IIC Caribbean Chapter inaugural meeting – Preparing Media for AI Governance and Disruptive Technologies in a 21st century Caribbean – in person

The Hon. Wilfred Arthur Abrahams, S.C., M.P., a Barbadian lawyer for over 25 years, has the honor of being the youngest ever president of both the Barbados Bar Association as well as the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations. He was for years, the Caribbean Representative on the Commonwealth Bar Association and also sat for almost 10 years on the Board of Trustees of the Caribbean Court of Justice Trust Fund. He describes himself as passionate about all good things Barbadian and Caribbean.

He has been associated with a number of charities including the National Forum Against Domestic Violence, the SAVE Foundation, the St John Association of Barbados and for years was an actual road walking, tin carrying, poppy distributor for the Barbados Poppy League which he did with pride.

Mr Abrahams embraces challenge probably born out of his love for competitive sports. He has competed at the national level in a number of sports and has represented Barbados in Fencing and Shooting.

From 2013 to 2018 Wilfred Abrahams was one of the 2 opposition Senators in the Upper House.

After the May 24th 2018 election, he was offered the opportunity by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to serve in the Cabinet of Barbados as Minister of Energy and Water Resources. (Direct responsibility for the government’s agenda for 100% Renewable Energy by 2030). Currently he is the Minister of Home Affairs and Information.

Lynn Robinson became Director General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.

Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce. Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.

An experienced Trustee / Non-Executive Director as Vice Chair at Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, a unique heritage site in the heart of Bristol (UK), Lynn is also a Trustee / Non-Executive Director at The Bristol and Bath (UK), Parks Foundation.

Reflecting on becoming Director General at the IIC at the outbreak of a pandemic, Lynn said, ‘these last two years have been like no other we have known, with many challenges coming our way. In 2020 we successfully pivoted the organisation through a digital transformation programme to maintain a full schedule of events and by increasing the outputs delivered. Transforming the programme enabled us to continue to deliver the professional service and increase our engagement with IIC members and stakeholder community to remain connected to them through such a difficult time.

As we move through 2022, I am delighted to return to a combined in-person and online programme and to continue to evolve the IIC in to the next phase, with the vision and strategic focus to deliver our objectives and to build on our growth, engagement and retention’.

Marsha Caddle is a Barbadian economist and public policy strategist who now serves as Barbados’ Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology. A former Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment in Barbados from 2018-2022, she helped lead Barbados’ 2018 economic recovery programme, which saw the country’s depleted foreign reserves increase eightfold by the end of the term, and its debt and arrears fall by a third following an international and domestic debt restructuring. She was ministerial negotiator on climate finance for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in 2021, introducing in the Glasgow Climate Pact the use of redistributed Special Drawing Rights for scaled up finance in climate vulnerable nations. She also led the first reform of physical planning and land use policy in over 50 years

Her areas of work are climate & development finance and sustainable development; data and national statistics; poverty, inequality and human development; public investment, growth and competitiveness; and physical planning. She has led the Governance practice at the Caribbean Development Bank, managed the Poverty Reduction programme with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Economic Security and Rights programme of the then United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Caribbean Offices. She is a pioneer economist in applying gender and macroeconomic policy frameworks to public finance in the Caribbean, and is a member of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) and the International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics and International Economics (GEM-IWG). Her work experience in economic policy and human development spans over 20 countries. She has written and spoken extensively on matters of equality and economic and climate justice. In 2022, she founded The Bold Centre, a think-and-do tank that helps address global issues of just transition for developing populations, such as climate and technology.

The Hon. Marsha Caddle M.P. is an elected Member of Parliament in the Barbados House of Assembly.

Adrian Green is a Spoken Word Artist, Educator, Cultural Commentator, and Artivist with the National Transformation Initiative. He has worked in newspapers, radio, television, film and theatre. He has taught at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels and performed for audiences in Africa, Europe, North America and across the Caribbean. Green is also a PhD candidate in the department of Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill. His research is focused on the use of art as a practice of self cultivation in a Caribbean context.

Dr Allyson Leacock, Chairman of the Barbados Broadcasting Authority and Director of National Transformation Initiative, Government of Barbados, is also an independent media and human development consultant. She led a coalition of 112 Media Houses in 24 Caribbean countries for 12 years and trained over 2000 Caribbean broadcasters. She served on the Executive Board of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) and was elected for 2 terms as Chairman of the Global Steering Committee for the World AIDS Campaign. She was also Cultural Affairs Specialist at the US Embassy covering the Caribbean and Officer-In-Charge and Student Coordinator at the University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC), now the Open Campus.

Dr Allyson Leacock was conferred with the Order of the Republic (OR) in Barbados National Honours on 30 November 2023. The award was given by the President of Barbados – In ‘recognition of sterling contribution to broadcasting, media relations, corporate communications, training, human resource development and educational technology, as well as distinguished service to Barbados as Head of National Transformation Initiative’.

Dr Leacock has a wide-ranging professional background including in executive management in corporate communications, media, needs assessment, training, human resource development and leadership, as well broadcast media including production and presentation as TV News Anchor, and as General Manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation.

She holds Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Technology, Concordia University, Canada and BA (Double First Class Honours) in English and Education and the Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed with distinction) from Stirling University, UK. Her training also includes Diplomas in Human Resource Management, Facility Management, Arts Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

A former national athlete, gymnast, dancer and actress, Dr Leacock is trained in sign language, is a volunteer with Special Olympics and Barbados Council for the Disabled.

Ansord has been the Director-General of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) since 2017 January 1 after serving in various capacities in the organization for over twenty years.

Ansord is a Regulatory Specialist, Economist, and an Attorney-at-Law and has over 30 years’ experience at various levels in quasi-judicial organisations.

Ansord holds a Master’s degree in Regulation from the London School of Economics, obtained after being awarded a Chevening Scholarship in 1997, a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Economics and Management (UWI) and Bachelor of Law from the University of London.

He also holds a Certificate in Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica.

Anthony Greene is a senior executive with 24 years’ experience in broadcast and print media. He is currently the General Manager at Starcom Network Inc., the leading broadcasting company in Barbados with four radio stations. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, he held the post of Programming/Content Manager from 2016 to 2021. Anthony also serves as a director on the boards of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Innogen Technologies Inc. and Pearl’s Dance Academy.

Before returning to the media industry in 2016, Anthony was the Marketing Manager at Unicomer Barbados Limited, trading as Courts, a Furniture and Appliance company with retails outlets throughout the Caribbean.

Anthony has a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication with First Class Honours from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and a Master of Science in Project Management & Evaluation with the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

One capstone early in his tenure as General Manager is the raising of the profile of Starcom Network as a high performing business within the One Caribbean Media group portfolio, though faced with the Covid-19 pandemic and other external challenges. During this period the company has also further strengthened its market share of radio listenership in Barbados.

Anthony is particularly passionate about media as a powerful agent of transformation. He also believes in a leadership ethos of empowering people to make a positive difference in our world.

Bartlett Morgan, CIPP/E is a Caribbean-based attorney-at-law and consultant. He is a member
of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the Information Systems Audit
and Control Association (ISACA) and the International Network of Privacy Law Professionals
(INPLP). He holds a certificate in Data Protection Officer Skills and has received training from the University of Oxford’s Said Business School on Cybersecurity Leadership.

Bartlett is experienced in the practical implementation of various privacy-related compliance
objectives. He has provided data protection and privacy support to clients with respect to their
operations in the Caribbean, the United States and South America. Bartlett has addressed privacy issues across multiple sectors including distribution, retail, financial services, fintech, tourism and digital media.

Bartlett has authored GDPR compliance guidance for Caribbean-based service providers and also made oral and written submissions to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament established to debate and report on the bill that eventually became the Barbados Data Protection Act, 2019-29. Bartlett operates his digital law and dispute resolution-focused law practice from chambers at Chancery Advocates in Barbados.

Bartlett also consults on digital-focused projects via Bloomfield, a boutique consultancy focused on data privacy and digital policy support for public and private sector clients in the Caribbean and the Americas. He regularly provides updates on digital law and policy issues impacting the Caribbean on his blog, bartlettmorgan.com.

Cordel Green is Executive Director of the Broadcasting Commission, which regulates radio, television and cable in Jamaica, and he is helping to lead Jamaica’s Digital Television Transition process.

Mr Green has been appointed to the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO and represents Jamaica on UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Council for the Information For All Programme (IFAP). He is also Vice-Chair of the International Bureau for IFAP and Chairman of the IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility. His other affiliations include being a Vice-Chair (Caribbean), International Centre for Information Ethics (ICIE); Member of the Law Committee for the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Consideration in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems; Member of the IEEE Working Group on Trustworthiness in News; Member of the IEEE Working Group on Recommended Practice for Organizational Governance of AI; Advisory Board member of the Society for Scientific Advancement (SOSA); and honorary member of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (Washington DC).

Mr Green holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) degrees from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Laws Degree with distinction, from the University of Sheffield in England, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Mona School of Business, and is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Programme and a Chevening Scholar.

Dr. Dickson C.T. Osuala is an accomplished economist and project management leader with significant experience in competition economics and regulation, pricing strategy, econometric modelling and telecommunications regulation and policy.

He currently holds the portfolio of Deputy Head of Regulatory Affairs at Digicel Group.

Dr. Osuala previously held the portfolio of Manager Market Economics at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). Dr. Osuala has spoken and made presentations at numerous international and regional telecommunication meetings and workshops (i.e., International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), and Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) to mention a few. Dr. Osuala received his Ph.D. in Economic Development and Policy and M.Sc. in Economics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus.

Bio coming soon …..

Dr Erica K. Smith is an international business expert with over 20 years’ experience. She has specific expertise in intellectual property strategy, commercialisation and management. She also has a specific focus on creative industries with an interest in developing business models and relevant responses suitable for small, developing economies. Beyond her work as CEO of the Barbados collective management organisation, Erica is Co-Chair of the International Institute for Intellectual Property Management and has a small consultant firm.

Dr Smith is course developer and lecturer on various intellectual property and commercialisation subjects for WIPO, the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies, and the European Patent Office. Supporting her professional work, Erica has a strong academic background with undergraduate degrees in law and management and post-graduate degrees in international business, intellectual property law and management and international sports law and management. She has also done extensive training on corporate governance.

Dr Smith’s doctoral research focused on developing the Caribbean music industry in the digital environment

Gary Kalloo is a seasoned Telecommunications and ICT professional with over thirty years of experience in the field. Gary possesses a diverse skill set encompassing ICT environment knowledge, digital governance expertise, project management skills, and a deep understanding of regional and international telecommunications and ICT domain.

Gary’s journey in the ICT space began in 1991 when he joined Trinidad and Tobago’s incumbent telecom operator, TSTT. Over the next 15 years, Gary held various senior-level positions within the organization, playing a pivotal role in navigating the company through significant transformations, including market liberalization, regulatory compliance and increased competition.

In 2007, Gary transitioned to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, where he served as the Head of Regulatory and Policy Affairs in the Ministry of Public Administration. During his tenure, he spearheaded the implementation of strategies outlined in the country’s first National ICT Plan, laying the groundwork and implementing policies for subsequent plans aimed at advancing the nation’s digital agenda.

In 2009, Gary took on a new challenge with the establishment of the e-government company of Trinidad and Tobago, iGovTT. As the Head of Delivery, he was responsible for overseeing the implementation of whole-of-government transformation projects, including the development of GovNet, the government’s wide area network, and various e-services integration platforms.

In this capacity, he was also responsible for managing on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, Infocom Development Authority of Singapore, for the implementation of key projects aimed at modernizing Trinidad and Tobago’s electronic infrastructure. This engagement resulted in the successful implementation of initiatives such as the single electronic window and an updated national plan for ICT development.

In 2013, Gary joined the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) as an ICT Consultant, where he continued his mission of fostering digital innovation and growth in the Caribbean region. His role involved provided consultancy services at the Caribbean level focusing on ICT, policy harmonization and Digital Government Transformation, and Telecommunications. He has played pivotal roles in coordinating and managing regional telecom and ICT initiatives on behalf of international financial agencies and
intergovernmental organizations, including the World Bank, the Inter- American Development Bank, the European Union and the ITU. He has worked on various regional projects, including spectrum harmonization, internet governance, and the development of a Single ICT Space.

Gary was also instrumental in building out national ICT and e-government strategies for CTU member states such as Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Anguilla, Montserrat and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Today, Gary serves as the Director of Business Development at the CTU, where he continues to leverage his wealth of experience to drive digital transformation initiatives across the Caribbean. Gary leads strategic initiatives to promote growth, strategic partnerships, private sector membership and revenue generation within the organization.

His contributions have been instrumental in advancing digital innovation and transformation across the Caribbean region, shaping the digital landscape of the Caribbean and ensuring that the region remains competitive and innovative in the telecommunications and ICT space.

Gerry E George has been a Commissioner with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) of Saint Lucia for the past 6 years.

He is an ICT Consultant and had been providing technical solutions to businesses in the ICT space for over 20 years. Mr George’s background is in technology and economics. He is an active member of the Saint Lucia ICT Association (SLICTA) and the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) and his advice is frequently sought after by fellow colleagues on technical matters. Mr George was a part-time lecturer for the University of the West Indies Management Information Systems program for more than 7 years.

An avid supporter of Open Source software and technologies, Mr George also takes an active role in Caribbean development and social issues and is always interested in exploring ways in which technology can be applied to improving the way of life in the Caribbean region.

Java Sealy is a seasoned Social Media Communications professional, with almost a decade of experience in multi-channel brand management and creative direction. Currently serving as the United Nations Social Media and Communications Associate for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean,  Mr Sealy oversees all content and the digital UN strategy, effectively promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the sub-region. Under his guidance, digital engagement has surged by 1.4K% to date, amplifying awareness and mobilising action toward key initiatives. In addition,  Mr Sealy manages the digital presence of the UN Resident Coordinator, the highest-ranking representative of the United Nations Development System.

Prior to his appointment to the UN, he served as the Social Media Coordinator for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment with the Government of Barbados, raising the profile of the Ministry, it’s online engagement and outreach to the youth demographic.

Before this, Mr Sealy served as one of Barbados CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYA) for 2019-2020, where he was elected Vice Dean for Information, Communications and Innovation on the regional CYA Bureau. Also, while Ambassador, he represented young people at various UN Fora on Youth and Health, Climate and the SDGs, before being appointed the youngest member to the Board of Advisors with the University of Guyana’s GREEN Institute.

Mr Sealy holds a Bachelor of Sciences in International Relations with a minor in French with honours from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, along with Professional certificates in Brand Management, Digital Marketing, and Project Management.

Mr Sealy believes in people empowerment and strong presentation, and currently aims to develop a body of work which prepares him for the global contribution that he knows he is ultimately destined to make.

Bio coming soon…

Kirk Sookram currently holds the position of Executive Officer – Technology & Engineering at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. He has been employed with the Authority since its inception in July, 2004, starting as a Telecommunications Engineer, advancing to Manager, Spectrum Management and Monitoring and, in 2015, to the position he currently holds. During his tenure at the Authority, he has specialized in spectrum management, wireless technologies, telecommunications regulation, ICT and broadband development, cost modeling and policy development.

Mr Sookram also currently serves as the Chairman of the Caribbean Spectrum Management Task Force established by the Caribbean TelecommunicationsUnion.

His qualifications include a Bachelors of Science Degree (with Honours) in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of the West Indies and a Masters of Science Degree (Distinction) in Operational Telecommunications from Coventry University, United Kingdom.

Mr. Preville is the Director, CARICOM Single Market, at the CARICOM Single Market and Economy Unit based in Barbados. He joined the Secretariat in September 2020.

Prior to this he worked with the Government of Saint Lucia in the capacity of Permanent Secretary for over twelve years, most of which he served as Permanent Secretary the Ministry responsible for Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs. He also served as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation as well as the Department of Labour.

Mr. Preville also spent five years as Director of Economics and Research at the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority and was Chief Information Officer in the Government Information Service of Saint Lucia between 1990 and 1995. He was a tutor with the University of the West Indies for courses in Micro and Macro Economics, Quantitative Methods, Managerial Economics and Financial Management in the degree programmes in Management and Economics offered by the UWI, through the Open Campus.

Mr. Preville holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of the West Indies; a degree in economics and management as well as a master’s degree in economics from the UWI.

Mark Corl is the SVP of Emergent Technology Development at Triveni Digital. His team focuses on strategies to address the disruptive changes in TV technology caused by the continuing exponential advances in computing and networking primarily leveraging the new capabilities offered by ATSC 3.0. Their recent focus has been directed toward data distribution innovation supporting educational datacasting and the emerging Broadcast Positioning System technology. Mark has also been providing education and consulting for many organizations interested in adopting the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.

Mark is a recent ATSC board member and contributes extensively to the ATSC efforts as the chair of the S38 Specialist Group on Interactive Environment, the chair of the Caribbean Implementation Team and the chair of the India Implementation Team currently in hiatus. Mark is also a contributing author to many of the documents comprising the overall ATSC 3.0 standard.

During his 27-year tenure at Triveni Digital, Mark has led both product development efforts as well as custom projects. Prior to Triveni Digital, Mark was a software engineer and system architect for Xerox Corporation and had a software engineering position at Texas Instruments. Mark holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Bucknell University.

Company Profile:

For over 25 years, Triveni Digital has been developing systems that enable television service providers and broadcasters to deploy enhanced programs and services to their viewers. Triveni Digital’s products for program guides and metadata management, data broadcasting, and service quality assurance are renowned for their ease of use and innovative features. Working with leading industry partners, Triveni Digital employs an open and standards-compliant approach to the digital television market.

Melesia Sutherland heads Regulatory and Government Affairs for Liberty Latin America’s (Flow) North Caribbean region.

With over 20 years of experience in the Caribbean telecommunications industry, she is a leading regulatory expert and a chartered director who effectively identifies emerging threats and opportunities in the policy and regulatory space to shape business strategy and technology policy.

She is a trusted advisor, thought leader and big picture thinker who builds relationships with governments, regulators and industry peers. She is motivated by the mission of delivering innovative and affordable solutions that connect and empower people across the Caribbean.

Ms Sutherland is Director of the 110 member strong trade association for telecoms operators across the Caribbean region, CANTO, and past Chair of its Regulatory & Emerging Technologies Committee. An active member of the CTU Spectrum Harmonisation Taskforce, Melesia has spoken at several spectrum management events and is currently involved in the Caribbean Fair Share lobby.

Ms Sutherland holds a first degree in Government from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and MBA. Finance, from the Universities of Manchester and Wales, United Kingdom. She is a curious person, a lifelong learner who savors the simple joy of reading.

Dr Paul G. C. Hector is the Advisor for Communication and Information in UNESCO’s Regional Office for the Caribbean in Kingston UNESCO. He joined UNESCO through its competitive Young Professionals Program in 2000. Over the course of his UNESCO career, he has supported project initiatives and policy actions in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East that through research, the design and implementation of policies, strategies and action plans have promoted access to information and knowledge for development. These initiatives have sought to address information and knowledge divides linked to issues such as gender, language, literacy, island/rural living and disability.

Dr Hector holds multiple master and doctoral degrees and is an alumnus of the J. William Fulbright Fellowship and US State Department International Visitor Leadership Programmes. He has taught in a European business school and his research interests include knowledge-based development, design thinking, entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital transformation.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Dr Hector is also a coach, mentor, and author. He has mentored students at the University of Washington and the University of the West Indies, and supports work colleagues in finding balance. In his recently published book, “Yes you can: 5 steps to becoming the CEO of your life”, Dr Hector shares his learnings and experiences to help readers find success on their own terms.

Russell Watson is a Barbadian artist and arts educator who works mainly in digital media and theatre. He studied theatre and education in Jamaica at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (Diplomas in Drama in Education and Theatre Arts); and digital media the USA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA, MFA in Film, Video and New Media). He currently lives in Barbados, where he lectures in film at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill and is the lead artist of RSTUDIO, a multimedia workshop that offers a wide range of photo, video and graphic services to a diverse client base including corporate entities, government agencies, theatre companies, fine artists and academics.

His feature film A Hand Full of Dirt (2010) won the Audience Choice Award from the Reel World Festival (Toronto) and was nominated for Best First Feature Film Director at the Pan African Film Festival (Los Angeles).

In addition to his work in conventional media, he has also curated and exhibited in numerous gallery exhibitions in Barbados, the wider Caribbean, and internationally.

His recent work of combining drawing, photography, multimedia projection and enhanced portraiture has yielded a taxonomy of beings and landscapes that seem to exist simultaneously in cosmic, atomic, primordial and futuristic space-time. This mashing together of scale and epoch is his way of contemplating temporality and the fragility of ecosystems in the Anthropocene.

Sonia Gill is an attorney at law, development practitioner and former broadcast journalist, and media regulator.  She is also the first woman to be appointed as Secretary General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (2014-2018 & 2021 – present).

