forum Inc

Service

Shima Vandenput

Malfinis Film and Animation Studio Inc.

Production of Short Films, Plays & Poetry

Milton E. Branford, Lydia Joseph

Quality Tires Services Inc.

Sale of New and Used Tires

Kenty Vital, Joseph Wilson

Liive Productions Inc.

Event Production and Management, Social Media Marketing

Dione Benn, Robberta Rose, Kuan Miller

Hope Academy Inc.

Teaching/ Training of School Children Non- Profitable Organization

Eurisa Chandler, Esther Matthew, Claudius Emmanuel, Brenda Erwin

True Value Holdings Ltd.

Distribution of Building and Hardware Supplies

Miller Tobierre, Debra Tobierre

Blueprint Handyman Inc.

Residential and Commercial Building Maintenance

Kurt Elibox, Katama Edwin – Elibox

X- Gate Services Ltd.

Automotive Mechanical Services and Repairs, Sale of Mechanical Goods

George Amuzu, Robert Small

Integral Health & Wellness Inc.

Provision of Health Coaching Services Design of Wellness and Lifestyle Change Programs

Tanya Destang – Beaubrun, Matthew Beaubrun

Caribbean Ground Handling Services Ltd. Dispensing of Fuel, Aircraft Ground Handling, Courier, Freight, Concierge, Security, Transportation Services

Fernandez Ganzalo, Francis Scantlebury

Fashion Clothing Inc.

Sale of Clothing, Shoes and Other Accessories, Sale of Toys, Games and Other Goods

Haitham Laflouf

LUCELEC Cap – Ins Inc.

Self Insurance of the Assets of St Lucia Electricity Services Ltd.

Trevor Louisy, Victor Emmanuel, Ziva Weekes Phillips

Self Storage (St. Lucia) Inc.

Storage of Personal Property and Other Ancillary Services

Raymond Constantine, Rachel Ann Constantine

Tourist Transport Providers Association Corp.

Transport Provider Association with the Tourist Industry in Saint Lucia

Bruce Hackshaw, Vincent Merahie, Thomas Peter Nerville Labadie, Bryan Devaux, Corey Devaux Trevor Naitram

Sparkle Investments Limited

Property Investment Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services Restaurant Services

JQ Christopher Alcindor

Fish Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Ltd.

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Sylvester Regis

INSANITI Inc.

Production of Carnival Costumes and Events, Production of Carnival Related and Other Social Activities and Events

Richard Frederick, George Dylan Pitcairn Rene Louis – Fernand

Maruti Foods Ltd.

Restaurant

Sachin Narhari, Ashok Vaswani

d.c.s Design & Construction Solutions Ltd.

Designing and Construction of Structures

Christopher George Wyatt BusinessFocus Mar / Apr

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NEW COMPANY REGISTRATIONS COMPANY

NATURE OF BUSINESS

DIRECTORS

JFS & Associates (Holding Company) Inc. Provide Financial, Wealth and Investment Management, Custodial, Advisory and Consultancy Services; Real Estate, Construction and Property Development etc.

Jean – Francois Sonson

Rice & Honey Holdings Ltd.

Property Holding

Saralee Nugent, Noel Nugent

Oxfarm Ltd.

Farming

Joel Philgence, Marie Fulgence

Saint Lucia School of Music Inc.

Providing Accessible Music Programmes and Fostering Greater Appreciation for Saint Lucian and Caribbean Music Traditions

Tanya Warner, Lyndon Leonce Maria – Diane Raveneau, Gene Hamilton Lawrence

Southern Tyre & Accessories Ltd.

Retail of New and Used Tires and Accessories

Leonard Malzaire

B.J. Ambrose & Associates Inc.

Legal and Financial Services, Debt Collection, Real Estate

Bapson Ambrose

Jn. Marie & Sons (2015) Ltd.

To Serve as a Trading Company in Fuel and Accessories

Flora Knowles, Christopher Jn. Marie

Talent and General Solutions Ltd.

Training, Human Resource and Building Consultancy

Naomi Catherine Wilson

Benjy’s Clothing Ltd.

Clothing Store

Andrew Benjamin

Saint Lucia Football Association Inc.

To Organise and Control Football and Football Related Activities Throughout Saint Lucia

Lyndon Cooper, Kendal Emmanuel, Victor Reid

Day Day Up Ltd.

Retail Store

Zhang Xiao Ping

Scuba St Lucia Ltd.

Scuba Dive Centre

Nick Troubetzkoy

By Charlie Ltd.

Events Management

Charlotte Bonehill Paul Cooper

Socara St. Lucia Company Ltd.

All Types of Business Excepting Financing, Banking and Insurance

Julian Adjodha, Tova Verneuil

FARIS LTD.

Property Holding Company

Ramon Esper, PIF Corporate Services Inc.

Green Nature Ltd.

Manufacturing Agro-processing

Kevan Lubin

Goldcrest Inc.

Holding Company

Ewa Girard

Caribbean Governance Training Institute Inc.

Corporate Training in Board Governance

Lisa Charles, Dr. Chris Bart

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