The Tribune

The private sector and government were yesterday warned to prepare for major changes to the Bahamian workforce at the managerial level, with Baha Mar alone aiming to fil 700 of these position.

This issue will be the focus of the upcoming Corporate Strategies for Leadership and Talent Development Forum, set for Thursday, December 5, at the British Colonial Hilton.

The forum is part of a national initiative convened by the Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA), in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, in preparation for the massive recruitment campaigns major resort projects will undertake to attract top talent.

“The quality of our people at all levels and in all sectors must be our competitive advantage. Succession planning, management, and leadership development are essential components of every successful company and country development strategy. The forum will draw attention to this, and to solutions which can be put in place at the company and country levels,” said BHTA president, Stuart Bowe.

“We know that a minimum of 700 new management level positions are needed by the Baha Mar properties. When one factors in the developments which are planned for Grand Bahama and several Family Islands, plus normal attrition which occurs within our existing businesses and Government, employers in virtually every area of the public and private sectors are facing a huge talent gap.”

Mr Bowe stressed that succession planning measures must be put in place now to soften the impact. “At the same time, we need a collaborative and coordinated national strategy to develop and retain top talent,” added the BHTA president.

Facilitating many of the forum’s sessions will be Norm Smallwood, co-founder and partner with The RBL Group. He is recognised as one of the top global voices in leadership development, and is an advisor to Fortune 500 companies and nations committed to developing top talent and leadership.

The forum will be outcome driven, according to Mr Bowe. “Our intentions are fourfold: One, to heighten understanding about management and leadership challenges facing most business and government organisations; two, to learn about successful corporate and government strategies locally and abroad to address leadership voids and succession planning; three, to identify strategies and action steps which can be put in place now to fill anticipated talent gaps and prepare for the future, both at a company level as well as nationally; and four, to agree to a collaborative public-private sector approach toward top talent development.”

Attendees will include chief executives, managing directors, human resource heads, senior management, government ministers, permanent secretaries and human resource heads from the Government.

Industry participation is expected from banks, hotels, insurance companies, accounting firms, the Government, education, retailers, wholesalers and other labour-intensive sectors of the economy.

Participating stakeholders joining BHTA in the initiative include the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Labour, the National Congress of Trade Unions, the Inter-American Development Bank, the College of the Bahamas, the National Training Agency, Atlantis, Baha Mar, CFAL and RBC FINCO.