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27th Anniversary Annual Lecture.
Title: "The Interdependence of Social Security and Economic Growth"

  
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[About the speaker | Overview of Lecture | Lecture in Pictures ]

OVERVIEW OF LECTURE

Economic Growth is a necessary prerequisite for Poverty Reduction and Socio-Economic Well-Being. Successful Business Enterprises stimulate Economic Growth. The Passion of an Entrepreneur coupled with the optimal combination of 'Management' and 'Financial Investment' enhances the chances of Sustainable Business Success. Indeed, 'Effective Management' is the Collateral that provides the Security for Seed Capital and Equity Investment.

The collection and prudent investment of contributions by the National Insurance Corporation ensures that every St Lucian enjoys Social and Financial protection as well as assists with the development of the Nation. Economic Growth augments the contributions and strengthens the Corporation. An argument will be made for Investment by the Corporation in Enterprise Development, with 'Management' as the collateral. This will not only stimulate the development of the Nation but in so doing will also boost the Corporation's Image and Stability.

The 3rd Annual Lecture was held on Thursday 6th April, 2006
Conference Room, 5th Floor, NIC building at 7:00 pm

DR. BASIL G.F. SPRINGER (Feb 2006)

Dr Basil Springer

Dr. Basil G. F. Springer is a Barbadian who trained as a mathematician, statistician and operations research scientist. He practiced as a Biometrician in the Faculty of Agriculture, UWI, Trinidad; the Caribbean Community Secretariat; Food & Agriculture Organization; and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, between 1968/77.

He was a Management Consulting pioneer (1977) in Barbados and established Systems Caribbean Limited which was sold, in 2000, to local interests as the largest indigenous business development consulting firm in the Caribbean. During this period he specialized in Project Management primarily in the areas of Agricultural Development and Tourism Linkages to other sectors in Caribbean economies.

Dr. Springer, as a Consultant with the Caribbean Development Bank (1998-2001), had a mandate to establish an initiative to diversify the economies in the Caribbean by developing what are now called ‘sunrise’ enterprises to replace the fading ‘sunset’ industries such as commodity sugar and bananas. To this end he established and now leads the charge, as a change-engine consultant, with the private sector-led Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. (CBET).

CBET has recently repositioned itself to promote ‘The CBET Shepherding Model ™ which partners with the entrepreneur (or institution) from concept to sustainable business success. CBET is characterized by seven business drivers which are promoted as necessary and sufficient for sustainable business success. CBET is in its fifth year and its domicile is in St. Lucia. CBET has developed several business plans for the sugar cane, cotton, agri-business, renewable energy, recreation, media, seed capital and film sectors.

Now that the CBET model has been demonstrated to be a useful model, Dr. Springer is leading CBET into an Enterprise Development mode which is characterised by the effective optimal partnership between the entrepreneurial opportunity, management practice and appropriate financial instrument to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty as the entrepreneur embarks on a journey from business concept to sustainable business success.

He is a proponent of the Smart Partnership philosophy at the regional, national and company level as a necessary condition for sustainable socio-economic development. Dr. Springer was Chairman, Barbados Agricultural Marketing Corporation (1981/4). He was Chairman, Barbados National Productivity Council (1996/2001), was Deputy Chairman, Barbados National Bank (1994/2003) and a member of other public and private sector boards.

He was founder President of the Barbados Cancer Society and served in that capacity over the period 1980-2000. He is now its honorary Treasurer. He is a regular public speaker, a weekly newspaper columnist (since 1993), a Rotarian and is Chairman of Counterpart Caribbean, a charitable trust and a member of the Counterpart International sustainable development family. In the 2000 Independence honours, he was awarded the Order of Barbados, Gold Crown of Merit (GCM).