分类： business

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a strategic move to set the stage for the next chapter of expansion and community impact, the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Jamaica (YEA) has named prominent Caribbean business leader Chris Williams as its new honorary chair, the organization confirmed in an official statement released Tuesday.

The appointment aligns with YEA’s long-term leadership transition plan, as current president Cordell Williams is scheduled to step down from his role in 2026. During Cordell Williams’ tenure, the association has delivered substantial growth, expanding its reach across Jamaica and deepening its national engagement with emerging entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders.

Cordell Williams explained that the selection process for the new honorary chair was deliberate and targeted, focused on finding a leader who combines top-tier expertise in global entrepreneurship with a core commitment to nurturing talent, building robust organizational systems, and strengthening institutional capacity. “We reviewed multiple highly qualified candidates, and this decision was made after careful consideration,” he noted. “Chris Williams brings an unparalleled mix of forward-thinking vision, industry credibility, decades of hands-on experience, and a deeply rooted dedication to lifting up the next generation of Jamaican entrepreneurs. He is exactly the leader we need to guide our association to new heights of growth.”

The appointment carries particular symbolic weight: Williams also served as the featured keynote speaker at YEA’s official launch event, marking his return to the organization in a leadership role as a full-circle milestone for both the group and the business leader.

Widely recognized as one of the most successful business figures across the Caribbean, Williams has over 30 years of experience building and scaling high-impact organizations across multiple sectors. He previously held the role of chief executive officer at NCB Capital Markets before going on to co-found PROVEN Group, where he led the firm from its early startup days to a regional financial conglomerate holding roughly US$3 billion in total assets.

Beyond his corporate work, Sir Richard Branson selected Williams to chair the Branson Centre of the Caribbean, where he has supported hundreds of emerging entrepreneurs across the Caribbean region to grow their businesses. He also contributed to the founding of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market as a founding charter committee member, and later served as the market’s deputy chairman. Today, Williams holds positions as co-founder and chairman of Different Group, a real estate investment firm focused exclusively on Caribbean market opportunities.

In his remarks accepting the appointment, Williams stressed that sustainable entrepreneurial growth requires a more intentional, disciplined and structured approach to business building for emerging founders across Jamaica. As honorary chair, he will take on two core responsibilities: serving as a strategic advisor and mentor to YEA’s current leadership team, and working to expand and strengthen the association’s partnerships across the private sector, investment community, national policymakers, and the broader regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

YEA was founded as a national non-profit organization focused on empowering emerging Jamaican entrepreneurs. It provides members with access to critical business tools, professional networking opportunities, industry knowledge, and growth opportunities designed to help them build sustainable companies, generate new jobs for Jamaican workers, and contribute to long-term economic and social transformation across the country.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — TWP Attorneys-at-Law, a prominent local legal practice based in the Jamaican capital, has unveiled its first-ever “Lunch and Learn” Initiative, an innovative professional development project built to bridge the gap between senior and junior legal practitioners through structured mentorship, open knowledge exchange, and intentional collaborative engagement. In an official statement announcing the launch, firm leadership explained that the new programme was created to address a rising unmet demand for organized mentorship frameworks across Jamaica’s legal sector. For years, many early-career attorneys across the country have cited a lack of accessible, structured guidance from experienced professionals as a key barrier to career growth, prompting TWP’s leadership to develop a solution tailored to local needs. Drawing on both decades of on-the-ground observation of Jamaica’s legal landscape and proven successful mentorship models from legal sectors in other countries, the initiative creates a dedicated, low-pressure space for veteran legal practitioners to pass down actionable practical insights, personalized career advice, and hard-earned professional lessons to the next generation of Jamaican lawyers. Unlike traditional training programmes that focus solely on technical legal skills and courtroom procedure, the “Lunch and Learn” sessions go beyond core legal education to introduce participants to the often-overlooked business side of running a legal practice. Key covered topics include efficient law firm operations management, strategic client relationship building, targeted business development for growing legal practices, and planning for long-term financial stability. While the programme is initially designed to support the ongoing professional growth of TWP’s own team of attorneys, firm leadership emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader commitment to lifting up Jamaica’s entire legal community. Through recurring “Lunch and Learn” sessions and expanded open mentorship opportunities, TWP aims to strengthen cross-firm professional connections, raise the bar for industry-wide excellence, and help nurture a more resilient, adaptive, and sustainable legal profession across the island. “The legal sector only grows and thrives when those with years of experience intentionally share their knowledge with those just starting their careers,” a firm representative shared in the statement. “This initiative is more than just an internal training programme — it is a reflection of our promise to support emerging legal talent and invest in the long-term future of our profession.” The launch event featured opening remarks from attorney Christopher Townsend, with dozens of attorneys from across the practice taking part in the inaugural session.

NEW YORK – The annual Caribbean Tourism Week kicked off in Manhattan on Monday, opening a seven-day showcase of the region’s tourism offerings as industry leaders lean into cautious optimism amid shifting global geopolitics and evolving travel demand patterns. Organized by the Barbados-headquartered Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the event aligns this year with the start of Caribbean American Heritage Month, carried out under the unifying banner “One Caribbean: Infinite Experiences.”

