WLC 2023 Speakers
Toni Sirju-Ramnarine
President - AMCHAM T&T
Toni Sirju-Ramnarine holds the position of Vice President, Corporate Operations at LNG producer Atlantic. Toni has senior strategic leadership oversight of Digital Strategy; Information and Technology Systems; Sustainability and Corporate Communications; Administration and Property Services; and Strategy and Optimisation. With over 25 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry, Toni has held senior leadership responsibilities within the fields of Engineering, Business Development, Project Development and Management, Corporate Communications, Planning and Information Technology.
In 2021, she became the third woman to hold the post of President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T) and was re-elected to serve a second term in 2022. That same year, she was also appointed to the Board of Directors at Republic Bank Limited. She is also the Director of the Loan for Enterprise and Network Development (LEND) and of the Structural Engineering firm, KS&P Ltd. She is also a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago.
Her Excellency Candace A. Bond
U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
Ambassador Bond leads U.S. foreign policy goals in Trinidad and Tobago that strengthen citizen security; advance sustainable and equitable economic growth with an investor-friendly business climate; promote laws, regulations, and best practices focused on good governance and anti-corruption; and build capacity to enhance climate resiliency, and a transition towards clean and renewable energy production.
Prior to her posting in Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Bond was a business owner, consultant, and social entrepreneur who specialized in helping public and private sector entities to develop innovative, effective, and scalable solutions to address the socioeconomic and environmental needs of local communities. She advised businesses and nonprofits on tangible ways to promote environmental sustainability, community development, affordable housing, quality education, health equity, and corporate governance. She had a distinguished career as a senior executive of major media and entertainment companies, and also served on several boards and in leadership positions pertaining to public education, health and wellness, housing, economic development, entrepreneurship, bioscience, clean energy, and energy sustainability.
Gayle Pazos
Senior Vice President and Head, Caribbean South & East and Managing Director, Trinidad & Tobago - Scotiabank
Gayle Pazos is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago and Head of Scotiabank’s Caribbean South & East operations.
Over her 25+ year career with Scotiabank, Gayle has held a number of progressively senior leadership roles locally, including Head of Corporate and Commercial Banking, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. In 2019, as part of her leadership development, Gayle was seconded to a position within Western Canada, leading a large Retail Distribution team. She returned to Trinidad and Tobago in 2021 to take up her present role.
Gayle is currently a Director on various Scotiabank subsidiary boards, and serves as a Director on the Board of United Way Trinidad and Tobago.
Frances Bain-Cumberbatch
Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer -
Ansa McAl
Frances Bain-Cumberbatch, an Attorney-at-law, is the Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer at ANSA McAL Limited, the holding company of the largest indigenous conglomerate in the Caribbean. She is the Corporate Secretary to the Board of ANSA McAL Limited and is a director on the Board of ANSA Bank Limited.
Frances brings 16 years of corporate experience to her current role of leading the ANSA McAL Group’s Legal, Corporate and External Affairs, Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management functions and is a member of the Group’s Executive Leadership Team.
In the last two years, her portfolio of responsibility has expanded to include the Group’s Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Her responsibility in the new Internal Audit and ERM framework which embeds a culture of risk management through a systematic and disciplined approach to governance, risk management and control processes. She also leads the Group’s Sustainability agenda which includes embedding the Group’s ESG strategy across business operations in every jurisdiction.
Aleeya Ali
Managing Director Proman Operations -
Proman
As Managing Director of Operations in Trinidad, Aleeya manages three divisions across the Proman family of companies that produce methanol, anhydrous ammonia, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) and melamine. The divisions provide a range of plant and project management services to 14 chemical plants owned and operated by Proman in Trinidad and Tobago. Aleeya is instrumental in her team’s delivery of best-in-class support across all facilities, to ensure that operations excellence is maintained throughout the Point Lisas business.
Aleeya is in her 18th year with the Proman family of companies, having worked on a wide range of initiatives across the petrochemical processes and operations segments of the business. She has had considerable experience in key company projects that include the design, construction and commissioning phases of the Ammonia Urea Melamine (AUM) Complex and the mature operating phases of the Ammonia and Methanol Plants.
