Public and Private Sectors Weigh In On Cayman’s Future

At a press conference on October 10th, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson was joined by Chamber of Commerce President David Kirkaldy and Chief Executive Officer Wil Pineau, alongside Future of Cayman Steering Committee Chairman, Shayne Howe, to announce the 2nd Future of Cayman 2012 Forum to be held this November 23rd.

“Expectations for this year’s Forum are high as it will move us closer to the private-public partnership’s shared vision to improve Cayman’s attractiveness and competitiveness for our residents, future investors, and visitors,” stated Deputy Governor Manderson.

“The continued uncertainty of the international economy encourages us to address the need to intensify our national appeal in order to sustain our prosperity and achieve the best possible quality of life, business climate, employment, and investment opportunities available to us,” Mr. Manderson commented. “The Public Sector is committed to working with the private community to achieve these objectives.”

The upcoming November forum follows on the first national initiative held in 2010 – a comprehensive debate, instituted by the Chamber of Commerce, which ultimately identified five crucial areas of focus deemed essential to Cayman’s economy and which called upon a public-private partnership to: develop talent, create a business-friendly climate, diversify the economy, enhance the quality of life, and build a smarter infrastructure. A driver group and actionable plan was established for each of the five and a set of objectives, along with key performance indicators, developed to measure each group’s progress.

The immediate goals of the event are to raise the profile of the Future of Cayman programme; attract and involve new participants – individuals and businesses; update public and private sector progress so far and the challenges still being faced; unify the Cayman Islands public and private sector leadership; stimulate informed debate; and develop a blueprint for the future of our community.

“This year’s forum will have a slightly different format to the 2010 event, being open to a wider group of attendees and highlighting two of the drivers: Develop Talent and Build a Smarter Infrastructure,” indicated Chamber President Kirkaldy. “We felt it was critical to chart the successes achieved and to enable everyone to see where effort had been focused to date. With so much information to process we felt the need to narrow down the scope of conversation.”

The format for the full-day event, to be held at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, includes a general session with remarks by Deputy Governor Manderson, followed by three, one-hour, interactive breakout sessions for each driver group. Delegates will be invited to select which driver focus they wish to attend. “We are excited about the possibilities of the breakout sessions and look forward to sharing the progress made to date and new ideas going forward,” remarked Steering Committee Chairman Howe. “Confirmed sponsors on board to date include the Caymanian Compass, Tower Marketing, Digicel, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Phoenix Group, and SteppingStones Recruitment.” Continuing, Mr. Howe added, “As more speakers and sponsors are confirmed for the forum, we will make further announcements.”

For further information and updates, please check the Future of Cayman website at www.futureofcayman.com.