The Tribune

THE BAHAMAS Financial Services Board (BFSB) is in the final stages of preparation for this year's International Business and Finance Summit (IBFS), scheduled to be held from February 2-5 at the Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. IBFS 2012 is being hosted under the broad theme Pursuing Comparative Advantage, in recognition of the reality that individuals, institutions and jurisdictions must focus on key benchmarks and exploit their comparative advantages for success. Industry stakeholders will gather over three days to examine current strategies and ways to advance comparative advantage. BFSB's chief executive, Aliya Allen, said the annual event again has attracted presenters such as: Bruce Zagaris, American Bar Association (US); Bruce Weatherill, Weatherill Consulting (UK); Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, Toronto Financial Services Alliance (Canada); Diego Pivoz, HSBC (Switzerland); Flavio Peppe, Ernst & Young (Brazil); Gina Pereira, Pereira Consulting (Canada); Ivan Sacks, Withers (US); Joe Field, Withers Asia; Nick Rucker, Berkeley Law (UK); Rebecca Leon, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (US); Robert Blower, Charles Russell LLP (UK); Robert Colvin, Colvin & Associate (US); Sebastian Dovey, Scorpio Partnership (UK); Steven Cantor, Cantor & Webb (US); Susan Klouman, Towers Watson (US); Thomas Ragan, Ragan & Freeman LLP (US); and William Heuseler, ITAU Private Bank International (Brazil, US). Rowena Bethel, formerly of the Ministry of Finance (Bahamas) and now an independent consultant specialising in the design and implementation of the supporting policy, legislative, regulatory and institutional frameworks for cross-border tax cooperation, rounds out the list of speakers at IBFS 2012. The first IBFS (successor event to the original Bahamas Financial Services Retreat) was held in Bimini in 2010, and focussed on the structured approach developed by the financial services sector to assess and prioritise business opportunities. This is its strategy for cross-sector Coordination in a proactive and pragmatic Regulatory environment that recognises that Infrastructure and a Proactive and targeted business development strategy are vital, and emphasises the attraction and growth of a world-class Talent Pool (SCRIPT). Corporate and other sponsors of IBFS 2012 include the Association of International Banks & Trust Companies (AIBT), ATC Trustees (Bahamas), Bahamasair, BORCO, COPA, Ernst & Young, Grand Bahama Port Authority, Klonaris & Co, Ministry of Tourism, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RBC Wealth Management, Schooner Bay, Societe Generale Private Banking, and UBS Trustees ( Bahamas).