Carina Cockburn
Country Representative - Inter-American Development Bank
Carina Cockburn is an Economic Development professional and Change Leader with over 20 years’ ofof experience in the public and private sector. Her core competencies include Strategic Planning, Change Management and Project Portfolio Management.
For over 10 years, Carina has served in a variety of positions at the Inter-American Development Bank and was appointed Country Representative for Trinidad & Tobago in April 2021. She has also worked extensively across the Caribbean region as a project manager and consultant, including assignments with the Lascelles Group and Prime Asset Management in Jamaica and the Sagicor group in Barbados. She has worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (now DFATD), the UK’s development agency DFID and also served as the Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance in Jamaica.
Olivia Constantine
HR Director - Unicomer (Trinidad) Limited
Olivia Constantine is a Human Capital and Business Strategist, Change Practitioner, and Transformation Specialist with over 15 years of experience in the field of human resources. She is currently the Director of Human Capital at Unicomer Trinidad Ltd., a multinational retailing and consumer finance group. Her focus on human resources transformation and maturity in a digital environment, as well as her proven track record in partnering with the strategic business agenda, has allowed her to thrive in complex environments with a focus on ‘big picture’ thinking, supported by transparency, integrity, and a focus on human capital value and engagement.
Olivia has experience in organizational culture design, organizational design and development, communication and employee relations, risk management, compensation and benefits management, project management and application of change management methodologies, data analytics, public sector transformation related to policy reform and citizen services, and business strategy design and implementation.
Amy Lazarri
Chief Human Resource Officer - Ansa McAl
Amy Lazzari was appointed as ANSA McAL’s Chief Human Resource Officer, effective April 19, 2021. She is responsible for developing and executing human resource strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the Group. Her focus is on talent and succession planning with oversight of the Group’s Human Resources and Employee Relations/Industrial Relations functions.
From 2010 to 2016, Amy held successive HR positions in the Group with responsibility for Change Management, Transformation and Talent. Before re-joining the ANSA McAL Group, she held the role of Senior HR Business Partner at British American Tobacco, with responsibility for the Caribbean regional HR agendas.
Ms Lazzari began her HR career with ten years work experience in Canada, with various multi-national organizations and has also served on the Boards of the TTMA and Standards Distributors Ltd.
Aché Abrahams
Miss World Trinidad and Tobago 2023
Aché Abrahams hails from Maracas Valley and attended St Joseph’s Convent, St. Joseph where she completed her CSEC examinations. She then travelled to London, U.K. to complete her A-levels. She is a passionate advocate for human rights, which led her to work experience at the Herbert Smith Freehills law firm in London on her journey to become a lawyer. She decided to switch career paths to become an actress, and believes that she can make a difference through her art and platform. She studied at the Identity School of Acting in London.
She returned to Trinidad and Tobago in 2022 after completing her studies and also a modelling stint with the Wilhelmina Modelling Agency in the UK. She is now pursuing her journey to the Miss World crown since winning the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago 2022 Pageant.
Richard Westell
General Manager - Hyatt Trinidad
Richard Anthony Westell, a 30-year Hospitality veteran educated in the UK who continues to learn, develop new skills and grow, working all over the world with Hyatt. Currently Richard is enjoying being the GM at Hyatt Regency Trinidad and brings to the table over 15 year’s experience and insight, in that role, from over 10 different hotels in 7 different countries.
Richard’s North Star is creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone has the ability to grow and achieve their best version of themselves and is driven to make sure that local talent achieves its true potential in every destination.
Richard continues to drive innovation and change in this ever-changing post COVID environment and enhancing the Hyatt reputation in Trinidad.
Giselle Thompson
Vice President - Corporate Operations - bpTT | Director - AMCHAM T&T
Giselle Thompson is the Head of communications and advocacy & vice president - corporate operations for bp Trinidad and Tobago. In this role she holds accountability for the corporate functions of Communications and advocacy and Facilities and management services. In addition to this portfolio, she is also our low carbon sponsor for the bpTT leadership team.
Giselle is responsible for the management of the company’s external facing strategy and reputation. This includes the management of the company’s internal and external communications and overseeing all interactions between bpTT and external stakeholders including the government, business partners and the community. Giselle first joined bpTT in 2005 as Corporate Brand Manager and was promoted to VP Communications and External Affairs in 2007 and then to VP Corporate Operations in 2013.
