INBusiness January 2015 iedition by Patrick Hoyos

InBusiness JANUARY- MARCH 2015

HAVING WORKED FOR SEVERAL FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES and HEADED T&T BEVERAGE MAKER S.M. JALEEL & CO., THE Former Research Scientist-TURNED TRANSFORMATIONAL CEO IS

Young

Professionals

LEADING THE

CHANGE

AT GEL

Leading

WOMEN in Business

InBusiness Fifth Edition • January-March 2015 • Barbados

Publisher & Editor: Patrick R. Hoyos Writers: Amanda Cummins, Pat Hoyos, Ryan Straughn Cover Story design and layout: Sherri Cumberbatch Magazine Consultant: Tony Cumberbatch Published by: Hoyos Publishing Inc. Lot 1A, Boarded Hall, St. George M 230-5687 bsjbarbados@gmail.com

in front

2 - Abed’s celebrates 50th anniversary; Eric Hassell & Son marks 45th 3 - Oran’s 50th; Sheraton Mall’s 25th 4 - Digicel continues to expand its fibre network 6 - Scotiabank Barbados named 2014 Banker of the Year

cover story

Anthony Ali:

Leading change at GEL

Former Research Scientist Anthony Ali has fulfilled his ambition to become the leader of a multinational corporation. Now he is learning to trust not only science but his business instincts as he leads Goddard Enterprises Ltd. through a challenging transition of its own.

18 Professionals Young

18 Broadcasting: Caroline “Ci Ci” Reid - “The best part of hosting live shows is the unpredictable nature of it all. It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush.”

19 Air-Conditioning: SEAN CARTER “I faced the challenge of learning how to successfully grow and manage my company. This forced me to ask questions, seek help and to be creative.” 20 Photography: Andrew Browne - “I love the emotion when I look at the back of my camera and realize we’ve got the perfect shot.”

We present our third batch of dedicated and highly motivated Young Professionals. All articles by Amanda Cummins. 21 Food: Laurin Evelyn - “I love the artistry and creativity involved in this job. I get to play with textures, colours. I get to paint, sculpt, carve, design, and build one-of-a-kind pieces of edible art.” 22 Music: MARIUS CHARLEMANGE - “I think that a very important factor to being successful in this industry is to establish a name for yourself that everyone knows, so gaining connections is vital.”

14 Leading WOMEN in Business

We present our second group of brief profiles of women in executive positions who are passionate about their work, and who are an inspiration to us. All articles by Amanda Cummins. 14 Advertising: Veoma Ali, Managing Consultant, SOJE Lonsdale Communications Inc. 15 International Business: Connie Smith, Managing Director, Tricor Caribbean Ltd. 16 Energy: Sarah MacDonald, President, Emera Caribbean Inc. 17 Media: Kaymar Jordan, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Barbados Today Inc.

outlook

The secret to business confidence

“As you’re reading this article in your office or place of work drinking a cup of very strongly brewed coffee, you may still be wondering how we arrived at a position where some in the private sector are openly asking the government to subject itself to an IMF programme. ,” writes Ryan Straughn.

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 1

InBusiness IN FRONT

Abed’s celebrates 50th anniversary Abed’s, the fabric store that’s a household name in Barbados, celebrated its 50th anniversary in early November, as management, staff and associates attended a gala dinner and awards event at the Radisson Aquatica Resort on Saturday, November 1, 2014. Managing Director Eddie Abed noted that his parents, Shouket and Milly Abed had originally started their fabric enterprise on Broad Street 51 years ago, in November 1963, but it had failed. Undaunted, he said, they took loans and started over a year later on Swan Street, that date being the one from which the company counts its anniversaries. Mr. Abed said his parents worked as team

PROUD MOMENT: Eddie, Sylvia and Tony, the children of the founders of S. Abed & Co. Ltd. , the late Shouket and Milly Abed (pictured), at the company’s 50th anniversary dinner and staff award event. (Photo courtesy Red Advertising.) from the start, with his father the entrepreneur and visionary and his mother keeping tight control over the company’s finances. Abed’s, he noted, could not have reached this far without the contributions of several long-serving and dedicated staff members.

Abed’s currently employs 80 full-time staff and 20 part-time staff in two retail locations Bridgetown and Sheraton Mall. Nearly two dozen awards, most of them for long service, were given out at the event..

INB

Eric Hassell marks 45th

The name Hassell has been synonymous with shipping in the region for more than a century, and in mid-November Eric Hassell & Son Ltd., a leading provider of maritime services to ship owners, charterers, shippers and receivers celebrated its 45th anniversary. The company was established in 1969 by Captain Eric Hassell, with the assistance of his son, Geoffrey. From inception, the company became one of the leading shipping and stevedoring agencies for inter-island schooners. In 1994 the famed sea captain passed away, leaving the business in the hands of Geoffrey and later another son, Frank, and granddaughter, Erica Luke, who is the current managing director. With the advent of containerised shipping, Eric Hassell & Son Ltd. moved seamlessly into providing agency and stevedoring services to container ships. In recent years, the company also established two subsidiar-

Erica Luke (front, centre), managing director of Eric Hassell & Son Ltd, with staff members. (Photo courtesy of the company)

ies, EHS Freightliner Ltd., an LCL cargo bulk carriers and, since 2002, has been the warehouse, in 2011 and Blue Waters Ship- representative for a major containerized ping Ltd., a sub-agent for the global carrier, shipping line, Seaboard Marine. To show its appreciation for the support Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), of its customers over the years, the company in 2012. hosted a cocktail reception, at Champers EHS continues to represent inter-CaRestaurant on November 13, 2014. INB ribbean schooners, but also handles several InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 2

InBusiness IN FRONT

Celebrating Oran’s 50th; Sheraton Mall’s 25th Over 200 guests, including several members of management and staff, joined the Oran family in celebrating the silver and golden anniversaries of Sheraton Mall and Oran Ltd. at the Crane Resort on October 11, 2014. Hosted by founder Marshall Oran, along with son Scott and daughter-in-law Sharon, ‘honouring relationships’ was the theme of the event. Each company’s corporate partners were acknowledged and thanked for their respective contributions to the ongoing success of the two companies. On Oran Ltd’s success and longevity, CEO Scott Oran said, “Our manufacturing company has been doing many different things, contributing so much to the Barbados economy, the infrastructure, providing employment for over 300 people and networking in export markets as well as our local markets, and always just trying to be a couple years ahead of the competition, so that it gives us that competitive advantage to make us in Barbados, the preferred choice of what is available from everyone else.” Sheraton Mall Director Sharon Oran credited her company’s ongoing success to listening to the needs of the market. “Sheraton has re-designed itself every few years to reflect the needs of the Barba-

FAMILY TOAST: CEO Scott Oran (second from left) with (from left ) his daughter Arel, marketing director; his wife Sharon, director, Sheraton Mall; his son Justin, operations manager, and his father, Marshall, founder. (Photo courtesy of the company) dian family,” she noted. “With tainly with Sheraton Mall,” he that we can celebrate here in each expansion, we sought to stated, “It is really refreshing Barbados, such a success.” INB provide a more comprehensive location, not only for shopping, but also for socialising, eating and entertainment.” Oran Ltd’s operations manager, Justin, added, “Family values, such as honesty, hard work, embracing change and the importance of reputation have been passed between generations to the benefit of these companies. These values go deeper than just benefitting the family and the organisation, they also have an impact on the communities in which we live.” Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss congratulated the family on their accomplishments and contribution to the Barbados economy. “I must commend the entire Oran family for what they have done with Oran Ltd. on the manufacturing side and cerInBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 3

InBusiness IN FRONT

Digicel Barbados CEO Mark Linehan displays some of the fibre Digicel is installing with Business Solutions Director, Eastern Caribbean South, Martin Keogh (left), and Marketing Executive Randy Howard.

