PwC sets sights on growth path – Company forging ahead with regional integration

Seven PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) firms in the Caribbean are forging ahead with the integration process that will enable them to serve the region under one network.

According to Marcus Hatch, Territory Senior Partner for PwC East Caribbean, this integration is not about losing jobs, but rather, it is about growth, increasing opportunities and increasing employment. The process is also focused on expanding the company’s scale and possibilities in a difficult environment, he highlighted.

From left to right: Darren Johnston, CEO of PwC Caribbean,
and Marcus Hatch, Territory Senior Partner for PwC East
Caribbean, outlining the progress of PwC regional
integration at PwC headquarters in Barbados.

Darren Johnston, CEO of PWC Caribbean, which is the official name for the new regional network, explained the progress: “We have been hard at work for the past two years, moving from concept to design stage and finally to the implementation stage, and I would say we are about half-way through this last stage.

“A lot of what we have accomplished has taken place out of sight, below the waterline, and it involves getting the right people in the right leadership roles, setting new policies and procedures and making sure we have the right technology platform,” he revealed.

Johnston, who was in Barbados recently for the first of many employee town hall meetings taking place at PwC firms across the region, noted that PwC is aiming to complete all substantive aspects of the integration process by June 30, 2014.

“The business model is much more than a refinement of the cooperative working style that has existed for years between PwC firms. We are going way beyond cooperation and moving to complete alignment. Our people will face the market united behind a desire to help our clients succeed. The PwC’s regional integrator is not some new fad or restructuring exercise, but a response to the changing business environment here in the Caribbean and globally.

“The world is rapidly changing, becoming more complex, and the demands on our clients and on our firms are becoming ever greater. This makes a clear case for PwC to build a stronger service capability across the Caribbean. Our clients will need the kind of organisation we are building,” he said.

Johnston added that PwC’s Advisory and Corporate Services across the network went live with their new operating model on July 1, 2013. Tax will transition to the new model on January 1, 2014 and Assurance will do the same by July 1, 2014.

Hatch emphasised that the new PwC will benefit not only clients but also employees and the communities in which PwC Caribbean operates. These include the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, East Caribbean (Barbados and BVI), Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks & Caicos.

“Our people will have greater opportunities to boost their professional careers through new experiences whether it is the chance to work on new and interesting assignments, increased mobility or through more teaming with colleagues across the region.”

“The integration process will in no way diminish the firm’s commitment to local clients, our ability to serve local clients will be that much stronger because we will be tapping into the skills and expertise of 1 200 people right here in the region. Every aspect of our business will be stronger and thus better placed to help our clients grow their business and succeed,” he maintained.

The Territory Senior Partner added that PwC will become even better positioned to maintain its competitive lead in each of its regional markets, “I believe that what we are doing will be tremendously important for years to come,” he said. (NB)

Barbados PM: Faith makes a difference

IN the face of turmoil and the tumultuous storm clouds of life, the message must be sent that, when all else fails, faith works.

This was the message delivered to hundreds of regional delegates in attendance at the 2013 Caribbean Assembly, hosted by the New Testament Church of God (NTCOG) Barbados, in conjunction with Church of God World Missions, Caribbean Region.

The message came from The Honourable Freundel Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados, as he gave an address at the opening of the conference, which was held in Barbados November 7th through 10th, under the theme, “Living the Word: Empowering the Caribbean”.

The historic event, the first of its kind, saw delegates from Church of God assemblies from across the region – including those from French and Spanish speaking territories – joining their local counterparts, as well as those from the international community, for the opening ceremony held in Barbados, at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium .

“As a New Testament Church of God, you will be ever mindful of the fact that when all is said and done, the mission of the church has not changed, ever since there was a church, to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to preach recovery of sight to the blind, to preach deliverance to the captives and to minister to [those] that are bruised,” Prime Minister Stuart announced.

“There are many who are captive to crime and drugs in the region today. There are many who are bruised by unemployment. There are many who have been rendered poor by lack of economic opportunity. There are many who are socially blind, who are spiritually blind… I know you hear the noises being made and those noises are not to be ignored,” PM Stuart told those gathered.

“I hope that you will reflect on these things... that you will reflect on the fact that this region needs you now more than ever, because, despair, frustration, insecurity and a whole miscellany of emotional and psychological states is gripping our people, and we need to show that it makes a difference to be Christian... it makes a difference to have a faith... that faith works, and that when all else fails, when the storm clouds of life gather, that answers can still be found; answers can always be found in Jesus Christ,” the PM said to rousing applause.

Meanwhile, Caribbean Field Director, Dr. Ishmael Charles, encouraged the delegates to “be carriers of the flame”.

He beseeched the delegates to live out The Word and reach out to those who may have somehow lost their faith. He stressed that it is time for Church of God to arise and bring transformation to the region. (RSM)

Companies urged to make adjustments now

VICE PRESIDENT, Field Sales of Sage North America, Mike Wingrove, has advised Caribbean companies to use what may be a downturn in business to make the necessary adjustments that would position them to take the lead when the economy rebounded.

