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MEET OUR SPEAKERS

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​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​REGISTER HE​​​​RE

Nirad Tewarie, Chief Executive Officer, AMCHAM T&T

OPENING REMARKS 

Nirad Tewarie is the CEO of AMCHAM T&T. He has more than twenty-five years’ experience in media, communications, management, education and international relations. Nirad is also the Chairman of C15 studios, a Member of the Board of Directors of Aspire Fund Management, and the Loan for Enterprise and Network Development.

Passionate about youth development and using his expertise for good, Nirad is the Chairman of the 50-year-old, San Juan Jabloteh Sports Club and Manager of the Hillview College Football Teams, where he oversaw the promotion of the Senior Team to the Championship Division of the Secondary Schools’ Football League after just one season.

Nirad was formerly the CEO of the T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI), Chairman of the Caribbean Network of Services Coalitions, a member of the Communications and Public Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK and a columnist for the Trinidad Guardian.

A keen supporter of the arts, Nirad is an Associate Producer of Bazodee the Movie, and the former Chairman of the Cabinet Appointed Fashion Industry Development Committee.

Nirad holds a BSc. in Mass Communications from Florida International University and an MSc in International Relations from the Institute of International Relations, UWI. He regularly speaks at regional conferences on matters related to technology & economic development.

Senator the Honourable Leroy Baptiste, Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Senator the Honourable Leroy Baptiste took his oath of office as Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development on May 3, 2025.

Senator Baptiste is a Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations professional with expertise in the execution of business strategy. He holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

Senator Baptiste spent 30 years as a trade unionist with the Public Services Association (PSA) and served as its President from January 1, 2022, to March 12, 2025.

As a trade unionist, Senator Baptiste has been at the forefront of major negotiations and has extensive experience in collective bargaining, dispute resolution, strategic planning, and strategic human resource management.

He has provided consultancy services to a number of public- and private-sector organisations, as well as trade unions, in the areas of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management. Senator Baptiste served as a Director on the Board of the Environmental Management Authority, a Governor on the Board of the Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies, a Director of Trintoplan, and a member of the transition team at the Water and Sewerage Authority. As an Industrial Relations professional, he has also been involved in the restructuring of organisations within the Public Service.

The knowledge gained throughout his career, together with his experience as a trade unionist and his strategic ability to align Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management, has significantly benefited the many organisations and individuals with whom he has worked.

His personal mantra is: “A people without a vision will perish.”

Senator Baptiste also believes that: “A man has but one youth, and considering the consequences of employing that well, he has reason to think himself very rich, for that gone, all the wealth in the world will not purchase another.” — Sir R. North

Gerard Rajkumar, Head Judge, National Excellence in HSE Awards and Lead Consultant, Sygma Environmental 

HEAD JUDGE REMARKS

Gerard Rajkumar is a professional with 23 years’ experience in the field of Health, Safety and the Environment. In this time, he has worked on projects entailing environmental monitoring, management plans and audits, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality (including mould and COVID-19), noise monitoring, health and safety audits and project oversight, asbestos abatement, bioremediation and carbon calculations and inventory.

As part of this journey, he headed the Environmental Unit at CARIRI where he was involved in major projects in the HSE field.

In 2012, he established Sygma Environmental, where his work continued in conducting Indoor Air Quality and Sick Building Syndrome investigations for both the public and private sector as well as for residential clients. At Sygma Environmental he also was involved in health, safety and environmental gap analyses and management plans for organizations and large-scale construction projects in the east, central and south Trinidad. Work has continued both Trinidad and Tobago as well as throughout the country and region in areas such as Barbados, Guyana, and St. Kitts. In all, he has worked on over 400 HSE projects.

As part of his duties, he has presented at several conferences such as the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Conference, the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC) Facilities Management Conference and breakfast seminars, as well as for the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI).

He currently heads the AMCHAM HSE Awards Committee and serves as the Head Judge, with a vision to expand the awards to becoming a truly national award, nurturing and cultivating the mindset of health, safety and environmental practice and appreciation of the country.

Gerard is a Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE) and is a member of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA). He possesses certification from NEBOSH (UK), Asbestos Inspection and Management from AHERA, and has been trained in conducting Greenhouse Gas Inventories via ISO 14064-1.

He Possesses a BSc and an MSc in Natural Resources Management from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine and Cave Hill respectively.

Outside of work, his passion for HSE has led to Sygma Environmental’s active participation and sponsorship in initiatives such as the Green Screen Film Festival, the New Fire Environment and Music Festival, and World Meteorological Day.