Rising to the Top -
David Foster
The incoming presidency of David Foster to the CaymanIslands Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, 20 June - was crowneda day earlier with the announcement of his royal award to be anOfficer of the British Empire, at last Monday's Queen's BirthdayParade celebrations.
Faced with the challengeof the continuing changes of today's Cayman, Mr. Foster's acumenas a quite successful businessman could very well set some renewedstandards for the continuing growth of the local economy. Hisspeech as incoming president of the Chamber along with the outgoingpresident - Mrs. Gaylia Hall's have been reproduced in full .
Editors Note: Copies ofthe prepared text of the speeches-- which were scheduled to bedelivered at the Chambers 35th Anniversary Dinner held in theBallroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Tuesday, 20 June of theoutgoing President, Mrs. Gaylia Hall and the incoming PresidentMr. David Foster -- were advanced to Cayman Net News for inclusionin this issue.
The President's Report
by Mrs. Gaylia Hall
I am pleased to present the report of theactivities of the Council for the year 1999/2000. In the truespirit of E-Business, for the first time, I will present the highlightsin a power point presentation. Don't get too concerned about time,I promise to share only the highlights. You can take home theAnnual Report, which includes a comprehensive review of our activities.
The Council worked diligently to understand the needs and concernsof members throughout the year by conducting regular surveys ona wide range of subjects and held discussion forums and meetingswith key decision makers in our community. I am pleased with thepartnerships that were developed during the year with variousGovernment Ministries and Departments.
Partnerships involved a wide range of activities for the bettermentof our community. Partnerships involved the Ministry of Education,Education Department, four sections of the Royal Cayman IslandsPolice Service (Traffic, Commercial Crime, Drugs Squad-Put DrugsOut of Business programme, Uniform Branch-Cayman Crime Stoppers),Y2K office, Immigration, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Health,and private schools.
The first document that the Council reviewed was the results ofthe 1999 Membership Satisfaction Survey. This telephone surveywas coordinated by the Administrative staff and volunteers andis the most comprehensive membership survey ever completed bythe Chamber to measure our performance and to identify key areasthat our members consider important. A total of 128 member companies,employing 2,388 persons, were contacted and asked to respond toa 15-minute questionnaire.
Results of the survey were used by the Council to develop thePlan of Action for the year. The Council narrowed the resultsinto seven key areas.
International Affairs ranked high on the survey. Two task forceswere appointed. The White Paper Task Force, chaired by CouncilorMr. Bryan Hunter, reviewed the UK Government report to its OverseasTerritories, 'Partnership in Progress', better known as the WhitePaper, and released a membership survey. 88 members respondedand the results were submitted to the Legislative Assembly inresponse to the Select Committee's request for input.
The OECD Task Force, chaired by Councilor Mr. Lemuel Hurlston,monitored the various international initiatives proposed by theOECD, G7 and European Union. These proposals will impact our economyand the Council spent a great deal of time monitoring the internationalpress and consulting with local and international experts. A reportwill be released shortly to the membership explaining these initiativesin greater detail.
Government and Legislative Affairs was the next area identifiedby members. Immigration/Labour matters led the list of concernsand a special 18-member task force, chaired by President-ElectMr. David Foster, was established. This task force was one ofthe most active and played a pivotal role in advising the Council. This group developed a report on inward investment and developeda list of recommendations to improve how the immigration departmentinterfaces with the business community. Unfortunately, these tworeports had to be shelved while the task force addressed the far-reachingproposals released by the Select Committee of the LegislativeAssembly on Immigration. The task force organised two forums onthe subject dealing with the proposed 5-year roll over and personsof Caymanian Descent.
Concerned by the growth of the national budget and the risingcost of doing business, the Council formed a Budget Review TaskForce, chaired by Vice President Mr. Burns Conolly. The task forcereviewed the national budget and participated in the GovernmentRevenue Forum, which was hosted by the Financial Secretary. Basedon membership response, the Council stressed that it did not supportdeveloping any additional avenues for revenue unless five keyareas were addressed first. These included:
Investigating ways to reduce Government spending and introducemeasures that lead to cost savings.
