9 minute read
A man on a mission
Alexander Gumbs
Alexander Gumbs returned to St Maarten in August 2020 from The Bahamas and was appointed Port St Maarten Group CEO in August 2021. Prior to his appointment, Alexander managed his own company while consulting for Port St Maarten and he enjoyed time with his family during the pandemic. Here he explains his reasons for his return, his plans for Port St Maarten and how things might be a bit different going forwards.
Q. Where were you born and where did you grow up?
A. I was born on the Caribbean Island of St Maarten and grew up in the district of Belvedere.
Q. How big an influence were your parents on your early life and what did your parents do for a living?
A. I grew up in a single parent family home. My Mom instilled in me to work hard for what you want in life and to never give up.
Q. Where did you go to school and to university? In which subject(s) did you graduate?
A. I completed my high school studies on St. Maarten and traveled to the Netherlands to continue with my studies. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Economics, with a specialty in Retailing & Franchising followed by a master’s degree in Management/ Leadership with a specialty in Project Management; and I am also a Certified Port Executive (CPE) from MacDonnell.
Q. What was your first job on leaving full-time education?
A. I joined the Port St Maarten Group in 2012 as Business Development Officer in the Commercial Department and was later promoted to Business and Marketing Manager.
Q. Why did you join the Port St Maarten Group of Companies?
A. Eleven-years ago I did my internship at the Port St Maarten Group. I worked on my thesis the following year titled, ‘Winning in a competitive environment.’ The thesis catered to the cruise sector and detailed how the destination could maintain its competitive edge in the region while showcasing the Friendly Island of St Maarten.
Q. After achieving the business and marketing manager position you left the Port St Maarten Group to seek opportunities elsewhere at Carnival Corporation which involved moving to The Bahamas? What were your reasons for doing so? And how did you enjoy living and working in The Bahamas?
Image courtesy of Port St Maarten
A. After my team and I were able to regain lost cruise business over an 18-month period due to the 2017 hurricanes, I was given the opportunity to join a project belonging to Carnival Corporation in The Bahamas. I already had a good working relationship with cruise executives from Carnival, so the synergy and close working relationship as Business and Marketing Manager was in place; and having such an opportunity to work with one of the largest cruise brands in the world would only further advance my understanding of the industry which would be beneficial in the long-term for other future endeavours. I enjoyed living and working in The Bahamas and it is comparable in many ways to island life here at home.
Q. In August 2021 you were appointed CEO of Port St Maarten Group. They say, never go back but was it an easy or difficult decision for you to return to the Group and in the top position?
A. It was like going back home where it all started. It was easy for me as I already had the experience working with the group for a number of years and I was familiar with all the departments and employees working there. At the same time, it was a new challenge as well. The pandemic shut down the country’s cruise sector for 15-months and we needed all hands-on deck to get things moving again once the no-sail order was lifted by the US’ CDC.
Q. You returned to a company in which a previous senior executive had been convicted of financial irregularities, so did you have any concerns as to what you might find on your return or what you might have to put right at the organization?
Image courtesy of Port St Maarten
A. The Port St Maarten Group did experience a tough period; however, I am a hands-on person and solutions-oriented, and my main goal was to move the group forward and rebuild the image and secure the economic future of the country. The port cruise and cargo operations are responsible for approximately one third of the country’s gross domestic product.
Q. St Maarten has always been a popular cruise destination and one, perhaps, that has traditionally chased passenger volume. Will this continue to be your strategy going forwards?
A. We must be realistic. The destination can only accommodate so many cruise passengers and when you oversaturate you downgrade the overall visitor experience which defeats your purpose of sustainable cruise economic activity. With current country infrastructure, I prefer a balanced approach. We have had up to two million cruise passengers in one year, and we know exactly what the bottlenecks are.
Q. Like all other Caribbean cruise destinations, St Maarten was badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. How did the port survive almost 18 months without any cruise traffic and how do you see things shaping up for Port St Maarten in 2022?
