BVI business consultants will soon have the opportunity to bid on regional and international projects under the European Union (EU) portfolio.

Consultants in the BVI, and other Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) who are inducted into the Chapter of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants (CICMC), will receive opportunities to be certified and trained.

 They will then be added to the pool of certified consultants who can bid on EU and other donor funded projects and initiatives being implemented in the OCTs, the Caribbean region, and abroad.

The OCT chapter of CICMC was launched in the BVI on Thursday, April 6.

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, OBE in remarks said that he was pleased to announce that the Caribbean OCTs have risen to the challenge of successfully managing their own regional project — a historic first for implementation of EU funded projects.

Premier Smith said the initiative is consistent with Government’s agenda to support and strengthen the small business community in the BVI, adding, “We will continue to do all that we can to provide an enabling environment for small business to develop and thrive, thereby building a strong economy for the Territory.”

The launch was driven by CICMC-OCT inductee and the chapter’s first president, Mrs. Marva Titley-Smith. The new president was one of the consultants hired to set up the OCT Chapter. 

Caribbean Overseas Small Medium Enterprises (COSME) Programme Manager Mrs. Elvia Smith-Maduro explained that launch of the OCT chapter is a direct result of COSME.

Mrs. Smith-Maduro said, “Many of the OCTs participating in COSME indicated the desire to build a pool of consultants that could bid on future EU projects and other regional and internationally funded projects.”

 The launch of the OCT Chapter of CICMC was held at the Mariner Inn’s Conference Room. Thirteen (13) consultants representing five (5) OCTs received their certifications and were officially inducted as members of the chapter. They include:  Mr. Marcelino Gerald Kock from Aruba; Mr. Kevin Smith, Mrs. Marva Titley-Smith, Mr. Prakaash Rostam and Ms. Shaina Smith from BVI; Mr. Guy Cozijns, Mr. Harish Rao, Ms. Kirsten Romer, Ms. Nicoline Mol, Mr. Paul Helmich, and Ms. Tamira La Cruz from Curacao; Ms. Andrenne Roulston from St. Eustatius and Mr. Erwin Wolthuis from St. Maarten.

The OCT Chapter of CICMC is open to business management consultants in Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barthelme, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands.

Institute candidates must have a minimum of three years’ experience in full time management consulting with major responsibility for client engagements during at least one of those years; possess the requisite qualification for the area of practice; provide written summaries of client engagements; pass a qualifying interview by a CICMC panel; and pass the qualifying on-line examination. Certified members are voting members and receive full benefits of the institute.

The Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants is a professional organisation, offering both training and knowledge sharing for its members. It also provides “opportunities to network and establish strategic partnerships with regional and international counterparts, which can facilitate access to new markets and build capacity to bid for larger consulting projects” (www.caribbeancmc.com).

The organisation also comprises regional chapters and individual management consultants drawn from throughout the Caribbean; with a membership base representing diverse disciplines including medicine, law, accounting and engineering.

Photograph is attached.

New inductees of the OCT Chapter of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants. (Photo credit: GIS/ Franklyn Skerritt)

ABOUT COSME

The COSME programme, launched in the BVI in 2014, is a 54-month programme with the responsibility to disperse 15M Euros to projects benefitting participating Caribbean Territories. The funds were made available by the European Union (EU). The programme’s overall objective is to contribute to the sustainable and climate-resilient economic diversification and prosperity of Caribbean OCTs by improving the competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the participating territories.

The Programme’s main office is in Tortola BVI, with a satellite office in Curaçao. The government of the BVI (the Financial Secretary in particular) carries the responsibility for the programme. The regional coordinating team is comprised of BVI Deputy Regional Authorizing Officer/Territorial Authorizing Officer, Mr. Neil Smith, along with Senior BVI Government Staff and their deputies seconded to the COSME Programme. In addition to BVI staff the Programme’s Management Unit (PMU) consists of a team of Caribbean key experts retained by German GOPA. The Curaçao government provides office facilities for COSME’s satellite office.