Damany Gibbs, Co-Chair of the 6th Caribbean MBA Conference shares a light moment with sponsors, Michael Mansoor, Chairman of FirstCaribbean, centre, and Geoffrey King, Director, Executive Resourcing & Organization Development.

Bridgetown, Barbados, January 14, 2008 - Students of some of the most prestigious business schools in North America were recently in Trinidad, attending the 6th Caribbean MBA Conference which was held in Port of Spain from January 2nd to 7th. 

The Caribbean MBA Conference is an annual event jointly organized by the MBA Caribbean Student Clubs of the Harvard Business School and Wharton School and sponsored by FirstCaribbean International Bank.   The Conference exposes top MBA candidates to the employment and investment opportunities available in the Caribbean.  

This year’s conference theme was “Regionalization and Economic Diversification – Expanding our Share of the Global Economy” and featured some of the region’s leading business luminaries who delivered feature addresses and participated in panel discussions on a wide range of topics that are critical to the future of the Caribbean. 

FirstCaribbean International Bank has been involved with the Caribbean MBA Conference from its inception and as lead sponsor for the second consecutive year. Several of the Bank’s senior Executives, with considerable experience in their areas of expertise, participated as panelists: Daniel Sankar, Director of Energy Financing spoke on financing opportunities, risk issues, challenges for borrowers and lenders specific to the energy sector; Ian Chinapoo, Managing Director Capital Markets provided valuable information on the role of capital markets in micro credit/SME lending; Larry Nath, Managing Director of FirstCaribbean Trinidad & Tobago, gave details on the difficulties faced and prospects for financial institutions under the CSME.

Highlight of the conference was the keynote address delivered by the host country’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Patrick Manning.  In his wide ranging speech, the Prime Minister shared with the MBA students, representatives of the sponsors and specially invited guests his perspective on the future of the region and Trinidad and Tobago’s role in the development of the Caribbean.

Larry Nath, Managing Director of FirstCaribbean International Bank Trinidad & Tobago Limited, delivers the Opening Remarks at the 6th Caribbean MBA Conference

Addressing the Business Leaders Dinner held on Friday, January 4th, Chairman of FirstCaribbean International Bank, Michael Mansoor, told the MBA Conference participants “…we welcome the fact that young MBA students from some of the best schools in the world would come here, if only to realize that there is opportunity here…opportunities that stem and come out of the fact t hat we have several problems in the region which require solutions and which require the best brains in the world.  So that I do hope that one of the effects of this Conferences would be to attract some of you back to the region to work in the political arena, to work in government service, to work in the private sector, but generally to contribute to the development of this part of the world, the Caribbean as a region.” 

In closing, Mr. Mansoor shared some words of wisdom with the MBA students, “…the behaviours that inform what you do – those behaviours and those values are perhaps in the end, more important than your ability to put together the best financial deal, create the best marketing plan, develop the best strategic plan and implement it.  How you do it, the values, the vision and how you interface with your fellow man – that perhaps in the end, is the most important contribution you can make to the development of your societies, wherever they may be.”