The bank is a ﾓGold Sponsorﾔ of the prestigious event which takes place on Friday and Saturday in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Although this is the first official contribution to the CEOY programme from FirstCaribbean, the bankﾴs heritage organisation CIBC, has been a principal sponsor since 1996. Chairman Michael Mansoor has been involved with the programme since its inception.
ﾓWe are honoured to be part of this initiative,ﾔ he said.
ﾓThe current regional economic climate is presenting many challenges to our entrepreneurs, but we must remember that even in the most challenging of environments, there are survivors and success stories,ﾔ Mansoor said.
He said that programmes such as the CEOY give business persons from across the region, the opportunity to learn from their peers and find innovative ways of overcoming obstacles. Peter Hall, FirstCaribbeanﾴs executive director of Human Resources, will also be one of the guest speakers at the event.
The CEOY programme is owned by Ernst and Young and enjoys the reputation of being the regionﾴs premier event for entrepreneurs throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. The fraternity of winners has enjoyed a reputation of being associated with a professional, high quality programme of international standard.
In 1996 EOY was launched in Barbados and the OECS, and in 1997 Trinidad and Tobago joined the group of participating countries.
In 1999 Guyana and Grenada were inducted into the Trinidad programme.
In 2000, one regional Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year programme was held and this received enthusiastic and widespread support from the public in each of the 12 participating Caribbean territories, from Bahamas and Jamaica in the north to Barbados, the OECS, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana in the south.
FirstCaribbean is a result of the combination of the businesses of CIBC West Indies Holdings Limited and Barclays Bank PLC.
It is expected to be one of the largest locally listed banks in the Caribbean based on market capitalisation, with some US$9 billion in assets and over 700 000 accounts.
Barbados Advocate