Anita Gajadhar
Executive Director Marketing Logistics & Shipping - PROMAN
Anita is Executive Director of Marketing and Logistics at Proman Limited, leading both Proman Shipping and Helm Proman Methanol. She is also a member of Proman’s Global Executive Leadership team, the steering team for Proman’s global strategy.
Anita has twenty (20) years’ experience within the energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago and Europe. She has worked for companies in the Proman family for over seventeen years, including as Commercial Manager at MHTL. She also sits on the Boards of MHTL, CNC and N2000 and is the Chairperson of the Boards of Proman Stena Bulk and the Methanol Institute, which is the trade association for the global methanol industry.
Anita is proficient in Spanish and German and holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University and a BSc (Hons) in Management and Finance from The University of the West Indies.
Sharon Christopher
CEO - Sharon Christopher and Associates
Sharon Christopher is the founder and CEO of Sharon Christopher and Associates. She is a Leadership Development Coach, a Motivational Speaker and an Attorney at Law.
For many years she was the only woman in an Executive team, that successfully led the merger, of three indigenous banks, during a severe economic downturn, turning the merged Institution (First Citizens) into a financial powerhouse with operations in five jurisdictions in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Ms. Christopher has a particular interest in developing women for leadership roles and continues to successfully coach women in this regard. Her clients include women in Trinidad and Tobago and in the wider Caribbean.
She has held/continues to hold Directorships on over 30 Boards in both the public , private and NGO sector of local ,regional and international companies. In 2021, National Awards she was given the country’s second highest award, the Chaconia Medal Gold for Business, Banking and Finance and Leadership
Vicki Assevero
International Lawyer, Social Entrepreneur & Founder/Executive Director Green Market Santa Cruz
Vicki Assevero is an international lawyer and social entrepreneur with a unique blend of policy, strategic and legal consulting skills coupled with deep cross-cultural experience. She also has expert negotiating and mediation expertise related to stakeholder engagement and has over thirty years of professional experience advising a wide range of public and private clients focused on sustainable development of blue/green economies.
Vicki's CAREER HIGHLIGHTS include the following:
Conceptualizer, Caribbean Sustainable Coastline Authority
Inaugural Senior Fellow Caribbean Initiative, The Atlantic Council
Founded Green Market Santa Cruz in 2012 - a sustainable community supported agricultural ecological enterprise within a farmers’ market
Designed and led a collaborative alliance of major U.S. and foreign non governmental organizations demonstrating a new model for coordinated social action on poverty alleviation in West Africa
Tracey Weekes
Manager - Financial and Strategic Investments - The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago
Tracey A Weekes is currently Manager, Financial & Strategic Investments at The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC). She is an Actuary and CFA Charterholder, with expertise and experience in treasury, finance and investments, pension restructuring and management and innovation in financial services. Tracey has led as well as contributed to initiating and managing change in financial systems in organisations over the years.
Presently, Tracey is focused on identifying, assessing and recommending equity investments in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space as part of NGC’s evolving investment portfolio. Over the past year, she has deepened her technical knowledge and skills in this emerging field to guide the company’s future growth to achieve its ambitious targets under its “Green Agenda” initiative. Tracey successfully completed the online certificate ESG Investing course, offered by the Colombia Business School Executive Education and continues to share her knowledge with colleagues to contribute to building a strong NGC ESG team.
Nirad Tewarie
CEO - AMCHAM T&T
Nirad is the CEO of AMCHAM T&T. He has been a proponent of the expansion of the tech sector in T&T for almost two decades. He has varied experience in media, communications, international relations, and business. He has served on the Board of the Telecommunications Authority of T&T. Among the boards on which he currently sits is a US-based Fintech startup and a local private equity company
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. His work has been featured by local and international media houses including The Miami Herald. 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. He has served on the Board of the Telecommunications Authority of T&T, the Indian Caribbean Museum and Vision on Mission Prisoner Rehabilitation Programme among others.
Angélique Parisot-Potter
Executive Vice President, Business Integrity & Group General Counsel - Massy Group | Director - AMCHAM T&T
Angélique Parisot-Potter has created, driven and implemented business integrity programmes for over 10 years to protect companies and their brands. As the General Counsel of Massy Group, Angélique oversees the legal affairs globally, including commercial, litigation, industrial relations, regulatory and compliance matters, investigations and corporate transactions.
