Conference Agenda

The Students' Conference 2020 under the theme "The Accounting Profession Post COVID-19" will be held virtually over the course of two (2) days:

• Tuesday November 10, 2020 (8:30 am - 10:30 a.m.) will focus on Digital Transformation -   REGISTER HERE FOR DAY 1

• Wednesday November 11, 2020 (5:00 pm - 6:30 pm) will focus on Workplace Transformation - REGISTER HERE FOR DAY 2

 Students' Conference Agenda

Senator Hon. Kay McConney
Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology

Feature Address
Tuesday November 10, 2020 at 8:35 a.m.

In addition, the Ministry’s remit includes telecommunications oversight and policy development which aims to facilitate a competitive, fully liberalized sector fit for purpose in the 21^st century.

Described by She Caribbean magazine as a “dynamo moving the region forward”, Minister McConney has championed the interests of Barbados, the Caribbean and small vulnerable economies internationally. In 2017, the University of the West Indies honoured her with the Vice Chancellor’s award for outstanding contribution to the international advancement of the Caribbean region.

Minister McConney is a former high-level diplomat at the United Nations (UN); a former negotiator at the World Trade Organisation (WTO); and a former Consul-General in Canada. Before taking up her role as a Senator and a Cabinet Minister in June 2018, she headed a company that specialised in leading strategic change in 21st century environments. In addition, Minister McConney has, for more than a decade, been an expert resource for various international development initiatives.

Dev Ramnarine

Digital Transformation and the Accounting Profession
(Part 1)
Tuesday November 10, 2020  at 9:00 a.m.

He previously worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and international clients such as Citibank, Calumet Specialty Products, Angostura, Petrotrin, GlaxoSmithKline, Caribbean Money Market Brokers and Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited and more.

His quantum leadership approach empowered him to go beyond the books and transform organizations and technology.

Dev is a well-known presenter and lecturer (including ACCA courses). He shares his passion for continuous education at the Trinidad-based Premier Accountancy Specialist School — a leading provider of financial services education in the Caribbean which he co-founded. From intimate audiences to virtual audiences of thousands of people — he loves grounding his mastery by imparting knowledge.

He was born in Trinidad and currently lives in Miami. In his free time, he composes piano arrangements, reads, writes and travels.

Samantha Louis

Digital Transformation and the Accounting Profession 
(Part 2)
Tuesday November 10, 2020 at 9:50 a.m.

Vice President International Advocacy

Samantha Louis is Vice President International Advocacy at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.  The Association is the world’s largest and most influential accounting body, formed from of a joint venture between the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the American institute of Certified Public Accountants.  Prior to this she was Director of the Africa Region of CIMA for whom she has worked for 19 years.  She relocated to London in 2016.

Samantha is a Fellow of CIMA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.   She is a University of the Witwatersrand graduate.  She completed a Masters degree in Business Administration, with distinction, through the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) at the University of Pretoria in 2002.

She has served as a technical advisor to the Professional Accountancy Organisation Development Committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).  Non-executive directorships have included the Board and Executive Committee of the Financial and Accounting Services SETA (FASSET) and Roedean School. She has also served as President of PRISA and Chaired of PRISA’s Accreditation Committee.  She has represented the Africa region on the Board of the Global Alliance for Public Relations.  In 2002 she served on the Accounting Auditing sub-committee of the King Committee on Corporate Governance in South Africa.

                        Nicholas Roberts                                     

Managing Self in a COVID Environment
Wednesday November 11, 2020 at 5:05 pm

Senior Consultant

Nicholas Roberts is a Senior Consultant who currently works at one of the Big 4 professional services firms, advising clients on HR and Management best practices within Barbados and across the Eastern Caribbean.

Nicholas is a self-proclaimed functional introvert and Human Resources practitioner whose passion lies in Human Capital Training & Development, Leadership and holistic organisational Performance Improvement. 

His professional objective is to continually highlight the utility of people; as he believes that they are the greatest asset of any organization - even with the constant technological advancements being made and the advent of Artificial Intelligence within the workplace/force.

                            Shakira Forde                                 

Managing Self in a COVID Environment
Wednesday November 11, 2020 at 5:05 pm

Learning and Development Professional

Shakira Forde is a Learning and Development professional committed to combining her experience as a Theatre Practitioner, with her knowledge and skills in the area of Business Psychology, to transform traditional Training and Development models. She provides engaging, participatory learning experiences through the use of role-play simulation and other forms of experiential methods. Currently, she utilises this methodology to enhance the learning experiences of varying students and employees. Shakira holds a Master’s Degree in Business Psychology, a 1^st Degree in Psychology with Management and an Associate Degree in Theatre Arts.  

Rosalind Jackson

Workplace Transformation
Wednesday November 11, 2020 at 5:45 pm

Rosalind Jackson (Ros) is the Managing Director of Caribbean Catalyst Inc.  She is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ACIS) in the UK and a member of the Society for Human Resource Management in the USA.  She is also a Certified Compensation Professional and a Certified Master Coach.   She also has a Certificate in the Foundations of Neuroscience from the Neuroleadership Institute.

In 2005 Ros took the initiative to establish the Human Resource Consulting Practice of Caribbean Catalyst Inc. Under that banner she continues to provide a wide range of human resource services to may of the large and medium local and regional companies.

Prior to that, Ros had, since 2005, provided the strategic Human Capital leadership for a leading professional services firm in Barbados and then regionally.

Ros has worked extensively with local and offshore clients from several industries on various aspects of their HR development including HR audits, HR operational improvement, HR strategic planning performance management systems, job evaluations, compensation and management training. She is an experienced speaker and workshop facilitator who has many years focused on leadership development and helping clients transform the culture of their organisations.

She sees herself as a catalyst for positive change.
In another life (1973 - 1980) Ros taught Maths in a private secondary school from 2nd form through to 5th form.
Spending time with her family especially her two grand-children is her passion.

Neil Brennan

Workplace Transformation
Wednesday November 11, 2020 at 5:45 pm

Chief Administrative Officer

Neil was appointed to the position of Chief Administrative Officer in November 2018 where he has overall responsibility for CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Human Resources, Property Services, Marketing & Communications, Strategy and Customer Experience functions.

Neil joined CIBC FirstCaribbean in 2004 as Director, Compensation, Benefits & HR Operations until 2009. He returned to CIBC FirstCaribbean in 2012 to the position of Director, Financial Integration and Operations, Human Resources. In this role, he was responsible for the Bank’s compensation and benefits programmes, pension plans and for delivering HR operational support to the business. In 2015 Neil was appointed Managing Director, Human Resources where he had overall responsibility for CIBC FirstCaribbean’s employee policies and programmes.

Prior to joining CIBC FirstCaribbean Neil was Global VP, Human Resources at AET, one of the world’s largest petroleum logistics companies. He has also held a number of consulting positions including Head of UK Benefits Consulting for Arthur Andersen and HR Consulting Services Director, Jardine Lloyd Thompson

Neil has an Honours Bachelor of Engineering degree from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and an Associate of the Pensions Management Institute.