President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Nicholas Boyer on Friday urged women to take up leadership roles in the business sector.
As the GCCI opened its second annual business development forum at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, Boyer said the Chamber will also be using the forum to push female empowerment along with small, medium and micro-enterprises.
“What we need to do is to have the conversations and foster the conversations in the small and medium-sized and micro-enterprises that allow more women entrepreneurs to continue to break that glass ceiling in Guyana,” he said.
One of the guest speakers at this year’s opening ceremony was Patricia Bacchus, Chairman of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest).
With the advent of the oil and gas industry and production expected to commence in a few months, Bacchus in her presentation pointed to the importance of standards, certification and compliance for successful business ventures.
Sharing lessons she learned from managing a private company, Bacchus urged local companies to adhere to relevant tax laws, labour laws, other statutory obligations and industry regulations.
“In today’s reconnected world, where competition is higher than it has ever been, and with the emergence of the oil and gas sector in Guyana which is likely to increase competition to an even greater degree, business development is a sound approach to remaining relevant and competitive,” she noted.
The forum will see eight speakers with a wide range of experiences in the business sector. Discussions will focus on marketing, branding, competitiveness and digitization.
The GCCI on Friday also launched what it calls a small business vision fund. Via the fund, a grant of $300,000 is available to one lucky small business owner who attended the forum, to push their business to the next level.
The winner, whose name will be announced within four weeks, will also receive technical support from the Chamber and one-year free membership to the GCCI.