Over the last 30 years, Angélique has lived and worked in the Middle East, UK, Latin America and the Caribbean, gaining a breadth of multicultural and transdisciplinary experience. She spent 15 years in the oil & gas sector in senior roles such as Vice President, HR, Business Administration & Compliance in Egypt; Senior Counsel, Ethical, Compliance & Governance in Trinidad & Tobago; Regional Commercial Counsel in Brazil and Commercial Counsel in the UK, where she is also qualified as a solicitor. She has experience in the financial, construction and environmental sectors.
Tricia De La Rosa
Vice President AML/ATF & Compliance, English Caribbean - Scotiabank
Tricia De La Rosa–Camacho is the Vice President Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) & Compliance for Scotiabank English Caribbean. She was appointed to this role in September 2021, after holding various Audit and Finance positions at Scotiabank Trinidad & Tobago - Chief Auditor, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant General Manager, Management Reporting.
She brings 20+ years experience in Internal & External Audit, Financial Analysis & Reporting, Corporate Governance & Supply Chain Management. Prior to Scotiabank, she held several progressively senior roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, RBTT Merchant Bank, BP, Digicel and McCann Erickson.
Tricia is a Chartered Accountant (C.A), a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) and holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction. She is also a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT)..
Aliyah Hamel-Smith
Managing Director - ExeQtrust
Aliyah Hamel-Smith has been an accomplished Attorney-at-Law for over two decades, with experience in both the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to her law degree from the University of the West Indies, Mrs. Hamel-Smith holds an MBA from the Oxford-Brookes University.
She spent close to a decade of her career at RBC Royal Bank, where she started as an attorney, was promoted to head up its Trust company and then was made responsible for the Bank’s regional financial planning arm. Subsequently she took on the position of Vice-President – BPO/Shared Services Development at the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Centre, following which she became the CEO of two affiliated insurance brokerage and employee benefits companies.
Given her passion to ease the daunting tasks of Financial Planning and Estate Administration, Mrs. Hamel-Smith recently established ExeQtrust Limited, an end-to-end, technology-driven, Future Planning company of which she is the Managing Director. She currently serves on the boards of NFM, Admiral Capital, JMMB Bank & Express Limited and LJ Williams Ltd , as well as being a strategic advisor to various charities and associations.
Eva Mitchell
CEO - The Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange
Eva Mitchell is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange Limited (TTSE) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Trinidad and Tobago Central Depository Limited (TTCD). Ms. Mitchell joined The Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange Limited (TTSE) in 2016 as Manager – Market Operations, with the responsibility of overseeing the daily market operations of The Exchange.
She has over 19 years’ experience in various areas of financial services such as Finance, Asset Management, Retail and Commercial Banking, and Brokerage Services. She holds a BSc. (Hons.) in Business Management from the University of New Brunswick and a MSc. in International Finance from the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business.
In October 2020, Ms. Mitchell assumed the position of Acting CEO of the TTSE, with overall responsibility for business development and operations of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the TTCD. In April 2021, Ms. Mitchell was appointed Chief Executive Officer of both Companies.
Paul Pantin
Director - E Couriers Limited/E Zone
Paul Pantin is the Director of Director of E Couriers Ltd.
Prior to joining E Couriers Ltd, Paul held the position of Director of PBF Air & Ocean Services, Director of Courier Plus Systems Inc., Director of Giscad Ltd. (GPS Tracking) and Director of XLA (Express Delivery and Logistics Association USA)
Between 2001- 2003, Paul also was the President of the Air Express Association of Trinidad and Tobago where he was responsible for liaising with the Airports Authority, Trinidad & Tobago Customs, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, and other various international bodies in the industry.
He is a former Director on the Board of FEEL (The Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life) which is an umbrella charity that supports other charities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Paul is currently the chairperson of AMCHAM T&T's Express Logistics Committee and a Member of the Trade and Investment Committee. These duties include attending monthly meetings, organization of events, planning and advising the executive on Chamber business.
