The Tribune

Bahamian and international experts will be part of a featured panel at the upcoming International Business and Finance Summit (IBFS) that is being hosted by the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) in Bimini this weekend.

Simone Morgan-Gomez, partner in the law firm of Callenders & Co, will moderate the session that will focus on ‘Why the Bahamas’, with panellists speaking on the next steps in positioning this jurisdiction as a seat for arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); the important international instruments on arbitration Law; international versus domestic arbitration; and what the approach should be taken given regional competitors.

The panelists include Calvin A. Hamilton of the Hamilton law firm in Madrid; Nancy M. Thevenin, special counsel and global coordinator for the International Arbitration Practice Group, Baker & McKenzie; and Bertha Cooper-Rousseau, chairman of the Bahamas branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Mrs Morgan-Gomez says all three panellists are firmly on board with the approach of structuring discussions around practical issues, not the least of which will be the steps needed to build local awareness as well as international credibility and investor confidence.

The role of the Bahamas Branch of the Chartered Institute for Arbitrators in building a national plan for arbitration development also will be explored.

IBFS 2013 will be held at the Bimini Bay Resort from February 1-3. Over 140 delegates have signed up for the event, which brings together BFSB member firms, professional industry associations, regulators and the Bahamas Government in a structured setting for the exchange of views and dialogue about the global industry and implications for the Bahamas.

Paul Winder, BFSB chairman, said: “The advice garnered from the annual event, combined with the experience itself, has proven beneficial not only to Bahamian financial institutions and service providers but to our international guests in their ongoing assessment of global options to meet corporate and personal plans, and lifestyle opportunities.”