- Improving the fiscal management and internal accounting systemsof Government.
- Implementing prudent spending practices based on prioritisedneeds.
- Investigating ways of privatising non-essential services.
- Increasing transparency and accountability in Government.
The Council also insisted that the tourism industry cannot affordto increase costs any further and the current method of fiscalmanagement and budgetary planning should be changed. The Councilencouraged the development of E-Business and further diversificationof the economy.
Complaints from employers and employees regarding the prompt paymentof health insurance claims led the Council to establish the Pensionand Health Insurance Reform Task Force headed up by Past PresidentMr. Billy Adam. Numerous meetings were held with health insurancecompanies and the Superintendent of Health Insurance was invitedto address the membership at a luncheon meeting in January 2000.Meanwhile, the Council appointed Mr. Norm Klein to the Board ofTrustees for the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Pension Plan.The Trustees decided to move the administration and banking underone roof at the Bank of Butterfield, making the plan much moreefficient. Today, the Chamber Plan is the largest pension planof its kind in the Cayman Islands with more than 10,000 personsenrolled.
Members were concerned about the state of the environment andasked the Council to focus our efforts in this area. Heeding yourwishes, we established an Environmental Task Force chaired byMr. Timothy Dailey. This group of volunteers organised the 200by 2000 campaign and the Earth Day District to District RoadsideCleanup in partnership with the Department of Environment. Bothinitiatives were a success with 230 garbage receptacles purchasedthanks to the generous donations from member companies. Thesegarbage receptacles have been placed outside member businessesand throughout Grand Cayman in an attempt to keep Cayman clean.
More than 400 volunteers participated in the District to DistrictRoadside Cleanup, collecting and removing more than 500 bags oflitter from our streets. At present, another initiative is ontap. The Adopt-A-Mile programme will be unveiled in the near future.This programme will enable companies, organisations or communitygroups to sponsor a mile of beach. Participating organisationswill pledge to clean up their adopted mile at least three timesper year. Once started, the task force intends to expand the programmeto our roads.
Recognising the increasing incidence of fraud in our community,the Council established a Fraud Awareness and Prevention programmein partnership with the Commercial Crime Branch of the Royal CaymanIslands Police. The Task Force was ably chaired by Councillorand Past President Mr. Roy McTaggart and the RCIP's Mr. Mike Needham.The task force split into two units, one group concentrated onorganising fraud prevention courses and the other the developmentof fraud education materials. The first course held in late May,on cheque and credit card fraud and counterfeit currency, wasa great success attracting more than 18 different companies and35 attendants. Additional courses are planned and 8 fraud preventioneducation booklets are expected to be released shortly.
Council reviewed the procedures of the Better Business Council,chaired by Mr. Gordon Barlow, with the view of re-evaluating itsrole to better serve the needs of customers and businesses aswell as changing its name to the Better Business Bureau to bringit in line with the operations of its United States counterpart.In 1999, more than 30 complaints were received and processed withthe majority resolved amicably between both parties. A new websitewas developed, but remains under review.
The 1999/2000 Council dedicated a considerable amount of timein the area of economic development. With the looming threatsof the OECD and G7 countries on our offshore financial industry,the Council decided to explore the development of a new industry:E-Business. In July 1999, an E-Business Task Force was formed,ably chaired by Ms. Deb Davidson and Mr. David Archbold from Government'sIT Strategy Unit. This new task force attracted more than 18 volunteersand the committee was divided into three different groups: infrastructure/legislation,marketing and education. Several people who served on this taskforce are now members of Government's Advisory Board on E-Business,including Chamber CEO Mr. Wil Pineau, who chairs the MarketingSubcommittee along with Mr. Jeremy Hurst. In fact, two reportsdeveloped by the Chamber's Marketing and Education subcommitteesare being used as the foundation for the development of strategies.