Digicel continues to expand its fibre network

Given the fast-paced nature of today’s business environment, small, medium and large scale enterprises are becoming increasingly dependent on high broadband speeds for data transfer, reliability, quality service and guaranteed network scalability to assist them with performing their daily tasks, whether personal or business. Having foreseen these developments, Digicel took the forward-looking, customer conscious decision to supplement its two existing wireless networks with a state of the art fibre network, supporting a full range of data connectivity solutions that enable customers to avail themselves of next generation technology such as cloud services, video conferencing and all other bandwidth intensive applications. In October 2014, Digicel completed phase one of its fibre network rollout, catering to the local business community along the south and west coasts of Barbados, from as far south as the Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church to as far north as Holetown in St. James and as far East as Warrens in St. Michael. As a result, thousands of businesses in these areas can now benefit from increased

broadband speeds, helping them to achieve their business goals through advanced solutions, such as those provided by Digicel’s Cloud platform. With plans already at an advanced phase two, customers in other areas around the island can look forward to improving the efficiency and competitiveness of their business with the availability of this service. Possessing three quality networks on island (fibre, microwave radio, and fixed wireless), says Digicel, puts it in a unique position among providers in Barbados, allowing the company to offer multiple resilient network solutions by utilizing the full extent of its fixed and wireless networks. Supporting this move was the September 2014 acquisition of submarine fibre assets across the Caribbean by the Digicel Group. This deal provided Digicel with a wholly-owned submarine fibre optic cable network, supplying capacity and connectivity between Barbados, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Kitts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominique, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and Trinidad, with onwards connectivity to the United States, Europe and Asia. In total, Digicel secured access to a

robust network comprising 15 submarine segments with a reach of some 3,100km across the Caribbean region. More importantly, the investment puts Digicel in a position to chart its own destiny in relation to delivering on the needs of its customers, as it would no longer be forced to rely on external, third party suppliers or competitors for this offshore connectivity. The completion of the deal marks another major step in Digicel’s ongoing evolution from a pure mobile provider to becoming a complete telecommunications provider, giving customers access to world leading technologies and solutions such as Cloud telephony and computing, which become that much more appealing when sitting on top of a reliable, fast, fibre network. Digicel is the region’s leading provider of fixed and mobile solutions with the unmatched capability to positively transform the operations of any business in Barbados and the region. Backed by the highest level of service provider partner accreditations from the world’s leading solutions manufacturers, Digicel says it is clearly the right choice for the telecommunications solutions needs of today’s businesses. INB

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 4

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InBusiness IN FRONT

Scotiabank Barbados named 2014 Banker of the Year

New York and Miami just got closer

Scotiabank has been named the Bank of the Year in Barbados by The Banker magazine, a Financial Times publication. This is the 5th time the Bank has been recognized by the publication.

“We are proud of this award because it is a reflection of the hard work of our employees and their focus on providing sound financial advice and good service to our customers,” said Managing Director for Scotiabank Caribbean East, David Noel. “Scotiabank has had Managing Director, of Scotiabank a presence in Barbados for Caribbean East, David Noel nearly 60 years and we’re proud to be known for our customer service and for delivering superior results for our shareholders.” The bank was also named Bank of the Year by The Banker in Antigua, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. The Banker selects winners based on their ability to deliver shareholder returns and gain strategic advantage. The magazine is the world’s longest running international banking magazine, recognized as a leading source of information on finance and investment around the globe. Scotiabank’s Caribbean operations have been recognized with numerous awards this year for their strength and stability as well as products and services, including: • Bank of The Year in the Caribbean from LatinFinance; • World’s Best Consumer Internet Bank in 21 countries across the Caribbean including Barbados by Global Finance along with regional recognitions in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean; • This year, Scotiabank was also named one of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute. Scotiabank has been part of the Caribbean for 125 years and has a presence in more than 55 countries around the world. Through our team of more than 86,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates offer a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking to over 21 million customers. With assets of $792 billion at April 30, 2014, Scotiabank trades on the Toronto and New York Exchanges. INB

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InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 6

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InBusiness cover story InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 8

LE ADING

CHANGE AT GEL

HE EARLY MONTHS of 2013 found Goddard Enterprises Ltd. in the midst of a critical management transition. A new chairman of the board, Charles Herbert, having been appointed at the end of January, a search was underway for a new CEO, to replace Martin Pritchard, who was about to retire. Mr. Herbert, who had himself only joined the GEL board the year before, had also become the first person who was not a Goddard to be made chairman of Goddard Enterprises Ltd. His predecessor, Joseph N. Goddard, had become chairman in 2005. With his retirement, the Goddard family, gone from the executive corridors since 2005, were now also gone from the boardroom. It was the end of an era, for this once privately-owned company had remained

firmly under the mind and management of the Goddard family for over 30 years after becoming a public company. But the family still controlled over half of the company’s 53 million issued shares. Executives who headed company divisions were taken off the board, leaving only the CEO as an ex-officio member. They were replaced by three new directors with Goddard family connections, one of whom was Mr. Herbert. In an interview in April 2013, Mr. Herbert said the company believed this was the type of corporate governance now best suited to managing its far-flung enterprises, as it would allow the board to act as a check and balance on the management, in the interest of the shareholders. “The challenge, he said, was to retain the culture while adapting to the reality that the Goddard family no longer held an owner-leadership position in the group.

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 9

Enter Anthony Ali:

It was his wife who saw the Goddard Enterprises Ltd. ad for a CEO in a Trinidad newspaper and encouraged him to apply. “And lo and behold, after going through the interview process, here we are a year later,” he says with a laugh. Born in Trinidad to parents who emigrated to Canada when he was three years old, Anthony Ali considers himself a Canadian. Graduating from the University of Toronto in 1988 with a B.Sc. in chemistry, he worked as a research chemist, and later completed an M.B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in 1992. He then took a job as a research scientist. Somewhere along the way, Mr. Ali’s initial vision of a life spent in that endeavour began to be superseded by a new one.

“

MY GOAL AND AMBITION WAS ALWAYS TO BE THE CEO OF A MULTINATIONAL FIRM.

