[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Saint Lucia Coalition of Service Industries (SLCSI) is one of the twelve national service coalitions within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic (CARIFORUM collectively) and also the Caribbean Network of Service Coalitions (CNSC).
The SLCSI was born out of a drive by Caribbean governments to diversify their respective economies, increase foreign exchange, generate employment and create wealth from the emerging services sector.
In 2001, the CARICOM Heads of Government mandated the formation of the National Services Coalition in each member state, to seize new economic opportunities in the services sector. The SLCSI was incorporated as a not-for-profit business support organisation in 2005 and officially launched in 2009 as the lead business support organisation for Saint Lucia’s services sector, to promote global relationships and support the development of services in all professional and skilled areas.
The mission of the SLCSI is to facilitate the growth and development of the Saint Lucia services sector through the adoption of high service standards, fostering activism and education on trade in services issues, and promoting the pursuit of strategies to sustain service providers’ competitiveness in the global marketplace.
In November 2017 at the Annual General Meeting, a new Executive Board of Directors was elected and consists of the following:
• Verne Emmanuel – President, Representative and President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Saint Lucia (APESL)
• Dr. Lyndell St. Ville – Vice President, Representative and President of the Saint Lucia ICT Association (SLICTA)
• Sabrina Odol – Representative of the Hair, Beauty and Spa Association (Saint Lucia)
• Keith Millar – Representative of the Association of Management Consultants
• Jackie Cherebin-Weekes – Representative of Association of Music Producers and Performers/Creative Industries
• Terrance Elliot – Immediate Past President
• Esli Lafeuillee – Representative of the Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs
• Yvonne Agard – Executive Director of the SLCSI
The new Executive Board of Directors of the SLCSI is dedicated to working with the Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs and other private and public sector stakeholders in the implementation of the National Services Policy.
The organisation remains committed to its mission, which is to facilitate the growth and development of the services sector in Saint Lucia, and is excited about the prospects that the policy’s implementation has for the advancement of its vision for the sector.
The Ministry of Commerce played a key leadership role in the policy formulation process as the lead Ministry, with oversight of the SLCSI. Therefore the SLCSI was pleased to present its new Executive Board of Directors to the Minister of the Department of Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs, The Honourable Bradley Felix, and the Permanent Secretary Mr. Titus Preville. At the February 6, 2018 meeting, the discussions centred on the implementation of the Action Plan of the newly approved Services Policy.
