Congrats to Mark Edghill, new President, TTCSI
May 12th, 2021 | Related To: The Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI)
Remarks to Members at Annual General Meeting
April 30th, 2021
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors at TTCSI and the Immediate Past President, Ms. Lara Quentrall–Thomas, for their unwavering support and commitment to this association during what has been an especially challenging time for the services sector.
Lara is a woman whom I have long had the greatest respect and admiration for and her drive and dedication to executing TTCSI’s vision was instrumental and evident as we collectively battled new ways of doing business in a post-pandemic environment. An environment that continues to pose challenges up to this day.
I want to acknowledge the hard work of Team TTCSI and our extremely competent, hardworking and energetic CEO, Ms. Vashti Guyadeen, who, in her short time, has already made a significant impression on this organization.
And most importantly – our members – without whom we would not have a mandate. Our members have stepped up their game and pivoted their businesses while adjusting to a ‘new normal’. This survival instinct must be commended and used as a launchpad to develop new revenue streams and ways of doing business in the years ahead. We, at the TTCSI, are here to support those efforts.
As your new President, I intend to continue to develop on the foundation built by all our past presidents and all those who have served the TTCSI over the past 15 years.
During my term I intend is to further assess the opportunities that exist or that can be developed for each of our members in their respective sectors and identify the obstacles preventing the full capitalization of these opportunities and to develop plans to remove or work around those obstacles.
The TTCSI represents a significant portion of the lifeblood of our economy with enormous and growing potential. We need the necessary support and professional consideration from the government to establish and cement our position in the Global Services marketplace. Policymakers need to listen and be guided by the Professionals in their areas of expertise to precisely guide the future of the various sectors and not be subjected to having to operate within a framework that hinders progress. Our voice needs to be heard now more than ever with the present state of our economy and the unfortunate ongoing repercussions of the COVID pandemic.
We need to work to stabilize this economy and source long-term opportunities to attract foreign investment and bring new streams of foreign exchange to our shores.
We need to work closely with our line ministers, the PSs and our members to identify the disconnects between our local policies, international operational standards and practices, and bridge the gaps in order to move forward sustainably and into new revenue opportunities.
I intend to encourage a solution-driven approach to dealing with our challenges and with new critical thinking and analysis of where we are and where we want and need to go, I am confident we can make the changes to get there.
To begin this process, my immediate goal is to reach out to each member President to sensitize myself with their specific challenges and needs and for discussions on developing a blueprint on how we will collectively and collaboratively work together to propel our economy forward.
I am aware that this is a very optimistic outlook, however, I am confident, and we all need to confident, that we can influence the changes necessary for our survival and growth. The TTCSI has demonstrated this past year, that more than ever, it is resilient and prepared for what lies ahead and capable of doing the work that is necessary to achieve our mandate.
Early next week, I will be convening a meeting with all Presidents and Heads of our Member Associations to discuss the latest effects and a response to this most recent lockdown. And more importantly, we must put our heads together to map long-term solutions and responses to the pandemic.
I want to thank you all for your support and I look forward to collaborating with our members and stakeholders.