“I realised that I couldn’t influence the general direction of businesses, where they were going strategically and what they were going to end up doing,” he says. He discussed his new career leanings with former coaches and mentors, who encouraged him to act on them by applying for a two-year fellowship with McKinsey & Company, the global management consulting firm. McKinsey describes itself as “the trusted advisor to the world’s leading businesses, governments, and institutions,” and says its mission is “to help leaders make distinctive, lasting, and substantial improvements in performance, and constantly build a great firm that attracts, develops, excites, and retains exceptional people.” Anthony Ali speaking at Goddard Catering Group’s 60th anniversary celebration. (Photo credit: Goddard Catering Group) InBusiness • Page 10

After the McKinsey fellowship, Mr. Ali went to work for Abitibi Price, the Canadian paper manufacturer, where he was given the role of chairman for strategic planning, and after a year, was seconded to one of the company’s U.S. divisions as director of administration. The company, Azerty, sold IT consumables and had grown from its garage beginnings to the point “where its needs had outgrown management capability,” he recalls. “The executive team at Abitibi Price felt it was good to have someone coming out of McKinsey, who was fairly young and trained on strategy and leadership, to help that business grow.” Mr. Ali would spend six years with the company. After that experience, Mr. Ali worked for other large companies, taking on roles in operations, distribution, sales and marketing with Fortune 500 companies like Stryker Medical, Thermo Fisher Scientific, which he joined in 2005 as global director of operations and customer allegiance, and Enerworks Inc., where he served as vice president of sales, marketing and customer allegiance. But, he says, “My goal and ambition was always to be the CEO of a multinational firm, and so, in order to round out my career and be able to take a position like that, I needed to become a general manager or a president and to demonstrate that I could work somewhere other than Canada or the U.S., and do the same things that I’ve done for other companies, in a developing country.”

He found an opportunity in the land of his birth, taking up the post of general manager with S.M. Jaleel & Co., the soft drinks manufacturer, in early 2010. He left in 2013 for ANSA McAl, where he ran some of its businesses, until he became GEL’s new CEO on August 1, 2013.

Taking on the challenges:

GEL started its 2014 financial year on October 1, 2013, just two months after Mr. Ali had his first day on the job. For the first three quarters, which ended on June 30, 2014, the group reported gross revenue of Bds$915 million, slightly less than for the same period the previous year. However, net income was Bds$34 million, up from $21.8 million. Back in 2011, GEL had posted a net loss of Bds$5.3 million, mainly as a result of

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 10

BILLION-DOLLAR TEAM: Goddard Enterprises CEO Anthony Ali (second from left) and Philip Goddard (fourth from right) with Goddards Divisional General Managers, (from left) Ian Alleyne, DGM – Manufacturing & Services; Natasha Small, Chief Financial Officer; Stewart Massiah, DGM - Catering Division; John Taylor, DGM – Manufacturing & Services; Jennifer Bradshaw Wood, DGM - Human Resources & Community Relations Department; and Sonia Inniss, Chief Information Officer. Photo taken at Goddard Catering Group’s 60th anniversary event in November, 2014. (Photo credit: Shaka Mayers) three major write-offs, described as follows in the company’s annual report for the year: “1) a write-off of $9.7 million…relating to a short-term investment held by a subsidiary in our Catering & Ground Handling Division; 2) a provision of $14.0 million in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the impairment of goodwill purchased in two of our St. Lucian subsidiaries in our Import, Distribution and Marketing Division, whose performance did not meet projections set at the time of their acquisition in 2008; and 3) a full write-off of $14.3 million in accordance with IFRS requirements of the carrying value of our investments in two hotels in Barbados and St. Lucia, as a result of their continued poor performance.” (p.11) And while it did return to the black in the following years, profits have been under pressure. In 2010, GEL’s gross revenue was $888 million and net income $39.4 million; in 2011, revenue was almost $950 million and the net loss was $5.3 million; in 2012, revenue was $999 million, and in 2013, $963 million, and net income was $34 million in each year. But despite the robust profits for the first nine months of 2014 - helped by the disposal of $3 million dollars’ worth of equipment and property in St. Lucia - Anthony says, “We are slightly below plan in terms of what we budgeted, to where we are.” There has been streamlining to get improved efficiencies and higher gross profit margins in manufacturing, distribution and catering. “We have a very competent management team who have taken on the challenge which we put down,” he told INBusiness. “We did articulate that we wanted to improve the overall operating efficiency of the company, and I think they embraced that and have done a very good job at executing some of the core, basic business concepts that we had laid down initially in last year’s budget.” In fact, a lot of the “streamlining” effort has taken place in St. Lucia, where Goddards became probably the country’s largest pri-

vate employer when, already a significant business owner there, it acquired the Minvielle & Chastanet group just before the global financial meltdown. “Today, we’re actually seeing some positive improvement,” says Anthony, “and if you compare last year to this year, St. Lucia is actually performing substantially better.” Home Depot, Brydens and Co., Peter & Co., M&C General insurance, M&C Drug Stores, and Admiral Shipping are some of the well-known legacy businesses in St. Lucia that are part of the GEL group.

or decades, Goddard Enterprises was a family company. It grew both organically and by acquisition, mainly in the traditional areas of business. But in the 1960s, when one of its newer businesses one which provided packaged meals to some of the airlines and used the kitchen of the nearby Crane Hotel to produce them - began to develop quickly in line with the island’s tourism industry, GEL saw its enormous potential for growth in the region. Through joint ventures with an international partner, GEL became one of the few Barbados trading companies in the latter part of the 20th century with a sizeable portfolio outside the country, and with business operations, initially flight kitchens, in nearly two dozen countries. A recent year’s revenue by geographical segment shows just how widely spread the GEL group really is. In 2013, when the group’s revenue was Bds$963 million, only 35% percent of it was earned in Barbados, while 53% was earned in the rest of the Caribbean and 12% in Latin America. Breaking down 2013’s revenue into the group’s four reporting segments shows that the Import, Distribution & Marketing segment accounted for 64% of revenue, the Manufacturing and Ser-

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 11

Focussing on the core:

I asked Anthony how he saw the group’s future investment strategy. Would it be more of the “traditional” types of acquisitions, would the company go for renewable energy businesses, or other high-tech ventures? “We don’t look at it in terms of a particular business - we look at it within each one of those segments. Whatever it is we do, we have to bring some competency to it.” Having spent much of his professional career preparing for the kind of leadership position he now holds, I asked Anthony how all of his years of training, combined with practical experience, had prepared him for the GEL job as he has found it. “I would say that every organization has its own internal challenges, from a leadership standpoint. I’m fortunate that the team here actually is very strong, very dedi-

We ask ourselves what are the things we could grow well beyond the international scope we have today. That’s our focus right now in the group.

yond the international scope that we have today. That’s our key focus and drive right now within the group itself.” GEL has come through some fairly difficult years, notes Mr. Ali, but he sees a lot of growth coming from geographic expansion. For example, in every country that GEL has a flight kitchen it is working on increasing its reach by offering its catering services in other spheres. “It is industrial catering,” he says. “You have airline catering, which is preparing food and putting it on an airplane. You have airport restaurant services, where we operate restaurants in a few airports under the Stop-and-Go brand, in Jamaica, Barbados, Aruba, St. Kitts and Antigua. “But industrial catering is about doing things on a much larger scale with clients. For example, in Trinidad, we do the catering for the BP platforms offshore that do all of the oil drilling. We actually put people on those rigs for two weeks at a time and they perform a hoteltype service, where they clean and maintain the rigs, and they prepare the meals every day. In Aruba we do the catering to a prison, serving the inmates. In a couple of locations we operate canteens in hospitals, and at Nestlé in Trinidad. “The core competency is food preparation - that’s what we do. We do it better than anyone else, in 24 countries. We can use

“

vices segment for 14%; and Catering and Ground Handling, 22%. The Financial Services segment, whose revenue is part of the group’s revenue from associated companies, was slightly larger than manufacturing. In fact, total revenue from associated companies for that year totalled around $300 million, almost half of it generated outside of Barbados.