Wingrove, the leading spokesperson for the global business applications supplier, was at the time speaking to reporters during a session pause at the Sage Partners Barbados Conference 2013, recently held at the Crane Resort.

“Companies that make the investment in new technology and in enhancing their productivity when business is slow, are the ones that really accelerate when the economy starts to turn around,” Wingrove noted, adding that such an investment was maximised when the company was able to ensure a synergy between the right people, the right technology and the right business processes.

“Now is the time to really make these investments,” he said.

The Sage VP said that specific benefits of using the products and services which the company offered were improvements in productivity, time management, access to data which allowed for better decision making and business intelligence solutions.

He stated that during that particular conference, the intent of the fifteen-member North American contingent was to show regional customers what was trending around the world in terms of business best practices.

The sessions, which ran for one day, looked specifically at Sage’s accounting system, called Sage 300 ERP, formerly known locally as Accpac, as well as Sage’s Human Resources and Customer Relations Management Systems.

Wingrove posited that the challenge facing all types of companies today was the demand for increased interaction – in-house, domestically and externally (overseas).

With this in mind, he submitted that companies needed to be able to compete across the region, but also further afield.

He pointed out: “If you are going to grow and make [your country] successful ... then you need
to be successful in expanding.”

Subscription model

One added boost which was disclosed by the Sales VP was that whereas in the past an upfront cost was needed to access Sage’s applications, now both existing and new customers would soon be able to take advantage of the products, paying on a monthly subscription basis.

“We are moving more and more to a subscription model, where customers can pay monthly, so they sign up for one month... or two, three, four ... and that way is much more cost effective to get [on board] with the applications. All the mobile sales and service applications, CRM, sales reviews ...
are all available on a subscription basis,” Wingrove explained.

The Sage Conference was hosted by their on-the-ground partners KPMG and Orchid Systems. (RA)

Room for improvement – but region still on par with technology

Senior Partner with KPMG, Brenda Pope.

Senior Partner with KPMG Brenda Pope believes that though there is still room for improvement, regional businesses are no worse off than their North American counterparts when it comes to use of integrated technology in the operations.

She told members for the press at an IT conference last week that being able to be technologically up-to-date was of particular importance to small economies such as ours, as the market place tended to be more competitive. However, given that many businesses could not boast of as deep pockets as those to the North, and considering that the cost of bringing the technological products and services here were higher, it was incumbent on businesses to maximise whatever opportunities they had to use technology as a means of increasing productivity and customer experience.

“It's no point having access to software that can come to the mobile and having customers be able to log into Facebook and get twitter notifications [and so on] if we do not manage to turn it on,” she said.

“Having said that, there are some businesses that are right up there, up front when new software comes out and they are on our backs telling us what they want to do. So it depends on the nature of the company, the nature of the management team as to how [the business] buys on to the opportunities [presented to them],” Pope remarked.

Speaking further to trends which the management consultant saw through her work in the region, she noted that Caribbean businesses did not “have any money to waste” and that when the spent resources on business application systems, they were known to “exercise the product until it is dead”.

“When they invest in software, they want to use it end-to-end,” she said of her experience as an on-the-ground Sage/Accpac partner.

“They want try every feature ... they can get but they also want to get the best value for the buck,” the consultant stated. (RA)

Germany committed to the region

Germany is willing to help the Caribbean rebound from the impact of the global recession.

Testament of Germany’s commitment is the fact that they partnered with the EPA Implementation Unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Barbados to organise a two-day workshop at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre to raise awareness, inform and educate local business people.

Ullrich Kinne, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of
Germany to Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the OECS,
Guyana and Suriname, has pledged the continued
support of Germany to the Caribbean.

Numerous business persons from around Barbados
were present to learn of the tangible benefits of EPA.

However, this point was made even clearer and reiterated as Ullrich Kinne, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany to Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the OECS, Guyana and Suriname, made his remarks at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre recently.

“It is high time to discuss how exports to the European markets can be increased and by that, economic wealth created in the Caribbean. […] Most Caribbean products are not targeting large retail stores but highly specialised markets, and growth rates in Europe for example for organic food, fair trade products and convenience food, to name only some segments, are extremely high,” he said.

He gave the assurance that, “Germany is financing projects in the Caribbean which are meant to support the implementation of the EPA and to strengthen the export potential of the Caribbean economies.”

Kinne told the audience at the “Converting EU Market Access into Tangible Benefits” workshop: “The Caribbean has been hit harder by the global recession than many other regions and is still struggling to get out of it. [However], having been the first region to conclude an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union, the Caribbean has a head-start in preparing itself for an increasingly competitive global trade environment and profit from EU assistance in this regard.”

