Champions of Business 2024 launched

THE Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TT Chamber) has opened nominations for seven award categories of its Champions of Business gala ceremony, to be held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts on November 7.

This year, the event is themed Visionaries and Vanguards, in keeping with its annual hall-of-fame inductions, celebrating pioneers of business.

Kiran Maharaj, TT Chamber president and chair of the awards, praised the sponsors at the April 24 launch, held at the chamber’s office in Columbus Circle, Westmoorings.

“The alignment could not be more harmonious,” she said.

There are seven categories, six of which have confirmed sponsors.

The National Gas Company Ltd (NGC), the platinum sponsor, has backed two awards – the longstanding Business Hall of Fame and the more recent Green Agenda awards.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has sponsored the Internationally Known TT-owned Company of the Year award for a second year.

The other awards are: Breakthrough Exporter of the Year sponsored by EximBank TT; Innovation sponsored by long-time partner Bmobile Business; Entrepreneurship sponsored by Republic Bank; and SME awards, of which a sponsor is to be confirmed.

“Each category is hinged on both business acumen and corporate responsibility,” Maharaj said.

These awards, she added, align with the chamber’s ethos and vision, while the sponsors mesh seamlessly with the categories they have chosen to support.

Maharaj said the awards celebrate visionaries and vanguards – two distinct groups.

She described a visionary as someone with original ideas about what the future will or could be like and who plans for it with imagination or wisdom.

"Vanguard, on the other hand, is a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas and are at the forefront of their landscape,” she said.

Ian Walcott, NGC's vice-president of operations, said, "The Green Agenda award, of which NGC is passionate, highlights businesses that are going above and beyond to reduce their environmental and carbon footprint and align their operations with climate action goals."

He said while businesses often sacrifice people and the environment on the altar of profitability, NGC measures success, not only by the creation of economic value for the country but also by the “enhancement of our environment and the wellbeing of our stakeholders.

“Even amidst the turbulence in recent years, we still hold ourselves accountable to these goals and could appreciate the challenges confronting the others who’re working towards the same,” said Walcott.

“We, therefore, applaud those businesses that are undeterred by those diverse challenges and remain unrelenting in their drive to build stakeholder value alongside shareholder value.”

TT Chamber said the annual awards are dedicated to celebrating outstanding contributions and leadership in business in TT while inspiring emerging entrepreneurs to strive for excellence.

The awards celebrate various business achievements involving creativity, innovation, tech development, sustainability, internationalisation and life legacy.