cated, so the leadership here for me is actually not on the hands-on, day-to-day management - we have competent people who do that - Natasha Small in finance, John Taylor in manufacturing, Ian Alleyne in distribution and Stuart Massiah in catering, so they handle that. His major focus at GEL, he says, is to look at the 60 or 70 companies it owns and operates, “and streamline and focus them into what our core competencies are,” and to figure out “what are the things that we could actually leverage and grow well be-

ENERGY-EFFICIENT: Goddard Enterprises’ state-of-the art “green” head office building at Haggatt Hall, St. Michael is the very model of a modern office complex. (Photo taken from GEL’s 2013 annual report)

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 12

THE GODDARD CONNECTION: (from left) Director Chris Rogers, former GEL executives Philip Goddard, Randall Goddard, and Colin Goddard, former chairman Joe Goddard and Chairman Charles Herbert at the event marking the 60th anniversary of the Goddard Caterng Group. (Photo credit: Shaka Mayers) our existing kitchen, or in some cases put a kitchen at the location. Whether we do it in a pulp mill in the middle of Uruguay, or at a prison in Aruba, or on an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean, or at a flight kitchen, it’s a huge market for us.” With the airline industry always looking for ways to cut costs, and with meals often the first to go, “you have to continually reinvent yourself and find ways to grow the business,” he adds.

Ready for change:

Anthony says GEL is also prepared for changes in legislation which are likely to affect its bottom line, especially in its home market. GEL’s manufacturing division, which includes companies which are household names in Barbados, like Purity Bakeries (Purity and Wonder bread), HIPAC Ltd. (Farmer’s Choice and Eve meat products), McBride (Caribbean) Ltd. (BOP insect repellent and BEEP disinfectant spray), among others, have all benefitted from protectionist import tariffs imposed over the years by successive governments. Both consumers and businesses are now demanding lower prices for imported com-

petitive products, including products not made by the local manufacturing sector but still caught in the net of punitive duties. Anthony says GEL knows the change is coming, but “it’s very difficult to commit to a long-term strategy if you don’t know what the economic situation is going to be. So if those tariffs change - in some cases they will come down, and that’s a reasonable expectation - the only thing we’re asking is: How much and when? “Given that, we can now tailor the investment we need to make to ensure that we are competitive and can continue to operate. What we won’t do is make a significant investment and then have the fundamentals - the basis on which you made the investment - change dramatically and with it your entire payback scenario.” Mr. Ali says it must be remembered that a meat processing company like HIPAC is also paying higher prices than the processors of many competing imported items because locals prices are high. The reason, he says, is that local producers of agricultural goods and meat, which sell to HIPAC, are uncompetitive from a global standpoint because their cost to manufacture is higher than many of their overseas competitors which buy grain at

subsidized prices. “And so we need to have some protection to be able to sustain that part of the business. I think you have to find that happy medium where everybody gets something. Our position is that the tariffs need to come down to a sustainable level where they benefit the entire (business) environment - all stakeholders.”

“I love what I do”:

Finally, I asked Anthony Ali if, a year into it, he is enjoying the job. “Actually, I love what I do. I get up every morning, bright and early, and I’m usually one of the first ones in the office, and usually one of the last ones to leave. And I do it willingly, because I enjoy what I do. I have a great staff. “As management we’re charged with giving the shareholders the returns that they expect. And I would say to any shareholder - Goddard or otherwise - if we can’t deliver the value that they want, they have the right to consider selling their shares and going elsewhere. Our job is to make sure that we give them the kind of returns that they want and they keep the shares.” INB

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 13

LeadingWOMEN in Business Veoma Ali

Managing Consultant, SOJE Lonsdale Communications Inc.

ith a well-known name in broadcasting, sales and marketing across the Caribbean, Veoma Ali moved to Barbados in 2002 to complete her bachelor of laws degree at the UWI Cave Hill campus. But she describes becoming a broadcaster at Starcom Network Inc. as her true calling. “I have always loved broadcasting - there’s a cassette (back in those days we didn’t have CD’s) with a fiveyear-old me on it, doing my own radio show, with made-up commercials and all,” she tells Leading Women in Business. In 2007 won the CBU’s “Best Commercial Spot” Award. As she advanced through the ranks of sales and marketing at Starcom, Veoma also continued her studies, earning an M.B.A. Subsequently, she became the regional advertising manager of the One Caribbean Media (OCM) Network in 2009, and later that year she was awarded certified digital marketing consultant status by the Radio Advertising Bureau in the United States. While working with One Caribbean Media, Veoma played a key role in creating the Caribbean Super Station, the first station of its kind broadcasting 100% Caribbean content simultaneously in seven islands. She went on in 2010 to win the CBU award for “Best Public Service Spot”. In the same year she was appointed chief operating officer of Starcom, and managed to implement several concepts and broadcast ideas, catering to both children and adults. Veoma has also been an outspoken resource conservationist, producing several radio features on the topic, for which she was awarded the Global Water Partnership Award by the Pan American Health Organization in 2012. Later that year, after a decade of

“parents who nurture their child’s spirit, passions and talent like mine would have done with me - are those who truly make a difference in this world.” Veoma Ali. (Photo courtesy Veoma Ali)

service to the Starcom Network Inc. and perfect fit!” Of her very successful career, Veoma One Caribbean Media, Veoma resigned says that the opportunity to meet new her post. Veoma helped launch Couples Maga- people is both the most rewarding and zine in 2013, and wrote a children’s book most challenging part of her work. “You called “Thrifty Saves The Day”, starring can come into contact with egos that a character she created. After the book are huge, and it is a challenge for me to was published by the Barbados Public deal with them.” But, at the same time, Workers’ Co-Operative Credit Union, and she says, “I have made some of the most while she was in the midst of pursuing wonderful friends from simply doing my her doctorate in mass communications, job!” In early 2014 Veoma completed her docshe was offered the challenge of heading the team at SOJE Lonsdale Commu- torate degree, and is currently the Managing nications Inc. “When I was approached Consultant with SOJE. She is, at the same to be a part of the agency,” she explains, time, working on other exciting projects, such as New Media development, sales and pre“I thought it would be interesting to see sentation skills-training; and the creation of the workings from the other side, along the new “Bim Almanac” for 2015. with experiencing television, print and “I was brought up in a home that chernew media more closely.” ished education and humility,” Veoma says. Aside from her work in media, if she She maintains that “parents play a pivotal isn’t spending time with her beloved role in the success of their child; and parents dogs, Veoma can be found singing, all who nurture their child’s spirit, passions and the time, anywhere. “I always wake up talent - like mine would have done with me with a song in my heart - even on the are those who truly make a difference in this world.” INB roughest of days. Naturally, karaoke is a InBusiness SUMMER 2014 ••Page 14 InBusiness ••DECEMBER 2014 Page 14 14 InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page

LeadingWOMEN in Business Connie Smith

Managing Director, Tricor Caribbean Ltd.

