MANAGING DIRECTOR of Republic Bank Limited, Ronald Harford has challenged regional entrepreneurs and business leaders to speed up the rate at which they move to take their respective entities forward.
Speaking at the Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year Awards ceremony at the Barbados Sherbourne Conference Centre, recently, Mr. Harford painted a picture of an ever-changing global landscape which will not wait on the Caribbean to play 'catch-up.' He commented: "It is up to us as leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs to ensure that we are equal to the task of moving forward with currency and timeliness. The global pace of change demands that we not only accept and adjust to change but that we advance with the necessary speed. Speed is the defining factor, we have no choice but to accelerate if we are to win."
Delegates and participants at this year's conference were repeatedly urged to do just that throughout the two-day conference which featured a line-up of high-level regional and international speakers. Under the theme "'Excelerate' To Win" the speakers dealt with topics ranging from repositioning the Caribbean in the global economy to the diverse range of equity financing solutions possible for Caribbean enterprises.
While the focus of the conference was the entrepreneur and his business, the welfare of the people of the region was not to be left out. Once again Mr. Harford called on business persons to ensure that they take their constituents along with them on their upward growth paths. He noted that "Without our constituents we would not be here. We must not only be proactive in charting new courses for ourselves but we must ensure that with our every step, they are informed and focused on the vision."
