NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation, (BCCEC) elected a new executive board at their recent Annual General Meeting. The new board consists of prominent businessman, I. Chester Cooper, President & CEO of BAF Financial as Chairman; Robert Meyers of V Trade supply as Vice Chairman; Peter Goudie of PGHJR Consulting, Secretary and Hubert Edwards of the Bank of Bahamas as Treasurer. Mr. Winston Rolle will remain on in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer.

The BCCEC is the successor organisation of the recently merged Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Employers Confederation. The organisation is the voice and the business community and employers.

In his acceptance address, Mr. Cooper noted that the Chambers in the Bahamas was celebrating 215 years plus of existence and was built on the backs of the hard work of its many past presidents and members. He promised to honour their legacy by providing tangible value added benefits to members and the business community.

Regarding the current political climate, Mr. Cooper said, "As we observe the political debate, it is abundantly clear that the BCCEC, civil society and the academic community must lead the type of intelligent bi-partisan debate on the issues that is desperately needed to contribute meaningfully to national development."

Mr. Cooper told the meeting, "over the next several weeks we will meet in a strategic planning forum to refine our plans for the year and beyond." He identified several areas of development on which he intends to focus. Among these are the need to embrace the benefits of the merger with the Bahamas Employers Confederation and bring it to its fullest fruition, strong focus on business innovation and competitiveness, and tackling some of the weaknesses exposed in the World Bank's "ease of doing business" in the Bahamas survey.

“We will work in an effective Private – Public Partnership with whichever government is elected as a catalyst to the creation of a National Strategic Plan.”  Of course, the Chamber Institute’s concentration on meeting the continued training needs of the business community will continue. Noting that 70% of the Chamber’s members are small and mid-sized companies, Cooper committed to developing and launching an SME Business Mentorship and SME Incubator Programme. He thanked the many benefactors and patrons of the chamber and vowed to make the BCCEC more entrepreneurial and financially self-sustaining.

In closing, Mr. Cooper thanked and commended the outgoing Board for their accomplishments during their tenure and suggested that in the future, he will ensure that the public is made more aware of the achievements of the Chamber.

Officers & Directors

OFFICERS

• Chester Cooper - BAF Financial & Insurance (Chairman)
• Robert Meyers - VTrade Supply (Vice Chairman)
• Peter Goudie - PGHJR Consulting (Secretary)
• Hubert Edwards - Bank of the Bahamas (Treasurer)

DIRECTORS

• Brian Nutt - Mosko Group
• Michael Maura - Arawak Port Development
• Brent Dean - Independent Business Person
• Romauld Ferriera - Ferriera & Company
• Christian Sawyer - Sunryse Shredding Services
• Geoff Houston - BTC
• Stewart Steeves - Nassau Airport Development
• Janett Jackson - ICWI
• Ed Rahming Jr. - KRyS Rahming and Associates
• Rosel Wilson-Moxey - Sunshine Holdings