s managing director of Tricor Caribbean, president of BIBA, the Barbados International Business Association (for the second time), chair of the Barbados branch of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and mother of two young girls, Connie Smith is a busy woman. Connie says she “fell into” her career path. In 1986, after completing a work experience program with Ernst & Young right out of college, she was “fortunate enough to be offered a job at the completion of that program.” While Ernst & Young’s core product was audit and accounting, it also provided corporate services to a number of its clients. “At that time,” Connie tells Leading Women in Business, “I considered that being a chartered accountant It is was limiting (while) the chartered secretary’s exams are very similar to those sat by individurewarding, als seeking the chartered accountant qualificashe says, tion, but with a heavier focus on governance, risk and compliance. I felt that this qualifica“to make a tion would allow me to be a more rounded prodifference fessional, and I have not been disappointed.” in the way we From 1995 to 2004 Connie was the resident partner in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), redo business in sponsible for the development and manageBarbados,” but it is ment of Ernst & Young Caribbean’s office in that location. also “frustrating.” While there, she also held the position of director of the BVI Chamber of Commerce for Connie Smith (Photo courtesy Connie Smith.) two terms. In April 2007, Tricor, headquartered in Hong Kong, acquired rector of Invest Barbados, the investment promotion agency the corporate administration services division of Ernst & Young of the Government of Barbados, and also as a director of the Caribbean, and Connie, with her expert knowledge of corporate Barbados Private Sector Association. She contributes annually secretarial practice and of the Barbados and BVI markets, be- to Business Barbados magazine and has served on its editorial came managing director. board for a number of years. Currently serving a second term as president of BIBA, ConConnie maintains that “being able to add value and provide nie says “I’m passionate about the development of Barbados as meaningful advice to our clients and hopefully mentoring othan international business centre.” She chairs the BIBA’s Service ers in the process” is also extremely rewarding for her. With her Providers and International Business Companies Committee, busy schedule, she tries to prioritize, schedule and delegate in through which she contributes to initiatives relating to legisla- order to maintain a balance between her professional life and tion, growth and practice policies for the sector. her personal life. It is rewarding, she says, “to make a positive difference in the She jokes that she is “learning to say that awful two-letter way we do business in Barbados,” but it is also “immensely frus- word - No - which is definitely a complete sentence!” She extrating how slowly we execute on initiatives in Barbados. Our plains that also having a flexible work schedule and taking complacency and the bureaucracy that permeates just about advantage of technology has enabled her to be able to spend every facet of doing business in Barbados is very disconcerting.” quality time with her family as well as to “squeeze in some time In her role as president of BIBA, Connie also serves as a di- with my girlfriends.” INB InBusiness • JANUARY 20152015 • Page 15 15 InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH • Page

LeadingWOMEN in Business Sarah MacDonald President, Emera Caribbean Inc.

or Sarah MacDonald, president of Emera Caribbean Ltd., teamwork is of the utmost importance. “I take the most pride in getting people to work as a team and share their collective knowledge and experience to make improvements,” she tells Leading Women in Business. Sarah has extensive experience leading successful teams. Graduating in 1992 from Dalhousie Law School in Halifax, Canada, she had worked in employment law, labour relations and human resources, mainly in the field of health care, before joining Emera in 2001, and completing her M.B.A. from St. Mary’s, also in Halifax, in 2002. Initially joining the company’s human resources team, Sarah began offering suggestions to improve customer relations and train employees and apprentices in ways that would offer both employees and the company the maximum benefits. As a result, she began to be given the responsibility of running such projects. “A perfectly Emera Inc. started over a century ago as the governmentowned crown corporation Nova Scotia Power. It became a balanced day, shareholder-owned, regulated utility in 1992, and a holding every day, company in 1998, relaunching itself as Emera in 2000 to reflect the diversity of its growing investments in electricity generais unattainable. tion, transmission and distribution, gas transmission, and utility Some days you energy services. have to focus The company now operates businesses in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, employing over 3,500 people. In on work, some 2013, it had CAN$9.07 billion in assets and revenue of CAN$2.2 days on your family, billion. Emera Inc.’s subsidiary, Emera Caribbean Ltd., is the majority and some days on your owner of Light & Power Holdings, which is the parent company personal wellness.” of the Barbados Light & Power Co., the majority shareholder in Dominica Electricity Services (Domlec), and an investor in St. Lucia Electricity Services. Emera is also the majority owner of Sarah MacDonald. (Photo courtesy Barbados Light & Power Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC), which supplies power Company Ltd.) to all of this island in the Bahamas, serving 19,500 residential, She maintains that it is her ability to adapt that has helped commercial and industrial customers. her become so successful. “When you can look back and see At the beginning of 2013, Sarah MacDonald was given a how you made a difference in the lives of your customers or broader portfolio with Emera. Remaining as president and CEO your employees,” she explains, “it feels like all the headaches of Grand Bahama Power Co., she took on additional responsi- were worthwhile.” bilities as president of Emera Caribbean Ltd., with executive As a busy career woman, Sarah says that she believes that oversight for Light & Power Holdings, and assumed respon- “a perfectly balanced day, every day, is an urban myth,” explainsibility for all business development activity in the Caribbean. ing that it is an unattainable goal that simply breeds disconCurrently, with the retirement of Mark King, she is also interim tentment. “Some days you have to focus on work, some days managing director of Barbados Light & Power. on your family, and some days on your personal wellness,” she Her career path, Sarah says, wasn’t something she chose so maintains. As an athletic person and an avid runner, Sarah says much as something that evolved over time. “I never expected she is currently spending some of her downtime working on as a lawyer to be managing electrical utilities in the Caribbean her golf game. Having also just taken up paddle boarding, she but I am very grateful for the chance and challenges I have says “The goal is to have it balance out in the end. Of course, been given.” One of those challenges, she says, is adapting to it helps to have an extremely supportive family and network of the various cultures in Emera’s businesses. friends.” INB InBusiness • JANUARY 2015 • Page 16 16 InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page

LeadingWOMEN in Business Kaymar Jordan

CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Barbados Today Inc.

“I

have a nose for news,” Kaymar explains with a chuckle. “I can sniff out a good story from far.” She loves “being able to get action on behalf of people who ordinarily wouldn’t have a say and bringing attention to their concerns. Getting it first, getting it right and impacting those who matter.” Kaymar Jordan, CEO and Editor-In-Chief of Barbados Today, tells Leading Women in Business that as a child she would make up “newscasts” and practice reading “pretend news”. That led to Kaymar entering the media on the print news side of the Caribbean News Agency, and working lunchtimes and after hours in its radio studios. Through her passion for the industry and her love for working hard to improve her skills, Kaymar became a well-rounded reporter and one of the most recognized journalists in the region. A former editor-in-chief of the Nation Publishing Co. Ltd. and former director of news and current affairs with the Caribbean Media Corporation, Kaymar holds an M.A. with distinction in communications policy from the City University of London, along with a B.A. in management from the University of the West Indies and an associate degree in mass communications from the Barbados Community College. During her time at Caribbean News Agency, and after its merger with the CBU, when it became Caribbean Media Corporation, Kaymar honed her skills as a television news presenter. Being one of only two editors and doing all her own reporting was the major challenge at that time. “We generated a lot of the content and edited all of it,” she recalls. Working late was a regular part of the job. She and her colleague Lance Whittaker were re-building the organisation’s news division, after CANA had gone “belly-up” due to its financial straits. “Those were the difficult years,” she recalls, “and what we did then was try to build back the service, calling on some traditional stringers in the field and bringing in some new ones. Kaymar left CMC in mid-2010 to become the Nation’s editorin-chief, where she says, she encountered much more political pressure. “I really try to lead by journalistic judgment, but the society itself is very much defined along political lines,” she recalls. Inevitably, any efforts she made to improve the paper were judged along those lines, she says, and due to what she describes as “strong differences of opinion in terms of editorial direction,” Kaymar left the Nation in 2013. Later that year, in September, Kaymar took up perhaps her

Kaymar Jordan.

