Bridgetown, Barbados, December 7, 2012. On 27-28 November 2012 in the Bahamas, a new leadership was elected for the fledgling grouping of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA). The election took place during the hosting of the CAIPA Annual General Assembly Conference 2012.
1. Mr. Gabriel Sánchez Gutierrez, representing ProNicaragua, ex-officio Board member 2. Mr. Lestroy Samuel, Executive Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority, past President of CAIPA and current ex-officio Board member 3. Ms. Suzette Hudson, Snr. Investment Promotion Advisor, Caribbean Export Development Agency/CAIPA Secretariat 4. Mr. McHale Andrew, CEO for Invest Saint Lucia and CAIPA Board Director 5. Mr. Kelvin Mahabir, President of invesTT and CAIPA Board Director 6. Mr. Allan Alexander, Deputy Executive Director of InvestSVG and CAIPA Board Director 7. Ms. Lejia Melanie Gideon, Deputy Executive Director of BELTRAIDE and CAIPA Board Director 8. Ambassador Colin Murdoch, Chairman of the Board of Caribbean Export Development Agency/CAIPA Secretariat 9. Dr. Jean Alain Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Centre for Investment and Export for the Dominican Republic, 2nd Vice President of CAIPA 10. Ms. Sancia Bennett-Templer, President of JAMPRO and 1st Vice President of CAIPA 11. Mr. Ronald Theodore, Vice President Promotion and Marketing of the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation and President of CAIPA.
The annual gathering of the Association, which serves as an umbrella grouping for its 19 regional members, was with a bid to: strengthen the regional partnership, provide information on regional best practices in investment promotion, develop a work programme for 2013 and elect a new Board of Directors.
The Board will be led by the newly elected President of CAIPA, Mr. Ronald Theodore of the Grenada Industrial development Corporation (GIDC). Mr. Theodore is the outgoing 1st Vice President of CAIPA, a post he held for 2 years. He is also the Vice President for Marketing and Promotion at the GIDC and has served in the area of investment promotion for the past 11 years.
The other Board representatives include: 1st Vice President, Ms. Sancia Bennett Templer of JAMPRO Ltd.; 2nd Vice President, Dr. Jean Alain Rodriguez of the Centre for Export and Investment in the Dominican Republic.
Four (4) Directors were also elected, namely, Mr. McHale Andrew, CEO of Invest Saint Lucia; Mr. Kelvin Mahabir, President of invesTT; Ms. Cleo Huggins, Executive Director of InvestSVG and Ms. Melanie Gideon, Deputy Executive Director of BELTRAIDE.
The out-going President of CAIPA, Mr. Lestroy Samuel, executive Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) will also serve on the new Board as an ex-officio member, a post reserved for all out-going Presidents to ensure continuity.
Another ex-officio member of the Board is the representative for Central America and the Caribbean on the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, a post that is held at the moment by ProNicaragua.
The current Board will serve for a period of 2 years ending in November 2014.
CAIPA is supported by its Secretariat, the Caribbean Export Development Agency, which is an international organization with a mandate for export and investment promotion, serving the 15 CARIFORUM states.
