CEO's Message
Celebrating Excellence, Building on Progress
Over the past three decades, AMCHAM T&T has become more than just the preferred private-sector business organization in Trinidad and Tobago. This is the place some 300 members return to every year and call HOME. For this, we are eternally grateful to each of these companies and the individuals with whom we would engage on a regular basis for their unwavering support and commitment throughout the years.
Today, we can say that the success of three decades as an organisation isn’t measured only by our membership rate, the number of successful events we host, or the positive headlines we generate. For us, the growth over the past three decades is testimony to the importance of our shared values. It's the creation of a cultural shift in our nation where we brought, and continue to bring, more voices to the table, increased communities of trust and collaboration amongst diverse groups and created more opportunities for both businesses and citizens to reap the rewards of their hard work.
A free and fair market, level playing field, and economic and social mobility underpin our vision. This vision drives our decision-making on every issue. Challenges are not seen as problems but rather opportunities to create impactful change for our citizens and communities. It is this value-driven mindset we adopted to achieve gender parity on our board, transformed the culture of health and safety across many industries, promoted the rule of law in our society, enhanced trade and investment opportunities for the business class, and advocated for technology as a viable sector for future growth and development. Indeed, our accomplishments are long, but our work is far from over - even as we celebrate, we understand that there is still so much left to do.
The next three decades and beyond will not see us relenting on this important work. The cultural shift needed to advance the possibilities that lie before us requires an approach that is collaborative, unifying, and engaging. Sometimes, the issues will be complex. Other times, our fears will deter us from taking swifter action. We will have differences and we may butt heads from time to time. However, if our shared and collective values are built around increasing fairness, opportunities, and basic human rights, we will always find the goalpost, TOGETHER.
So, as we reflect on our accomplishments and look toward the next thirty years, I hope that our values continue to connect us to do the work that is necessary to hurtle our nation confidently and brightly into the future.
The articles in this issue of Linkage will share a little of our journey through positive reflections and promising hopes for the future. I hope you enjoy what we offer, and I look forward to working with you and on your behalf through our work here at AMCHAM T&T.