A. The first thing we needed to do was implement cost-saving measures that would ensure we can fulfil our long-term financial obligations. Challenges will continue in 2022 as we grow out cruise passenger numbers, but we expect a positive turn-around in 2023 with cruise numbers back to 2019 levels. The pandemic remains an issue for the global community of nations and there remains uncertainties such as the new Omicron variant, however we continue to be vigilant and will work with our cruise partners and stakeholders to weather these challenges together and adjust accordingly. So far, since the resumption of cruising in June 2021, based on our forecast up to the end of 2021, we have surpassed our projections. For 2022, we can expect a very good cruise season, but I am cautiously optimistic and await to see what role Omicron will play in this pandemic.
Q. Given the closeness to the port of Princess Juliana International Airport and the island’s strong air links with Europe and the US, is attracting more homeporting vessels still part of the plan post pandemic?
A. Homeporting is a cornerstone of the Port St Maarten Group in serving the cruise industry. For the first time ever, in 2021 our homeporting operations catered to larger cruise vessels handling over 1,000 cruise passengers. Normally, we have been homeporting vessels of 100-500 guests. Homeporting is part of our sustainable cruise growth strategy for the mid-to-long term.
Q. Mega-yachts are an important source of revenue for Port St Maarten and it’s a sector that has proved remarkably resilient during the last two years. But Port St Maarten has acknowledged capacity constraints in this sector. So how do you plan to address these?
A. Port St Maarten has done very well up to the end of 2019 early 2020 prior to the onset of the pandemic. In mid-2020, after the destination re-opened to tourists, the mega-yacht sector was one of the sectors that started to comeback. Port St Maarten caters to the larger yachts that cannot be accommodated in the Simpson Bay Lagoon which is a mega yacht haven where you have multiple marinas/docking facilities owned by different companies. We will continue to cater to the larger vessels and develop accordingly as it grows where the larger mega yachts are concerned. We know investments in port infrastructure is essential to accommodate sustainable future growth and those investment decisions will be made in due time.
Q. Aside from its cruise and mega-yacht activities, what plans do you have for Port St Maarten from a cargo handling perspective?
A. The cargo operations at Port St Maarten are essential to the national economy and the neighbouring islands. St Maarten is a hub and a transhipment port for four immediate islands. Our main priority at this time is to increase efficiency and improve service delivery via current operations so we can see further growth in transhipment. We will look at additional growth opportunities, explore renewable energy and sustainable initiatives while improving operational excellence.
Q. Some joint marketing has already taken place, but is it your intention to work more closely with the French side of the island? If so, how might this materialize?
Image courtesy of Port St Maarten
A. Yes, as Port St Maarten Group, we will do our part. The tourism offices from both sides already promote the island as one destination. Back in October 2021, the port took part in ‘Destination Sint Maarten/Saint Martin United’ at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS). This collaboration brought together the yachting industry from the north and south sides of the island. Working together has already been set in motion and we will continue that collaboration for years to come. Together we are a much stronger destination from a marketing and promotional perspective.
Q. In 2020 consultants and strategic partners EY Dutch Caribbean produced a national development plan for the port. How are things progressing implementing the consultants’ suggestions and has the pandemic led to any changes to the original plan?
A. Without a doubt, things envisioned for the port of the future had to be adjusted due to the pandemic. We have been exploring ways to realize our long-term goals and masterplan via a partnership process. The final Strategy Document was issued to the shareholder (Government of St Maarten) in the second quarter of 2021. Our current priorities are related to returning our cruise visitor numbers to 2019 levels of approximately 1.5 million and we envision this taking place in 2023, however this all depends on how the pandemic evolves within the next two years.
Q. What are your main interests outside of work?
A. I enjoy spending time with family now so even more with a new-born baby girl with my wife, our first. I also enjoy working out and spending time outdoors. I am also very passionate about table tennis and enjoy motor sports.