“I really try to lead by journalistic judgment” says Kaymar. “It does help to have the full confidence of your chairman and other members of your board.”

most challenging job, becoming both the CEO and editor-in-chief of Barbados Today, the country’s online newspaper. The job, she says, requires her to bring all her print and broadcast experience to the fore, and “use them for the revolutionary purpose of developing new media, while at the same time putting my management and administrative skills to work. It’s fantastic hard

work, really!” And although the political pressure on her remains more or less the same, she notes, “it does help to have the full confidence of your chairman and other members of your board.” She strives to maintain balance between her clients and her staff, stressing professional integrity for all involved, including the readers and viewers. “I’m respectful, but not intimidated, by anyone,” she says. She says that the long hours are the most challenging part of the job. But, she maintains, “journalism, when it is properly done, has no respect for time or other loves. It’s very demanding.” Even so, Kaymar finds time for a few hobbies, including reading and travelling. Her newest hobby is gardening. “I’m grateful to God for everything I have, including a very supportive family,” says Kaymar Jordan. “To whom much is given, much is expected.” INB

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“I never say no to an opportunity,” says

“The best part of hosting live shows is the unpredictable nature of it all,” she says. “it’s a bit of an adrenaline rush.”

Caroline “CiCi” Reid

“I

was always very shy and kind of a nerd,” Caroline “CiCi” Reid tells Young Professionals. That is, until her final year of secondary school. “I took a drama class as an ‘easy’ class and had the opportunity to direct a short play.”

It was then that CiCi fell in love with media. For most of us, who know her as a bubbly and fun young woman whose name is now synonymous with broadcasting and event hosting in Barbados, it’s hard to imagine that it would have been a struggle for CiCi to overcome her shyness to be onstage. “I just wanted to remain behind the scenes forever,” she recalls. Having worked at Starcom Network Inc. for a few years, CiCi moved over to Power Broadcasting a little over two years ago, working on SLAM 101.1 FM. In March 2014, she became a broadcaster on Power Broadcasting’s newest station, Y103.3 FM. Even though she has a fixed slot on the radio, CiCi strives to remain flexible, because “so much can happen in those four hours!” She explains that she loves “the immediacy of radio. People can call, text or use social media and we can respond right away. It’s the next best thing to having face-to-face dialogue.” CiCi, now 30, was born in Barbados, and has lived in Trinidad and Canada, where she graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto with a B.A. in radio and television arts. She says of her diverse school experiences that “having different life experiences and interacting with those who have different views than ourselves broadens the mind.”

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The biggest challenge CiCi faces as a broadcaster, she explains, is that “many people think it’s easy.” In reality, however, “it is a job like any other and therefore requires training, preparation and a level of professionalism that many seem to underestimate. It’s sometimes difficult to get people to see the value and worth of what we do as broadcasters.” Another challenge CiCi faces is keeping a daily show relevant, fresh, and interesting. To do this, she scours books, magazines, articles, and social media. “I try to think of what I would like to Continued on page 23

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“I faced the challenge of learning how to successfully grow and manage my company. This forced me to ask questions, seek help and to be creative.”

uring what he describes as a “challenging” point in his life, Sean Carter decided to change his life’s course and resigned from the band Syndikyt in the middle of a fiveyear contract.

“I realized that somehow I felt unfulfilled. I had a desire for something more; a deeper meaning to life and a sense of satisfaction,” he tells Young Professionals. Soon after, Sean was invited to a church meeting where he met a man who offered him an opportunity to learn a trade, which turned out to be in the field of air-conditioning, even though he had no former training in the area. Five years later, in May 2011, after learning all he could about the technical and business sides of the industry as well as gaining a City & Guilds Diploma in Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, he started his own air-conditioning business, Rhema Cooling. Sean, now 38, says that his greatest challenge in building his business was time. “Due to limited working capital, I would do most of the physical and technical work in the field during the day and most of the administrative work at night.” To this end, Sean often worked extremely long hours. “I also faced the challenge of learning how to successfully grow and manage my company. This forced me to ask questions, seek help and to be creative.” He began to build a well-trained employee base, as “I realized that I needed a team in order to ease my work load, so that I’d have more time to develop the business.” Sean took time to develop his social media presence, especially on the popular sites LinkedIn and Facebook. This “free online advertising” gained him 12 new customers in a relatively short period of time when he first started Rhema Cooling. Later, he took what he describes as “life-changing” one-year business course with Action Coach. “It helped me to gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms that are necessary for a successful business.” Sean credits his experience in this course with helping him to gain a very important contract for his business in February 2014: the installation contract for Massy Properties Barbados Ltd.’ Dome Mall project. Rhema has since also secured the maintenance contract for this property as well as the supply and installation of units for the Boarded Hall Green townhouse development. Sean never gave up on his love for music. “Even though I changed my career path, I still very much have a love and passion for the arts, especially songwriting and singing. Music calms and relaxes me. I thoroughly enjoy playing with words

Entrepreneur and Calypso/Reggae Singer Sean “Apache” Carter (Photo courtesy Levi King) air- conditioning

SEAN CARTER

Turning his ‘day job’ into a growing business while performing as ‘Apache’ at Crop Over and expressing my views on what is going on in society and on the world stage.” Predominantly a reggae artist before starting Rhema, Sean was introduced to calypso and a few years ago joined the Experience Calypso Tent. He says that he will always love reggae, but he has grown to equally love calypso music. He has recently been signed to Gold Coast Records under the stage name “Apache”, the name he uses as a calypsonian. Sean has big plans for Rhema, including rolling out marketing on his next project, which, he explains, is a “a relatively new and innovative product to Barbados and the Caribbean – a Hybrid Solar-Thermal Air-Conditioner system that saves between 40–60% in energy consumption as compared to standard air-conditioners.” Rhema has already imported samples, which have received rave reviews, and Sean tells YP that they are awaiting their first major shipment. He hopes

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Photographer Andrew Browne. (Photo by Sunset Sealy) PHOTOGRAPHY

ANDREw browne

Learning to overcome self-doubt as he takes on both the creative and business side of his vocation

escribing his love of working with clients as ironic because of being a very shy child, Andrew Browne originally went into the field information technology. After 12 years in the industry and creating a successful web development and social media management company, he launched Andrew Browne Photography. Telling Young Professionals that he always loved the creative arts and capturing sunsets, flowers, and the like, Andrew, now 34, says he found that “capturing people interacting with each other” was “thrilling.”

