The Calabash Cove Beach Resort was the venue recently for the launch of the annual Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) CC16 Caribbean Conference. The conference committee has for over 16 years now been congregating to formulate ideas, in order – according to them – to host one of the world’s best trust conferences. This year the conference celebrates its 18th year and has been an annual sell-out event and premier professional development and networking regional opportunity since inception.
Part of the STEP Worldwide Association is the STEP Caribbean region which is swiftly evolving into one of the most influential and broadest regions within the STEP world. Former STEP worldwide chairperson, Helene Lewis, came from the British Virgin Islands which marked a turning point for the global association. Lewis remarked, “Not only has STEP Worldwide recognized the importance of the region in the global trust sector but this conference has become one of the “must attend” events of the year.” She went on to say, “Every year, for the past fifteen years, we welcome the world to one of our member jurisdictions and, every year, they come in droves to the conference.”
While the STEP Saint Lucia Branch is relatively small, it is certainly not miniscule in terms of its regional presence and is far from overlooked around international discussion tables. STEP St. Lucia has managed to successfully win the bid to host the conference here on Lucian shores. The distinguishing factor for this off-shore financial services conference is its exclusive ability of committee members to work seamlessly for the benefit of the region and their individual portfolios simultaneously. With the STEP St. Lucia branch consisting of fifteen members, several are community leaders and subject matter experts. These practitioners’ role is to advise their clients on how best to maintain continuity of their generational legacies.
According to the organizers, “Unlike other initiatives in the region that attempt to bring together disparate and distinct countries, the STEP Caribbean Conference not only manages to put aside individual country and branch agendas, but also manages to attract international delegates and sponsors and, most importantly, speakers to the table each and every year.”
2016’s St. Lucian conference is expected to be a success. Conference chairperson Natalie Augustin says that she is “confident that delegates will leave the conference ready to deal with the on-going turbulence of the sector on a macro scale.” She remarked, “Our delegates know that they are going to be connected with senior colleagues, speakers who are clearly thought leaders in their areas of expertise, and a host of new business connections and opportunities.”
Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine and attorney Thaddeus Antoine are among scheduled speakers who welcome local professionals to register as delegates, participate in the dialogue and contribute to this on-going regional discussion. The conference is scheduled for April 25th – 27th, 2016.
