The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) elected a new executive board at its recent annual general meeting.
The new chairman is prominent businessman I. Chester Cooper, president & CEO of BAF Financial. Robert Meyers of V Trade Supply was elected as vice chairman, Peter Goudie of PGHJR Consulting is the new secretary, and Hubert Edwards of the Bank of The Bahamas will serve as treasurer.
The BCCEC is the successor organisation of the recently merged Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Employers Confederation. The organisation is the voice of the business community and employers.
In his acceptance address, Cooper noted that the Chamber in The Bahamas is celebrating 215 years plus of existence, and was built on the backs of the hard work of its many past presidents and members. He promised to honor its legacy by providing tangible, value added benefits to members and the business community. Regarding the current political climate, Cooper said: "As we observe the political debate, it is abundantly clear that the BCCEC, civil society and the academic community must lead the type of intelligent bi-partisan debate on the issues that is desperately needed to contribute meaningfully to national development."
Cooper told the meeting that "over the next several weeks we will meet in a strategic planning forum to refine our plans for the year and beyond."
He identified several areas of development on which he intends to focus. Among these are the need to embrace the benefits of the merger with the Bahamas Employers Confederation and bring it to its fullest fruition; a strong focus on business innovation and competitiveness, and the tackling some of the weaknesses exposed in the World Bank's "ease of doing business" in The Bahamas survey.
"We will work in an effective private-public partnership with whichever government is elected, as a catalyst for the creation of a national strategic plan."
Of course, the Chamber's concentration on meeting the continued training needs of the business community will continue, he said. Noting that 70 percent of the Chamber's members are small and mid-sized companies, Cooper committed to developing and launching an SME business mentorship and SME incubator program. He thanked the many benefactors and patrons of the Chamber and vowed to make the BCCEC more entrepreneurial and financially self-sustaining.
In closing, Cooper thanked and commended the outgoing board for its accomplishments, and suggested that in the future, he will ensure that the public is made more aware of the achievements of the Chamber.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian