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News : New Providence Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


BIFS to Host Historic International Conference, Tackling Pressing Banking Topics
By Diane Phillips & Associates
Sep 9, 2015 - 11:52:38 PM

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BIFS Executive Director Kim Bodie unveils plans for the training institute’s most ambitious educational workshop in its history, a two-day event September 16-17 featuring more than a dozen speakers and panelists from Scotland, Jamaica, Trinidad, Turks & Caicos and Wales as well as members of the Bahamian government, regulators and top bankers.

Nearing its fortieth year of training professionals to grow the financial services industry, the Bahamas Institute of Financial Services (BIFS) is embarking on its most ambitious program to date – an historic two-day international conference designed to deal with pressing issues facing banking regionally and globally.

The conference that includes international as well as local speakers is set for September 16-17 at the British Colonial Hilton and culminates in BIFS’ annual awards ceremony the evening of September 19. That event will be held at Melia Nassau Beach Resort and is expected to attract more than 200 persons when six industry leaders are honoured.

“The banking industry is undergoing rapid changes and it is essential for us in The Bahamas to be abreast of changes in reporting, risk analysis and technological advances,” said BIFS Executive Director Kim Bodie. “So this year, instead of the annual week-long financial services training exercise that has become the standard, must-attend educational symposium for more than 30 or our 39-year existence, we invited international speakers and participants to provide a global perspective along with how it will impact us on a daily operations basis. We believe the conference is going to be the best we have ever had.”

The conference week kicks off with a welcome reception on September 15 at the Hilton. Minister of Financial Services Hope Strachan officially opens the conference on the 16th and speakers that day include Professor Philip Molyneaux of Bangor University who will deliver the keynote address, ‘Alternative Monetary Policy and Banks.’ Other speakers on the opening day include Damien Gomez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, J. Kevin Higgins, Managing Director, Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission, Dr. Dorian Noel, Lecturer in Finance at the University of the West Indies and Keith Checkley, Strategic Consultant, CEO, Keith Checkley & Associates, all participating in the morning session. Former Minister of Financial Services and now Managing Director, Deltec Banking, Ryan Pinder, MP, will speak on the OECD and ‘Why Financial Institutions Need to Play the Long Game for Future Gain.’

More than a dozen other panelists are schedule to participate including Bahamas Financial Services Board CEO & Executive Director Aliya Allen, Simon Thompson, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, Trevor Smith of the Institute of Technology and Solutions, University of Technology, Jamaica, and Dorcas Cox, President of BIFS.

“We have representatives from institutions as diverse as Pictet Bank in Nassau, First Citizens Trust, Jamaica, Scotiabank and The Central Bank of The Bahamas,” said Ms. Bodie. Topics range from how to attract and retain top talent to what centres of excellence mean to the industry.

What is now BIFS was the brainchild of the late T. B. Donaldson, CBE, the first governor of The Central Bank.

“He recognized how important it would be to create a flow of persons feeding into the banking industry if The Bahamas was going to continue to be a leader in financial services and his foresight and determination to make this institute a reality are appreciated every day,” said Ms. Bodie, who also credited the industry pioneer with the concept of awarding leaders. This year, as some 200 people receive certificates and special awards at the Saturday evening gala, six will be recognized as Honourary Fellows for the contributions they have made to the development of BIFS. They include Wendy Craigg, Governor of the Central Bank, Tanya McCartney, immediate past President BIFS, L Ryan Pinder, Former Minister of Financial Services, Keith Checkley, Keith Checkley and Associates,BIFS International Consultant, Edward (Ted) Gardener, Professor Philip Molyneux, and Simon Thompson, Chartered Institute of Bankers Scotland.

For information, www.bifs-bahamas.com

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