TTMA selects new board at virtual AGM

The TT Manufacturers Association appointed a new board at its 64th annual meeting, which was held virtually on April 8.

President Franka Costelloe of Lifetime Solutions retained the post of president, while Ryan Lewis and Tricia Coosal of Coosal’s Group of Companies were appointed vice presidents and Dale Parson of Kaleidoscope Group Ltd as corporate secretary. Coosal and Parson were two of three former directors reappointed, the third being Ian Mitchell of Ansa Polymer. Roger Roach of Lazuri Apparel Ltd and Emil Ramkissoon of New Wave Marketing were the other two selected.

Costelloe recapped activities that supported the business growth and expansion agenda, which is central to the TTMA’s manufacturing strategy. Among those, she listed the 2019 TIC flagship event, the annual president’s dinner and awards, workshops and seminars on labour productivity, trade facilitation, migrant labour, pre-budget discussions and seminars on doing business with the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Colombia.

Advocacy initiatives in 2019 focused on VAT refunds, FX shortage, the Beverage Container Bill and illicit trade. Others included corporation tax regime simplification, Eteck land regularisation, front of pack labelling, import duty simplification, procurement legislation, property tax reform and the Styrofoam ban.

The Proudly T&T Campaign resulted in 50-plus manufacturers being hosted at the TIC and Carifesta, contributed to flood relief, support for athletes, scholarships for 30 entrepreneurs and a clean-up exercise at Chacachacare.

This year, hand sanitisers donated by Angostura have been distributed to the public,

The new noard plans to intensify lobbying and support for SMEs to springboard them into export, using the digital 4.0 transformation

The association is asking members to act responsibly in the face of the uncertainties in the market triggered by covid19. It is also calling on Government to create some relief to keep businesses afloat and to sustain levels of employment.

Costelloe recognised that some good has come out of the blow struck by the coronavirus, and cited the overnight shift to technological solutions as a necessary and important step that has been propelled by the circumstances. She said she sees technology as a critical lever for driving growth and export potential in the sector but recognises more must be done to save businesses and to save jobs. Costelloe commended members for stepping up to the plate in recognition of the fact that the covid19 threat requires collective action. She said members are facing significant reductions in trade and cash flow, and they were now in the fourth week of reduced trade and a repressed economy. She encouraged TTMA members to work collaboratively to find practical and humane solutions to the major economic challenge facing the country.

“Those solutions must be good, for business, and good, for society. We are finding ourselves at two ends of the spectrum – having to give and needing to receive. The more agile we are in adjusting and adapting, the better our chance of a faster recovery.”