I am pleased to present for the first time this evening a newwebsite concept developed by the Chamber's Marketing Subcommitteeto be called Cayman-Inc dot com. The concept is to provide theworld with an information platform from which to do business withus. It is envisioned to have a section for Government informationso that investors and visitors can receive answers on importantmatters and a Chamber of Commerce section that will link our memberswith the world. It will also offer information about how to startan E-Business and provide useful tips. While the concept is stillin its developmental stages, the Council hopes that Governmentwill support the idea as the gateway mechanism for the CaymanIslands to enter the E-Business marketplace
Attracting more than 8,000 potential customers to the Lions Centreduring its three day run, the Business Expo continued to leaveits mark as the largest consumer showcase held each year in theCayman Islands. In total, more than 95 booths were erected inthe Lions Centre, reflecting the vibrancy of the islands businesscommunity. Its twin sister, the West Bay Mini-Business Expo, inits third year, attracted more than 20 businesses from West Bayto showcase products and services. The purpose of the event isto encourage economic and community development in West Bay. TheDepartment of Social Services' Community Development Unit is akey partner in the programme and assisted with the arrangements.
Initiating and maintaining strategic partnerships between thebusiness and education communities is essential to ensure sustainableeconomic development. Businesses have taken this statement seriouslyover the years by sponsoring, promoting, hosting and administeringmany programmes that encourage this relationship to thrive. TheChamber continued its pledge by organising career awareness visitsfor all the schools, the Careers Expo (the largest employmentand career development event held each year), Junior Achievement(renewed the financial commitment for $15,000 and office space),work experience and high school and college awards to be presentedat each graduation ceremony each year.
A bold, new initiative is also under development. Public PrivatePartnerships in Education and Training (P3ET) is a programme thatis being spearheaded by a small group comprising representativesfrom Government and the Chamber. The purpose of this new initiativeis to better coordinate and direct financial and human resourcesfor the betterment of the education and training requirementsof the country. A brief overview of the programme is displayedfor viewing.
As many of you are probably aware, the Chamber moved its officesto Macdonald Square in August 1999. This move, while unexpected,forced the Council to review the office requirements of the Chamberin the future. A Building Fund has already been established withmore than CI$60,000 from previous years. The Council decided toconcentrate some of its efforts on building up additional fundsthrough fundraising. The first fundraiser for the Chamber, a golftournament, was organised by the Fundraising Task Force chairedby Mr. John Wilks, in July last year and two tournaments are plannedthis year. These tournaments are intended to build up financialresources so that future Council's can decide whether to buy apiece of land to build an office or to purchase existing officespace. With so many ambitious plans under development, the needfor quality office space becomes essential.
Membership in the Chamber continued to increase in 1999 with morethan 100 new members joining our organisation. This is the secondconsecutive year that this level of growth has been recorded.The Discount Card continues to be one of the main benefits ofmembership and great efforts were made to increase the numberand quality of the discounts offered. The Discount Card is nowhonoured in more than 140 local stores, restaurants, car rentalcompanies, condominiums and hotels and 21 establishments overseas.
The Salary and Benefits Survey was released in early 2000 with101 member companies participating, providing compensation andbenefits information for more than 4,500 positions in the CaymanIslands. All members that participated received a free copy ofthe 130 page survey results. The Chamber's Membership Directoryand Quality of Life Guide was also a sell-out in 1999 with morethan 7,000 copies distributed worldwide. All Chamber members arelisted free in the directory. The Chamber office responded tothousands of requests for information in 1999, referring membersto persons who are seeking to do business in the Cayman Islands.Only Chamber members in good standing are referred.
As you can clearly see and hear, the Chamber of Commerce had itsmost active year in 1999/2000. There are many other programmesand activities that we organised, but I will let you review themin the Annual Report.