“I’ve always loved comics, super heroes, anime and stuff like that so when the opportunity came for me to photograph international cosplayer Meagan Marie recently, I was very excited.” It was an incredible opportunity for Andrew, as Meagan was debuting a new costume at Animekon, an honour usually reserved for ‘bigger’ international conventions, and Andrew was the first to officially photograph this particular cosplay. Cosplay, he explains, is different from just wearing a store-bought costume and posing, as most cosplayers actually hand craft the majority of their costumes. Bearing their effort and attention to detail in their handiwork in mind, Andrew’s challenge is to capture to craftsmanship as well as doing justice to the character the cosplayer is interpreting. He employs the same approach as for his wedding and portrait work: “There’s a story that must be conveyed to make the character come alive for the viewer so research is important. Having background information on the character from a comic, movie or TV series is therefore es“I love the sential.” emotion when I Andrew maintains that his biggest challenge to date has can look at the been overcoming his own back of my camself-doubt. He says that to era and realize overcome this, he began to simply take photos without a we’ve got the view to copying anyone else. perfect shot.” “To some extent you’re never really free of those doubts but they just have less of an impact on me now.” Another challenge was to learn the business side of photography, and determining a pricing model. The challenge now, he says, is to “help potential clients recognize and understand the value of high quality photography services to capture those once in a lifetime events and special moments.” As an artist in Barbados, Andrew says that he thinks it is of the utmost importance that “artists themselves need to recognize that there’s much more to learn besides the craft they are involved in. There’s the business side and if you’re looking to call yourself a professional you’ve got to understand business.” Andrew is determined to grow and continue to improve his skills, eventually hoping to add editorial photography to his repertoire. He works with a lighting assistant, Amleya Clarke, for most of his projects, and cites his family’s support as invaluable. Andrew’s wife, Sophie, is also an entrepreneur, and so “balancing family and work is a team effort,” he says. For now, he is happy with the ride and the direction his career has taken. “I love all the emotions and expressions that we create during the [photography] session. It’s like being a child again at Christmas when I can look at the back of my camera and realize we’ve got the perfect shot.” INB

Currently taking a progressional course from the New York Institute of Photography, Andrew focuses mainly on weddings and portraits. “Helping my clients relax and get into the right mood for their shoot is one of my number one priorities,” he explains. “We’re not born super models with intricate knowledge of correct posing and other details. It’s my job to show them at their best; maybe the side they’ve never seen before.” Recently, Andrew has expanded into a relatively new and booming genre of photography: cosplay photography. His first official cosplay shoot happened in August of 2014 with professional cosplayer Meagan Maria, who was an international guest at the recent pop culture convention Animekon Expo. InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 20

“I LOVE the artistry and creativity involved in this job. I get to play with textures, colours. I get to paint, sculpt, carve, design, and build one - of -a- kind pieces of edible art.”

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Certified Pastry Chef Laurin Evelyn. (Photo courtesy Laurin Evelyn) food

laurin evelyn

Taking the family tradition to new levels of culinary creativity

hef Laurin Evelyn grew up in a family of caterers. “From my great grandmother to my grandmother and great-aunts,” she tells Young Professionals, “I’ve had genuine examples of hard working women in the culinary industry my whole life.” A highly educated chef, Laurin is a certified pastry chef by the American Culinary Federation, and holds an associate degree of arts in international baking and pastry from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, and B.A. in baking and pastry arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is currently an owner, director and the executive pastry chef at Four & Twenty Bakery, located in Wildey Industrial Park, which opened in 2011. “I’ve lived and studied abroad for years,” Laurin explains, “and at the end of the day I wanted to bring everything I can offer back to Barbados and do my little bit to improve not

only Barbados’ culinary scene but its economy.” Laurin, who can get lost in playing with sugar creations for hours while listening to Metallica, loves “the artistry and creativity involved in this job. I get to play with textures, colours, temperatures and flavour. I get to paint, sculpt, carve, design, and build one-of-a-kind pieces of edible art.” Always one to push boundaries and be innovative, what makes Laurin stand out on the culinary scene is her ability to mix flavour profiles and create interesting and delicious food. She modestly claims only part of the credit, saying that her customers and staffers help her by giving her “crazy and fun ideas. On any given day I could be hand carving a black belly sheep/cell phone tower/ unicorn/ turkey dinner out of cake or charging grapes with CO2. My creativity is always being put to the test.” Laurin also does extensive research, keeps in contact with the foodie community on YouTube, collects books and magazines, and contributes to a number of online cooking and baking blogs. She is also proud of the fact that she uses nothing processed or chemically treated or preserved at the bakery. Everything is hand-crafted or made from scratch using fresh local produce, including the bread used for her sandwiches and fresh unprocessed meats from local suppliers. Laurin draws inspiration from everywhere. “A trip to the hardware store can lead to a new tool or something I can use to texturize fondant,” she explains. “Clothes shopping is about

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“I think that a very important factor to being successful in this industry is to establish a name for yourself that everyone knows, so gaining connections is vital.”

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Musician, Composer and Artist Manager Marius Charlemange. (Photo courtesy Marius Charlemange) MUSIC

MARIUS CHARLEMANGE

Expanding his musical interests beyond the bass line

round the music scene in Barbados, when people hear the term “bass” they generally immediately think of just a handful of names. Marius Charlemange is one. At the tender age of 26, Marius’ name has become synonymous with bass in Barbados and the region. In his teen years at Harrison College, Marius had developed a passion for music, and when his mother passed away early in his life, he says, music saved him. “It was there with me throughout the death of my mother and it was the one thing that kept me sane.” It was at this point that Marius, though he was already a working musician, decided to make music his career. “I was

studying civil engineering,” he explains. After losing his mother he “decided life was too short to not follow your dreams.” He soon graduated from the Barbados Community College with an associate degree in music, and enrolled at the Collective School of Music in New York to do an intensive music course, intending to take his career much farther. Having played in several bands in various genres in Barbados over the past decade or so, Marius has developed a great love for jazz, and formed his own jazz band, called NJ30+, which has toured various festivals in Tobago, Bequai and Dominica. “I’m currently working on stating up two new bands: The Pith & Grain, and the MSC Jazz Band.” Marius considers himself lucky to have studied under Arturo Tappin and to have been selected to perform with him at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the Barbados Ball in Toronto and the Jazz Experience in Tobago. “I think travel really helps a musician expand, as you get to hear all different styles, techniques, and genres of music, and make great connections.” Marius has also played with Arturo locally at City Nights in Frank Collymore Hall and at the Naniki Jazz Festival. “I love that rush of adrenaline I get when stepping on stage,” he muses, “and the anticipation of the crowd’s reaction.” Marius also gives private lessons and teaches rock ensemble at the BCC. Alongside performance and teaching, Marius also manages music bookings for weddings, corporate events and bar gigs, as well as the finances for such, on behalf of the artistes he works with.

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SeaN CARTER From page 19

CiCi on air at Y103.3 FM . (Photo by INBusiness Magazine)

Caroline “CiCi” Reid From page 18

that, “in this harsh economic climate,” this system will “greatly assist Barbados in significantly reducing its high fuel import bill, assist businesses in reducing their high operational costs and put some money back into the pockets of our customers.” Sean hopes to eventually be able to market this system throughout the Caribbean and Central America. With all that is on his plate, Sean says that his family has been a constant source of support. He maintains that structure, routine and a great team have made all the different for his business, but he strives to be sensitive to the needs of his family and his wife, whom he refers to as “a blessing”. “Business is very demanding as you are constantly looking for new opportunities or prospects so it’s essential at times to just shut it off and enjoy life with family and friends.” Though the journey hasn’t been an easy one, Sean is happy with his success so far and constantly strives to grow and learn. “Success for me lies in not only establishing a profitable business model in Barbados and throughout the region and Latin America while maintaining a reputation of integrity and quality workmanship, but also in maintaining a healthy marriage and family life.” He has plans to one day become a business coach in order to share with upcoming business people all that he has learned. “I especially take great pride in my work and love serving my clients. I feel a great sense of satisfaction and joy when my customers are happy with a job well done. I love to know that I’ve met or exceeded their expectations.” INB