Andrea Davis
Country Manager - DHL | Director - AMCHAM T&T
Andrea Davis is the Country Manager of DHL Express Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. local arm of the Deutsche Post DHL Group - the world’s leading mail and logistics company. Andrea is responsible for the leadership and management of DHL Express business activities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Before joining the DHL Group in 2017, Davis was instrumental in driving the success of Digicel Trinidad sales operation as Sales Manager and supported its operations in the South Pacific, Barbados, Suriname and Haiti. Davis also served as Product and Sales Manager at Columbus Communications Ltd, successfully driving revenue growth and profitability within its SME sector.
With 16 plus years in the field of sales and marketing, business development, customer experience, organizational development and transformation, and Strategic Management, Davis has developed a sound base for understanding the organisation from a systemic perspective. With an in-depth understanding of the anatomy of organisations and the underlying drivers for success, Davis has been instrumental in the business development of several entrepreneurial start-up and small businesses and has worked across several public sector organisations driving and implementing change and performance improvement initiatives.
Dr Elaine Monica Davis
Physician, Consultant & Former Lecturer at the U.W.I.
Dr Elaine Monica Davis is a Caribbean medical practitioner and physiologist with keen interest in the fields of preventive health and wellness, global sustainability, wellbeing and resilience. For close to four decades she has been a pioneer, teacher, mentor and advocate in the aforementioned areas and other national, regional and global health-related concerns.
As a community clinician, she held the positions of Secretary and Public Relations Officer of the General Practitioners’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago sequentially for nine years. As a UWI lecturer she taught and mentored students at undergraduate and graduate levels in Medical Sciences and graduate programmes in Environmental Engineering, while concurrently holding the post of Associate Dean for Public Relations, Communications and Special Projects at The UWI’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, St Augustine campus.
Melissa Pierre
Senior Trade and Policy Specialist - AMCHAM T&T
Melissa Pierre is the Senior Trade and Policy Specialist Officer at the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T). Ms. Pierre brings 15 years of strong leadership and corporate experience in trade facilitation, export promotion, marketing and event management.
Ms. Pierre currently represents AMCHAM T&T at the Joint Consultative Customs Committee (JCCC) which is working on improving efficiencies at our Ports and improving the Ease of Doing Business in T&T with representatives of the Chambers of Commerce, Customs and Excise, Shipping Association, and the Ministry of Finance. Ms. Pierre also served as the representative, and now alternate, on the National Trade Facilitation Committee. In her capacity, she has led AMCHAM T&T’s trade mission portfolio having attended and coordinated several trade missions to increase investment opportunities and competitiveness for local businesses operating in T&T.
Stéphane Picarle
General Manager, Commercial - Shell
Stéphane is Shell T&T’s General Manager Commercial. In his role, he is accountable for the commercial management of the existing business and commercial aspects of new businesses such as Manatee gas field development and the solar power project developed in partnership with bp and Lightsource-bp. Stéphane also has oversight on all economic analyses and many strategic aspects.
Stéphane joined Shell in 2001 and has held a variety of commercial, new business development and governance roles in Downstream, Upstream and Integrated Gas businesses. Stéphane worked in France, Senegal, Netherlands, Gabon and UK. A red thread in Stéphane’s career is a clear intent to remain very close to the technical, industrial and safety aspects of Shell’s activities.
Stéphane is a French national and has a scientific academic background. He graduated as a chemical engineer with Masters’ degrees from “Chimie Paris Tech” and the “French Institute of Petroleum”. Stéphane also holds an MBA from Sorbonne University. Prior to joining Shell, Stéphane started in the industry in 1999 with ExxonMobil as a process engineer in oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing.
Greer Quan
CEO - Pan American Life Insurance Group
Greer Quan joined Pan-American Life Insurance Group (PALIG) as Chief Operations Officer – Caribbean on December 1, 2014. In this role, she initially assumed responsibility for the Operations of the Individual Line of Business, Information Technology and Quality Assurance and shortly after, Group Business, Client Relations and Pensions Administration also fell under her remit.
Mrs. Quan has over fifteen years’ experience in the Banking and Financial Services sector and an extensive background in Operations Management, including project management, process re-engineering, legal, procurement, facilities management and human resources. Prior to joining Pan-American Life, she served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT).
On January 1, 2017, Greer assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer for 13 countries in the Caribbean in which Pan-American Life has a presence including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, 6 Eastern Caribbean Islands, 4 Dutch Caribbean Islands and Cayman Islands.