Sonia’s tenure at the CBU has been marked by a number of achievements including: new initiatives such as introduction of the programming sharing portal CBU Media Share and enhancement of time-tested features such as the Caribbean Media Awards which have been expanded to include digital and print media.  During her tenure CBU has deepened collaboration with UNESCO, UNICEF Eastern Caribbean, PAHO and the Public Media Alliance, and established new partnerships under MOUs with the CARICOM Climate Change Centre, the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, the Advanced Television Systems Committee and satellite company Eutelsat, among others.

Sonia was also at the helm of CBU’s mobilisation of replacement transmission equipment for radio services in Anguilla, Dominica and the Turks and Caicos, with the help of PMA, World Broadcasting Unions, CBC Canada, and the BBC after the catastrophic hits by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

An honours graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of London (UoL), between stints in service to the CBU Sonia served as the Multi-Country Manager and Head of Programme for UNOPS in the Dutch and English Caribbean.

Prior to her return to Barbados she was the Assistant Resident Representative and Governance Advisor of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office covering Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  There she oversaw the implementation of award-winning projects focussing on Local Governance with emphases on security and safety, as well as the role of the media in promoting transparency and anti-corruption.

After post-graduate studies in Mass Communication at UWI Mona, Sonia held the post of Assistant Executive Director, and Executive Director (Ag.) of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica for over a decade.  There she was crucial to the development of the Children’s Code for Programming, the first comprehensive content standards policy for broadcast media in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Sonia was also a faculty member of the Caribbean School of Media and Communications (CARIMAC) at the UWI, Mona, lecturing in Media Skills as well as Media and Language.

Sonia began her career as a Reporter, Editor and Producer at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in Barbados, winning the Barbados Association of Journalists award for Best Radio Story in her first year at the CBC.

Sonia is a member of both the Barbados and Jamaica Bars, and for more than a decade lectured in Constitutional and Administrative Law.

Steven stands at the forefront of technological innovation and data privacy advocacy. As the Executive Director of Sunisle Technology Solutions, he spearheads strategic initiatives that leverage cutting-edge technology solutions to address complex business challenges. Parallelly, as the Principal Consultant at Data Privacy and Management Advisory Services (DPMAS), Steven champions the importance of robust data protection practices, offering expert guidance to organizations navigating the complexities of compliance and data management.

Steven is a regular contributor to the Nation’s Business Authority and the Barbados Advocate’s Business Monday, offering insights on technology trends and business strategies.

Steven is also the Creator of CyberPulse, a column with BarbadosToday that delves into business landscape and technology innovations, establishing Steven as a thought leader in the digital age.

Steven is a dedicated professional committed to leveraging technology for societal progress, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and promoting digital literacy and privacy standards. His visionary leadership and collaborative spirit continue to inspire technological and regulatory advancements, ensuring a safer, more innovative future for all.

Teshia Hinds is a seasoned broadcaster with over 20 years of industry expertise in media and communications. Her remarkable talents for captivating audiences have been demonstrated through her impressive contributions to both radio and television. Notably, Teshia played a pivotal role as one of the project leads for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s transition from analogue to high-definition (HD) technology.  This experience has provided her with invaluable insights into the unique technological challenges faced by the Caribbean media environment and shaped her view of how regional media can successfully navigate this ever-evolving landscape.

Mr. Tyson Henry assumed the role of Chief Information Officer of the Barbados Government Information Service on December 1, 2022.

Mr Tyson Henry has had a diverse career having worked as a Magazine Editor in the Fourth Estate session of the Nation Publishing Company for four years. He later seized the opportunity to work as Communications Specialist to Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in 2017.

Less than six months after his arrival, Mr Henry was among those left dealing with the impact of Hurricane Maria on the island. However, he stayed on and continued his work there.

He returned to Barbados in 2020 and worked in the COVID-19 Communications Unit, where he was responsible for promoting prevention messages during the height of the pandemic.

Eventually, he went on to be the Deputy Director of the Public Affairs Department before taking up the post of Chief Information Officer at the Barbados Government Information Service.

A graduate of the Combermere School, Mr Henry and holds an Associate Degree in Mass Communications from the Barbados Community College (BCC), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, along with a Masters in Tourism Marketing, from the University of Houston in Texas.

Bio coming soon…