exporTT Limited in collaboration with INVENI Business and Technology Limited hosted a Family Business Forum at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre on Wednesday 5th April 2023.
Titled “ Building a Legacy Business,”
this forum was an extension of exporTT’s Export Accelerator project funded under the Export Booster Initiative (EBI) which sought to make a direct deposit into associated Family Businesses. The event saw thirty-five (35) persons representing eighteen (18) Family Business Companies spanning the following sectors Household Chemicals, Food & Beverage and Personal Care Products. Chem Clean Limited was highlighted as having three generations of participants present in the forum while the majority of companies were represented by first and second generation participants.
Worthy of mentioning were the four (4) companies which hailed from our twin-island Tobago. These included Pinkberri Kosmetique, Tom Toms Confectionery, Tobago Wyck and D Master Cobbler.
The event’s impressive line-up included Family Business Advisor and Keynote Speaker Dr. Annette Rahael who focused on Family Business Governance. Dr. Raheal’s personal experience in Family Business as well as her formal education and certification in the area has uniquely positioned her as a thought leader / practitioner in this field. She also formed part of an esteemed panel which included SME & Family Business Advisor Sajjad Hamid, Dhanraj Harrypersad – General Manager Client Services exporTT as well as Isabel Markwitz of INVENI Business and Technology who jointly fielded questions posed by both family business present and/or Coach Michelle Low Chew Tung of INVENI Business and Technology Limited.
The forum took pleasure in welcoming Coach Isabel who travelled twenty-seven (27) hours to Trinidad and Tobago from Germany to be with team in-person. Isabel is the founder of Bonora Consulting and is passionate about helping young businesses to flourish in their market of choice. She serves as a Business Coach with INVENI on the Export Accelerator programme.
After a successful corporate career in technology and Agri-tech multinationals in Europe and Asia, Isabel started to take an active role in the startup and family business environment worldwide. She has been involved in setting up an acceleration program to support start-ups in scaling in Southeast Asia and continues to mentor founding teams and executives with a focus on general business planning and scaling operations. She loves to engage in an open conversation to challenge others in their growth and change aspirations.
Participants were also invited to attend one of two working groups of choice with Coach Michelle and Isabel which focused on Managing Family and Employees Expectations and Succession Planning respectively. Each group interrogated salient aspects of topics examined and identified key takeaways to be implemented in their family business post forum.
Special features on the day also included an interview by Coach Isabel with Dolporn Pitaksit of Isuzu Shanguan Thai Group who shared on an Asian family owned and run business perspective and demonstrating the similarities and differences and even issues family businesses face globally.
CEO & Co-Founder Sharmilla Bill-Boodlal, shared on DSB Marketing’s experiences as a local Family Business. DSB Marketing is an export company supported on the EBI’s Export Accelerator programme.
The curtains came down on the event with attendees maximizing networking opportunities. exporTT’s staff present were delighted to witness this meeting of minds and through the words of General Manager Operations – Maria Padilla-Benjamin expressed a continued commitment to spotlight T&T best as well as fully embrace its Growth partner calling.
We are exporTT, creating a world of opportunities of Exporters!