Executive Director’s Report

misha Lobban-Clarke

INTROduCTION

COvId-19 Pandemic & the Impact on Businesses

2020 was certainly an unprecedented year for businesses not only in Barbados but around the world. no one could have predicted just how life-changing the CoVId-19 pandemic would be for us all. A Central Bank report revealed that the pandemic triggered record global recessionary conditions and significantly depressed productive activity in Barbados for 2020, especially in the tourism and tourism-related sectors.

the implementation of a national shutdown and other emergency measures by the Government of Barbados in response to the pandemic, impacted businesses hard across all productive sectors. many businesses were forced to reduce costs, including wage rates and work hours in order to retain employment levels. Amidst the fallout, other businesses had to effect temporary layoffs and even severance of employees. Locally, businesses have had to retool, re-invent strategies and, in some cases, restructure their operations to remain viable and to ensure business continuity during the ongoing global crisis.

The Chamber’s Response

despite the significant challenges that we faced as a country, we are proud about what we have been able to accomplish as a Chamber during the year. As the trusted voice of the business community with a mandate to facilitate local businesses to grow, the BCCI was responsive in helping the sector survive through the crisis. In the face of the challenges, our priorities from very early in the year focused on lobbying, advocacy, membership and engagement, all aimed at building resiliency and creating new paths to recovery for businesses across all sectors.

As the entire country was forced into crisis management mode, we quickly mobilized and worked diligently to ensure members remained informed, had access to useful and timely resources and most importantly, contributed to the critical macro-economic decisions that impacted business operations. the Chamber was equally proactive in lobbying and engaging the Government on behalf of members of

the business sector prior to and during the period of the national shutdown. Arising from our proactive actions, we witnessed an increase in the level of interest from entities regarding joining the membership of the Chamber during the year – a positive outcome for the BCCI.

KEy INITIATIvES & ACHIEvEMENTS

Member Support

the Chamber was actively involved in representing the membership on critical pandemic-related issues as well as developing and expanding support mechanisms to help members. much attention was placed by the secretariat on effective communication with members and coordinating consultation sessions with subject matter experts and leading Governmental representatives to keep members informed and to support effective decision-making during the crisis.

ongoing communication was very critical to effectively engaging members and stakeholders during the crisis. As such, the Chamber implemented a multifaceted crisis communication action plan which included utilising direct email communication, the BCCI website, and social media platforms to keep membership regularly informed and updated. Collaborative digital groups were also established, such as the WhatsApp group chat for the retailers and distributors and another for Customs and trade facilitation/port to support real time responses and discussion on critical issues. the BCCI secretariat also formulated a plan to support members with their business continuity and resilience efforts. this included providing businesses with guidance and resources as well as hosting online sessions (webinars) to sensitize businesses about opportunities available for innovatively integrating digital technologies as a strategy for creating and delivering new products and services.

COvId-19 Impact Survey

the Chamber conducted a CoVId-19 Impact survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on businesses within its membership and the wider sector. the survey also sought to assess the readiness of companies’ ICt capabilities to address operational requirements arising from the CoVId-19 pandemic. the survey underscored the challenges being experienced by businesses in terms of declining revenues and unsustainable levels of overhead costs. this had a direct impact on their ability to sustain the business modalities and structures that existed pre-pandemic. the survey findings provided a platform for the BCCI to push the membership and wider private sector to increase the utilization of technology to promote diversification and to enhance the delivery of products and services. the BCCI secretariat, with the support of the digital societies Committee, continues to work towards this objective.

Strategic Plan

one of the key initiatives of the Chamber during the year was the completion of a new strategic plan. following a

wide-ranging review of the Chamber’s operations, we completed a comprehensive strategic planning project led by ernst & young (Barbados). this was a broadbased and inclusive process involving the input of the BCCI executive and Council, Committee Chairs, the secretariat, members, and other key stakeholders within the private sector.

We pleased that we now have a new 3-year strategic plan to guide the current and future direction of the Barbados Chamber. this new roadmap approved in november 2020, will inform the BCCI’s evolving role as the leading advocate for businesses in Barbados and will ensure that the Chamber is well-positioned to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of our membership and the wider business community.

Organizational Restructuring

Key to the finalization of the new strategic plan was the reorganization of the secretariat and the redefinition of job descriptions with clear roles and responsibilities aligned with the company’s strategic goals. this will ensure that the Chamber has access to the best resources and skillsets to successfully achieve the agreed strategic initiatives.

during the year, the BCCI formally said farewell to its two long-standing employees - former Business development officer, Carol Charles and former senior Accounting officer, eudene Wright, who retired after serving the BCCI for 40 and 41 years respectively at a formal function. In december, we also bid farewell to former Admin Assistant, Akilah phillips. following a decision by the BCCI Council to close the duty-free facility at the Grantley Adams airport due to significant operating losses, the facility staff requested voluntary redundancy during the last quarter of the year. We thank these members of staff as well as those members of the secretariat who served the organization and acknowledge their contribution to the Chamber during their tenure.

Another element of the restructuring process was a review and revision of existing terms of reference for the standing Committees of the BCCI. this was to ensure alignment with the updated governance structure as outlined in the new strategic plan.

Remote working & ICT Policies

the pandemic served to highlight the importance of strong technical infrastructures and reliable remote work options. It also necessitated the need for rapid digital transformation in the public and private sector to ensure business continuity when circumstances do not allow for regular operations.

A remote Work policy was developed during the year to support remote working for the secretariat staff and to ensure that the operations of the BCCI were not severely disrupted during the national shutdowns and restrictions. the policy forms part of the BCCI’s safety protocols for staff in accordance with Government’s public health guidance aimed at slowing the rate of transmission through social distancing.