It has indeed been a privilege to serve as President for the pastyear and as a member of Council in varying capacities for thepast 5 years. The experience has been an educational and inspirationalone.
I especially want to thank the great Council and AdministrativeStaff of the Chamber who have made my year as President a memorableone. I would like to thank His Excellency for taking time outof his already full schedule to meet with us on several occasionsfor lunch to share our ideas and concerns. We found these meetingsespecially enlightening and hope that he did as well. Please allowme to present a small token of appreciation to your lovely wifefor being here with us this evening.
Special thanks to Mr. David Foster, President-Elect, Mr. BurnsConnolly, Vice President, Mr. Wayne Cowan, Treasurer, and Mrs.Leonie Merren, Secretary-- (all without whom my job would havebeen infinitely more stressful) and able and dependable Councilors:Mr. Bryan Hunter, Mr. Everard Leacock, Mr. Lemuel Hurlston, Mr.Roy McTaggart, Mr. Steve Hawley and Mr. Morgan DaCosta. They werethe greatest council I have been involved with and we never hada problem of a quorum.
I would like to present a small token of appreciation to SecretaryMs. Leonie Merren and two Councillors, Mr. Everard Leacock andMr. Lem Hurlston, all of whom will be retiring from the Councilthis year.
The Chamber is comprised of a team of hard working volunteerswho carry out the work on many task forces and activities. TheCouncil would not be able to produce the excellent results youheard this evening. I would like to recognise the following personswho selflessly contributed their time and effort. When I callyour name please come up to the podium to receive a small tokenof our appreciation:
- Business Expo Task Force: Co-chairs, Councillor Mr. Morgan DaCostaand Jacqueline Baldwin, Tracy Burns, Parker Tibbetts and Mr. HowieTipton
- Immigration/Labour and Pension/Health Insurance Task Forces:Past President Mr. Billy Adam
- Careers Expo Task Force: Mrs. Ramona Ritch, Mrs. Pat Ramoonand Past President Mr. Tommie Bodden
- Fundraising Task Force: Chairman, Mr. John Wilks, Mrs. ReinaGrant and Mr. Robert Jones
- Environmental Task Force: Chairman Mr. Timothy Dailey and Mrs.Petra Grant.
- E-Business Task Force: Chairperson Ms. Deb Davidson, Mr. DavidArchbold, Mr. Jeremy Hurst and Mr. Clint Mole
- West Bay Business Expo: Chairman Mr. Paul Dedrick
- Christmas Lighting Competition: Chairperson Mrs. Iris Chomyn
Also a special thank you to the many Task Force participants whommade the Chamber come alive and fully involved in the BusinessCommunity. A complete list of task force members and volunteersis listed in the Annual Report.
Also my thanks to Mr. Wil Pineau, CEO, who was always availableand helpful preparing the many speeches and minutes without whichwe could not operate (even if he claimed I never read them), Mrs.Faith Troup, office administrator, Mrs. Hyacinth King, Membership/TrainingDirector, Mrs. Gwen Davis for her utter dedication to carryingout Wil's advice to bring everything to a 0 expenditure by Fundraisingefforts and numerous events, Ms. Erica Turneretscher, ExecutiveSecretary and Amanda Scott, Junior Achievement Coordinator. Joinwith me in thanking them all.
Also special thanks to Mrs. Gwen Pineau for her able assistancein preparing the Financials and putting up with Wil's exhaustinghours.
In closing, I would like to congratulate Mr. David Foster on hisrecent honour of being named in the Queen's Birthday honours foran OBE. I would like to assure you that you will be in the responsiblehands of Mr. David Foster, Incoming President. David, in spiteof his demanding job, always has time for the Chamber and themembers of the Task Forces and the Membership. I never calledhim and got a voice mail. I wish him all the best and ask hisCouncil to be as dependable as mine has been.
Thank you all.