MEDIA RELEASE
11/08/2026
The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T), in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago, hosted a special dinner with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Monday, August 10, 2026, that brought together senior representatives from the U.S. Government, Philip Kern, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago’s private sector.
The high-level engagement provided an opportunity for candid dialogue on “T&T’s Next Chapter: Energy, Investment, and Supply Chain Security,” with discussions focused on areas of strategic importance to Trinidad and Tobago and its longstanding relationship with the United States.
The dinner brought together leaders from major investors, creating an important platform for exchange on Trinidad and Tobago’s economic outlook and opportunities for deeper U.S.–Trinidad and Tobago commercial cooperation.
Hosting the dinner were Anna Henderson, President of AMCHAM T&T, and Nirad Tewarie, CEO of AMCHAM T&T.
Also in attendance were: Scott Hansen, Political and Economic Counselor; Jeffrey Cernyar, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy; Will Herter, Special Assistant, U.S. Department of State; and senior representatives from the private sector, including David Campbell, President of bp Trinidad and Tobago; Adam Lowmas, Vice President & Country Manager, Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited; Edwin Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Steel and Vanadium; Marc-Kwesi Farrell of Hummingbird AI; Perry Cowart, Vice President, International Development at Curley Midstream; Tom Kelly Manager, Crude & Products Origination, Americas, Exxon and Nigel Noel, Operations Manager at NuIron (NuCor).
Anna Henderson, AMCHAM T&T President, said the event represented an important opportunity for members of the business community to engage directly with senior U.S. Government leadership on issues that will influence Trinidad and Tobago’s economic future.
“We are deeply honoured to welcome Deputy Secretary Landau to Trinidad and Tobago and grateful that he took the time to engage directly with members of our business community. Conversations at this level allow our members to better understand the evolving priorities of the United States while also sharing the opportunities and challenges that are shaping Trinidad and Tobago’s investment and business environment.”
AMCHAM T&T CEO Nirad Tewarie added, “strong relationships are built through dialogue, and we believe engagements like this can help identify areas where Trinidad and Tobago and the United States can deepen cooperation as well as foster greater collaboration among companies themselves. Deep economic relations are the cornerstone of enduring state-to-state relations, so we look forward to even more U.S. investment and expansion of trade between our countries in the near future.”
Tewarie added that AMCHAM T&T remains committed to creating opportunities for meaningful engagement between the private sector and U.S. Government representatives, particularly as Trinidad and Tobago seeks to strengthen its position as a competitive investment destination and strategic regional partner.
Deputy Secretary Landau expressed optimism for the future of economic relations between T&T and the U.S. He stressed that commercial ties are an often-undervalued tool in the development of relations between states and that while there is more to be done, recent investments and continued interest by U.S. firms in T&T are reasons to be optimistic about the deepening of economic relations. He stressed that the United States Government is actively working to support the development of private sector projects that can benefit the local economy and further deepen economic ties between our two countries.
AMCHAM T&T expressed its
appreciation to the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago for its partnership in
coordinating and facilitating the engagement, and for its continued
collaboration towards strengthening the relationship between the United States
and Trinidad and Tobago.
(l-r) Philip Kern, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain; Nirad Tewarie - CEO | AMCHAM T&T; U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau; Anna Henderson - President | AMCHAM T&T
END.
For further questions or comments, please contact: Nirad Tewarie – CEO | AMCHAM T&T at niradtewarie@amchamtt.com.