The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) chief executive says he is “proud of the strides” it has made in empowering women who now make-up nearly two-thirds of its management.

In a statement following International Women’s Day on March 8, BTC said 63 percent of its management team - and 55 percent of executive leadership- are women. BTC honoured its team members with a week of activities that began with a global summit hosted by parent company, Liberty Latin America. This was followed by a wellness seminar, paint and sip, and local leadership summit featuring four team members as panellists.

André Foster, BTC’s chief executive, said: “I am really proud of the achievements of women in our business and in society as a whole. I am particularly proud of the strides that we’ve made as an organisation in what is still a male-dominated industry.

“Today we have a number of females in technical management roles who are breaking the glass ceiling and helping to grow our business. I am committed to the continued advancement of women at all levels of the organisation and within our Bahamian society.”

These women include Shantell Cox-Hutchinson, BTC’s director of technology operations for business to consumer, one of the few women to hold this role in the company. She is responsible for keeping residential customers connected, and oversees a 200-strong team who are responsible for the installation and repairs of all fixed-line, broadband and TV services.

Ms Cox-Hutchinson said: “It’s an honour to be recognised during International Women’s Day. I’ve had an exciting journey at BTC thus far, and I’m grateful for all of the leadership opportunities I’ve been afforded.

“Every day I commit to doing the best that I can with whatever I undertake. I boldly choose to challenge the status quo, and I am accountable for my actions and those of my team. Having a team that spans the entire country can be quite difficult at times, as each island has its own unique challenges. The work that the team does every day is nothing short of amazing.”

Tina Cooper and Tonya Johnson are a part of Ms Cox-Hutchinson’s team, leading technical operations on several Family Islands. Ms Cooper has been in the technical field for the past 29 years, and is currently serving as the acting senior manager for Family Island operations for Andros, Exuma and Abaco.

Ms Johnson joined BTC in 1989 as a technician, and is currently the acting senior manager of Family Island operations for Eleuthera, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Inagua, Mayaguana and Long Island.

BTC said it demonstrated its support for progressive workplace policies one year ago by introducing a new parental leave policy that provides 16 weeks of maternity leave for expectant mothers, and eight weeks off for fathers.