A Computer & technology Acceptable use policy was formulated with input from the digital societies Committee. the policy is a key component of the BCCI’s overall information security and network security management frameworks. the primary aim and objective of the policy is to establish and maintain the requirements for the acceptable use of technology, information systems, computers, applications, and networks owned or held by the Chamber.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships

Advocacy and stakeholder engagement remain core functions of the Chamber and during the year, despite the CoVId-19 interruptions, the Chamber was able to further build and effectively leverage strategic partnerships for the benefit of our membership.

In recognition of the importance of building strong partnerships and collaborations, efforts were made to advance the objectives of existing mous and agreements aimed at increasing trade and investment opportunities and provide technical assistance and knowledge sharing for the benefit of the business community. the details of these partnerships and collaborations are included under Highlights for 2020 in this Annual report.

the BCCI continued to contribute to national efforts to address the economic challenges affecting Barbados through our active representation as a member of the BpsA, at the level of the social partnership. As executive director, I represented the Chamber along with the president and other members of the executive at numerous consultative sessions during the year. march through to may were exceptionally demanding as we participated in regular meetings with the prime minister of Barbados, various ministers of Government, the BpsA and other public and private sector officials to discuss and represent the business sector as the Government formulated and implemented plans to mitigate against and manage the CoVId-19 pandemic.

At the regional level, the Chamber’s active participation and input on CArICom traderelated and other matters included:

• CarICom regional specification for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods ongoing meetings and discussions during the year on the CArICom regional specification for the Labelling of prepackaged foods (fopL) which will apply to imports and exports as well as foods which are manufactured locally for consumption. discussions focussed on ensuring a favorable decision on the fopL model that will be best suited for the private sector and its trading partners while underscoring the private sector’s commitment to the national agenda to reduce nCds in Barbados and across the region.

on december 9th, the BCCI partnered with the BpsA and BmA to host a sensitization session to update members of the local private sector on developments with respect to fopL and to ensure that the input of local manufacturers and importers was taken into consideration in

the determination of a common position by the private sector ahead of the fopL regional technical sub-Committee of CrosQ scheduled for december 23rd. the session was attended by dr. patrick Antoine, Consultant, CArICom private sector organization (Cpso) who provided an update on the regional private sector response to fopL. It was agreed that a significant amount of work needed to be done before the private sector could firmly agree on a fopL model and that time needs to be granted to the private sector for a regulatory Impact Assessment on fopL throughout the region. the BCCI continues to participate in stakeholder engagements on this critical matter.

• regional Network of Chambers of

Commerce (CarICham) the Chamber continued to actively provide input as a member of the regional network of Chambers of Commerce (CArICHAm). during the year, the network of chambers shared best practices relating to their respective CoVId-19 response action plan and measures implemented to assist businesses to buffer the impact of the pandemic.

the BCCCI sought the assistance of the regional network of chambers in its lobbying efforts relating to high demmurage charges levied by shipping lines. the intention was to seek a regional approach to lobbying the major shipping lines operating within the region particulalry in light of the impact of the pandemic on trade. • BVI Intra-regional Commerce and

Trade symposium the BCCI president and I participated in the BVI’s Intra-regional Commerce and trade symposium hosted by the premier’s office of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) via Zoom on march 30th, 2020. the objectives of the symposium were to obtain a broad overview of the demands and capabilities of the business sectors in the region with respect to trade within the region and identify obstacles to intraregional trade and recommend solutions, inclusive of logistics and legislative issues. the topics discussed were food security, enhancement of trade in the Caribbean region during CoVId-19 and capacity to meet the needs of Caribbean citizens as opposed to depending on imports from first world countries.

• Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in europe the BCCI facilitated an introductory meeting with the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in europe, to explore possible opportunities for collaboration between both Chambers. the framework for the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in europe (CCCe) is to create a trading platform in response to the logistical challenge facing Caribbean exports.

FuTuRE OuTLOOK

June 2020 marked one year since I assumed the role as the executive director. my mandate from inception was to assist the Chamber in becoming a more visible

and engaged organization and to enhance the value proposition to the members of the Chamber while assisting our members to navigate the challenges facing the business sector locally and globally.

Additionally, I was tasked with improving organizational efficiencies including streamlining the structure and operations of the BCCI secretariat to make it more ‘fit for purpose’, more agile and responsive to the changing and diverse needs of the business sector in Barbados. I am pleased to report that we have made great strides in accomplishing many of these goals. It has been an honour to lead the BCCI, particularly, through a process of change despite the unprecedented threats to businesses due to the impact of the global pandemic.

over the next year, our commitment to you our members remain unchanged. We will continue to leverage new technological innovations to facilitate meaningful engagement and enhanced services and initiatives for members. most importantly, we will continue to ensure that the BCCI has a seat at the table local and regionally to represent the interest of the business community. As we look towards 2021, we forge on with the recognition that every crisis offers an opportunity to innovate, grow and create new ideas, new services and new modalities for how we function and grow our organizations.

APPRECIATION

We take this opportunity to thank those who joined the Chamber for the first time during the year. We embrace your decision to join as an indication of the essential role we play in supporting the needs of businesses across all sectors. We also thank our loyal members for staying the course and for supporting the continued growth and development of the Chamber. We commit to doing all that we can to live up to our longstanding ethos, no matter the economic climate.

finally, I record appreciation to the BCCI president, trisha tannis, the executive and Council, Committee Chairs, volunteers, partners and sponsors who all contributed to ensuring that the Chamber successfully achieved its goals and initiatives for 2020. I also wish to thank the hardworking staff of the secretariat for their unwavering support and tenacity despite the increased demands and challenges created by the pandemic during the year.

Misha Lobban Clarke

Executive Director