Addressing attendees at the opening ceremony, CTO Chairman Ian Gooding-Edghill, who also serves as Barbados’ Minister of Tourism, highlighted the sector’s resilient ongoing performance that has outpaced pre-COVID-19 levels. He reported that in 2025, the Caribbean tourism industry extended its steady growth trajectory, recording a 2.5% rise in visitor arrivals compared to 2024. That added roughly 900,000 additional visitors to the region, pushing total arrivals above pre-pandemic benchmarks set in 2019.

Cruise travel, a core pillar of the region’s tourism ecosystem, has demonstrated particular strength, Gooding-Edghill noted. Cruise ship visits grew 5.2% year-over-year in 2025, and now stand more than 16% above 2019 pre-pandemic volumes. “These numbers confirm the lasting pull of the Caribbean tourism brand, and prove that global demand for one-of-a-kind authentic Caribbean experiences remains undimmed,” he said.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, CTO forecasts hold to a cautiously optimistic outlook. The organization projects moderate but consistent growth for the year, driven by expanded air connectivity between source markets and the region, closer collaborative policy and marketing coordination across Caribbean nations, and sustained global consumer demand for immersive, experience-focused leisure travel.

Even with the positive near-term outlook, Gooding-Edghill warned against complacency, emphasizing that the region must continuously invest in updating, strengthening, and protecting its global competitive position. That need, he explained, is what makes proactive market diversification a top strategic priority for the CTO and member states.

To date, the Latin American market has emerged as a fast-growing source of new visitors, supported by close geographic proximity, expanding direct air links, and rising consumer interest in multi-destination Caribbean getaways. “This is no longer just an emerging opportunity—it is a rapidly accelerating growth driver for our region,” Gooding-Edghill said. At the same time, the CTO is working to deepen ties with the African tourism market through cultural exchange partnerships, connections with Caribbean diaspora communities, and long-term planning to expand direct air access.

Gooding-Edghill framed the African market as a critical long-term growth frontier for Caribbean tourism development. Beyond economic gains, he reaffirmed that tourism remains the foundational economic pillar for most Caribbean nations, supporting millions of jobs, attracting foreign direct investment, nurturing local entrepreneurship, and opening opportunity for communities across the region. It also serves as a bridge between Caribbean cultures and global audiences, sharing the unique richness of Caribbean heritage and community with visitors from around the world.

“These are uncertain times, but this is a resilient region with extraordinary talent, proven endurance, and bold ambition,” he said. “If we stay united, focused on the future, and disciplined in our strategy, there is no limit to what we can achieve together as One Caribbean.”

Amid ongoing global geopolitical shifts and rising operational costs that present ongoing risks to the travel sector, Gooding-Edghill noted that regional tourism leaders and industry partners have a shared responsibility to meet current challenges head-on, upholding the region’s longstanding tradition of turning adversity into competitive advantage. Recalling past crises the region has navigated, he pointed out that each challenge has left Caribbean tourism stronger and more resilient than before, with increased investment and improved capacity to adapt to change.

“It is our job as tourism leaders and industry partners to guide the CTO and our member states, ensuring that the millions of people across the region who depend on tourism for stable employment can have confidence we are leading them in the right direction,” he said. Closing his remarks, he reiterated the call for continued unity: “Let us keep moving forward together, as one Caribbean with infinite opportunities ahead.”

TOKYO, Japan – Global crude markets have kicked off the trading week with a sharp upward swing, reversing a steep multi-day decline after new reports emerged that Washington has toughened its negotiating positions with Tehran amid ongoing Middle East tensions. When Asian markets reopened Monday following the weekend break, benchmark prices climbed notably, driven by shifting expectations around a potential deal that could unlock greater oil exports from the region.

West Texas Intermediate, the key pricing benchmark for United States crude, jumped 2.5% to settle at $89.60 per barrel in early trading. For August-delivery Brent crude, the global benchmark sourced from the North Sea, the uptick was equally pronounced: the contract traded at roughly $93.16 per barrel, marking a 2.2% increase from its closing position on the previous Friday.

This rebound comes on the heels of a dramatic seven-day stretch that saw crude values plummet more than 11% across global markets. That sharp drop was fueled by widespread investor optimism that a breakthrough peace agreement between the US and Iran was imminent, a deal that market participants expected would quickly lead to the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway remains one of the most critical chokepoints in global energy infrastructure, carrying roughly a fifth of the world’s daily oil supply to international markets.

But over the weekend, that optimistic outlook was upended. Leading US outlets including *The New York Times* reported that former President Donald Trump had revised a draft memorandum of understanding under negotiation with Tehran, sending the modified document back to Iranian officials with several key terms tightened. The shift in negotiating posture has scrambled earlier expectations of a quick deal, injecting fresh uncertainty into Middle East energy supply dynamics and pushing traders to adjust their positions accordingly.