hear were I the listener, and go from there. I also like to hear what people have to say and welcome feedback. After all, at the end of the day it’s not about me, it’s about the listeners.” In addition to broadcasting, CiCi has her own business which specializes in social media and web content management for various clients. She does commercial work, TV presenting, and is well known as a host of various events, such as the annual Honey Jam and Honey Jazz concerts. “The best part of hosting live shows is the unpredictable nature of it all,” she Sean on the job. (Photo courtesy Levi King) says. “There’s nowhere to hide and it’s a bit of an adrenaline rush.” CiCi maintains that what sets her apart is that she enjoys learning and trying “almost anything” in the media arena. “I’ve done production, New Media management, programming, video editing, camera work, on camera presenting….If I think I can learn it, I don’t ever say ‘no’ to an opportunity.” Proud to be a part of the arts community in Barbados, CiCi is adamant that family and community support is vital, and that ‘art’ in Barbados is about much more than just Crop Over. “We need to encourage and support our artistes and help any way we can. We know that Caribbean parents want doctors, lawyers, teachers...but we all can’t be in those professions.” Saying that her parents were hesitant when she first embarked on her career, they have now come around and support her. “We need more friends, family members and supporters who can encourage our artisans to achieve greatness,” she says. CiCi is enjoying her life at the moment, and says she just wants to see how far it will go. “I learn all I can at every opportunity and just put myself out there. To me, failure is much better than ‘what if’. At least you’ve tried.” INB InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 23

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MARIUS CHARLEMANGE From page 22

Laurin in the oven room . (Photo courtesy Laurin Evelyn)

laurin evelyn From page 21

colour and combining patterns and textures. The supermarket or local markets are all about flavour development.” Her biggest initial challenge, she explains, has been the setup of the business itself. “The entire process of starting and running a business in Barbados when your business training is from the U.S.A. has been difficult.” She credits her father, one of the owners of Caribbean Label Crafts, with being a guiding light along the way. Now her major challenge is building the business in the current economic climate. To do this, Four & Twenty offers a very diverse range of food and services, including corporate catering, luxury cakes, and a full deli/bistro serving breakfast and lunch. Laurin also has plans to create a non-profit organization for the local culinary community, focusing on networking, training and certification, and she wants to get involved with the Culinary Institute “to increase the amount of baking and pastry training students receive,” with the long-term goal of having a degree in baking and pastry arts being offered. Highly community-minded, Laurin has a house policy at the bakery: “Be a little better today than we were yesterday.” She encourages everyone to “volunteer or donate without any fanfare, put the extra care into your work, make family a priority… just try to be a better you every day.” They donate food to Salvation Army food drives, and bake and package artisanal dog biscuits, 100% of the proceeds of which are donated to the RSPCA. “I possess a strong love for food, its ability to bring people together and transcend demographics,” Laurin says. “Food is how I communicate and express myself, and the sky is the limit.” INB

When he first started on the path of becoming a full-time professional musician, Marius says, it was challenging in that he had to take every gig he could get, and there was very little or no money to be made. As a young man on the music scene, Marius worked hard to establish himself, saying, “I think that a very important factor to being successful in this industry is to establish a name for yourself that everyone knows, so gaining connections is vital,” he says. His biggest challenge these days is keeping everything fresh. “Living in such a small island, it is very easy for something to become stale,” he explains. Marius plans to continue doing international tours with the NJ30+ as well as other artists he works with such as Debbie Reifer. He has very ambitious goals for the future, but, he says, “through getting to where I am now I have learned not to plan too much and just take every opportunity I get and use it to its full potential.” The one thing he is certain of is that he has chosen the right career for himself. “I honestly can’t imagine my life without music. I have no idea where I would be without it.” INB Marius contemplating the bass. (Photo courtesy Marius Charlemange)

InBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 24

INBusiness OUTLOOK

THE SECRET TO BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

by Ryan Straughn

“

CLEARLY ARTICULATED, IMPLEMENTABLE, TRANSPARENT PUBLIC POLICY IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT THAT DRIVES ALL CONFIDENCE IN AN ECONOMY.

E IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR are often accused of exhibiting acute tunnel vision, which may have some basis in fact. But prevailing market forces do not always allow for us to venture too far outside of our respective areas of expertise. The market is an unforgiving place and requires that each of us continually up our game in order to stay in contention. Whether you are a hairdresser or dentist, electrician or doctor, plumber or architect, mason or lawyer, we all aspire to develop our skills to the point that affords us the best opportunity of winning and keeping business and clients. The discipline and sacrifice that is required to build up our respective expertise - and, by extension, businesses - are not often acknowledged by those outside of each field of endeavour. As you’re reading this article in your office or place of work drinking a cup of very strongly brewed coffee, you may still be wondering how we arrived at a position where some in the private sector are openly asking the government to subject itself to an IMF programme. The answer is very simple indeed. Each of us goes about our respective business activities with the assumption that our policymakers have it covered. Once things are covered fiscally, then we’re not too worried or bothered about government operations or the state of the public finances. So we have arrived at our current predicament as a private sector, as well as a country, because we have all been focused on doing our utmost to grow and expand our various firms and enterprises, but we have paid little or no real attention to the personnel that oversee the public finances. It is my contention that a private sector effort to suggest appropriate public policy matters just as much as those who are charged with that very important task. In fact, the two are inextricably linked, and it is time that we in the private sector recognize that our goals individually sum to the national goals, and we must pay much more attention than we did in the past to those wish to represent our

interests. I would conclude that business confidence in Barbados must be at one of its lowest points historically. Business confidence is low because consumer confidence is low and there is a lack of coherence in announced Ryan Straughn, Managing public policy. Director of Abelian We all know too Consulting Services well the impact that the various tax measures have had on the demand for our goods and services. Personally, we know what the measures have done to our own disposable incomes. Some of us have made staff redundant and placed others on shorter work weeks in response to lower demand. Simultaneously, the incremental costs that have been added to our bottom line have in turn reduced profitability. Business confidence is also low due to the inability of government to refund and/ or offset various taxes in a timely manner to allow businesses to conduct their affairs. At the same time, businesses continue to provide goods and services to various government agencies, in good faith, but have experienced significant difficulty in being paid on time. Everyone in business understands the old adage that cash is king. Like blood in our bodies, its circulation is vital to the survival of any operation. In such circumstances, business confidence would understandably be low. Clearly articulated, implementable and transparent public policy is the secret ingredient that drives all confidence in an economy. Business people must believe the word of the policymaker in order to move ahead with new investment, since clarity is the currency on which confidence flows. When the private sector can observe credible action with respect to the public finances, business and investor confidence will improve. INB

INBusiness • JANUARY-MARCH 2015 • Page 25

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INBusiness JANUARY-MARCH 2015

HAVING WORKED FOR SEVERAL FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES AND HEADED T&T BEVERAGE MAKER S.M. JALEEL & CO., THE FORMER RESEARCH SCIENTIST-TURNED TRANFORMATIONAL CEO IS

Young

Professionals

LEADING THE

CHANGE

AT GEL

Leading

WOMEN in Business

JANuARY-MARCH 2015

NOVeMBeR 2013

suMMeR 2014

FeBRuARY-APRIL 2014

JANuARY 2012 - PReMIeRe

Read the individual stories in the INBusiness Magazine section at