The Tribune

The minister of state for Grand Bahama will headline the island’s Business Outlook conference, which will be held on Thursday, February 21, at the Grand Lucayan resort.

Besides senator Kwasi Thompson’s keynote address, the other featured speakers include Greg Laroda, president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce; Derek Newbold, senior manager of business development at the Grand Bahama Port Authority; Giora Israel, Carnival Corporation’s senior vice-president for global port and destination development; and Zhivargo Laing, chief negotiator for The Bahamas’ accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The presenter line-up is rounded out by Gravette Brown, Aliv’s chief commercial officer; Davinia Blair, executive director of the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC); David Wallace, general manager, Pirates Cove Zipline and Water Park; Willie Moss, partner, Graham Thompson & Co; and Ian Strachan, vice-president for University of the Bahamas (UoB).

Joan Albury, president of the TCL Group, and chief organiser of the seven-island Business Outlook series, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating the 21st anniversary of Grand Bahama Business Outlook, and are pleased to have secured the participation of the minister for Grand Bahama, Senator Kwasi Thompson, and the new president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, Greg Laroda senior.

“These gentlemen and the other speakers are heavily invested in the quality development of this community. All of our presenters have been chosen because of the information they can bring on available national resources and opportunities for quality growth for Grand Bahama and, consequently, the entire Bahamas. We are grateful to all.”

The TCL Group president added: “This year’s theme, Connecting resources, maximising opportunities, transforming Grand Bahama, speaks to the need for strong partnership among the business leaders and people of this resilient island. Our company believes that Grand Bahama can - and will - rise again with dedicated collaboration and exchange of ideas. For this reason, we are pleased to be offering the very important Finance and Ease of Doing Business workshops, with the continued excellent support of the Ministry of Finance.

“We are also introducing to the Grand Bahama forum our newest innovation called Creative Conversations. This panel will focus on promoting the creative economy and discussing how creatives can contribute to economic growth. Panelists will include noted visual artist, Chantal E.Y. Bethel; established musician, Kevin G. Tomlinson; chef extraordinaire, Tim Tibbits, and accomplished writer, Gea Pierre.”

Interested persons are encouraged to register at www.tclevents.com, contact Mercynth Ferguson of Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce at 242-352-8329 or e-mail: info@gbchamber.org.