As further incentive to get private sector on board, Kinne used an example of a tangible benefit already achieved to illustrate the advantage of support from Germany through the GIZ and PTB, two German export promotion and capacity development of business support organisations and state institutions.

“In October, GIZ together with the Caribbean Export Development Agency organised a booth at ANGUA, the world’s largest B2B food fair. Eleven companies from the Caribbean were participating. […] Out of the 1 200 applications, 53 products were selected, three of which came from the Caribbean booth. One of these products came from Barbados – Tiger Malt,” he stated.

He assured that not only was that project a huge success, but “[it] increased the sales of all the companies”. (KG)

SOFTWARE COMPANY HERE TO STAY

MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR management global business applications supplier Sage has reaffirmed its commitment to investing in Barbados and the wider Caribbean, calling this region a very lucrative market.

Speaking to members of the media during a break at a Sage Partners and Clients Barbados Conference 2013 at the Crane Resorts last week Tuesday morning, Vice President, Field Sales, Mike Wingrove, said that with over 25 years of work in the Caribbean already under the company’s belt, it was looking forward to making significant investments here and would continue liaising with its on the ground partners on a regular basis.

“We have a great set of customers, we support SMEs and that is traditionally what is typically found here in these markets. Sage recognises [this region] is a very lucrative market for us and we are committing to helping the economy and companies within grow and prosper,” Wingrove remarked.

Mike Wingrove, Vice President, Field Sales, Sage North America.

Around 200 persons, including Accountants and Human
Resource Managers from leading companies in the
Caribbean, were at the conference.

The purpose for the conference, he said, was to share with customers some of the latest best practices relating to data access, business intelligence and time management applications, thereby allowing businesses to improve productivity, decision making and the overall customer experience.

Over the years, Barbadian firms would have grown accustomed to several of the products on the SAGE line, perhaps being most familiar with the (Sage ERP) Accpac, a mid-market line of accounting applications. That line was renamed to Sage 300 ERP as part of an extensive re-branding campaign the company rolled out in 2012. There were some who suggested that the company would no longer be in a position to support the line within the region, while others have doubted its continued success, claiming it to be a product suited only to the “North American market”.

Both claims were refuted by Trenton Weekes, Director of Business Development from Orchid Systems, a Sage Partner. He later told reporters that the Sage ERP line continued to be developed and delivered the types of solutions that people in the region were demanded. “We have customers, not only in Barbados, but from [around the region] who are using the product effectively and are getting the results that they are looking for... Sage … will continue to be in the region,” Weekes asserted.

“That is very important, not only for the business partners, but for the customers as well, because they want to identify with a product that is going to be ... around and that will continue to be developed,” he further stated.

Both Weekes and consultant Brenda Pope of another Sage Partner, KMPG, said they were pleased with the fact that in Sage’s rebranding efforts, the company was also offering better pricing to regional customers and that it had taken on board many of the suggestions recommended by on-the-ground partners. They noted these gestures were all the more critical in the prevailing economic environment which dictated that companies paid greater attention to ensuring maximised their returns on investments.

Weekes further remarked that local partners were extremely happy to be identified as a region. “That was not the case many years ago, but now the Caribbean is a region within the Sage portfolio,” Weekes added. (RA)

Paradise & Rangers reach Waggy T Quarters

LIME Paradise and Petro Caribe Queens Park Rangers scored wins last Sunday to reach the Quarter-Finals of the Waggy T Super Knockout Football Tournament at the National Stadium. Paradise beat Combine Northerners 2-0 with both goals coming in the second period. Combine Northerners gave it all they got; but were outplayed in the second half by the superior GFA Premier Division outfit. Skipper Shane Renee scored the goal of the tournament so far- a superb free kick from 30 meters out, which rocketed into right side of the upright.

Alex Alexis secured the winner in the 70th, after he was set-up by Kurt Renee. Petro Caribe Queens Park Rangers meanwhile, thrashed Seasons Fashion FC 6-0, in totally commanding performance. The St David’s outfit was certainly no match for the more seasoned and accomplished Premier Division team, who delighted fans with a splendid display. They were spurred on by striker Joe Greenidge, who notched-up the first hat-trick of the tournament.  He scored in the 22nd, 39th and 51st minutes to, to give QPR the drive.

QPR with cheque for 1,000 for second round win

Goals by the impressive striker Brian Andrew in the 30th  minute Junior Cyrus in the 72nd and Kareem Woodroffe in the 77th minute, completed the rout. Both Queens Park Rangers and Paradise earned themselves EC$ 1 000 each for winning in the second round in the tournament, which offers EC$90 000 in prize money, including the championship prize of EC$40 000. In the Lone Ladies encounter last week Saturday, Futgoff beat St Patrick 2-1, in a close contest. Camillia Cadore and Roneisha Frank scored for Futgoff, while Shanton Charles, replied for St Patrick.

The ladies event being played for the first time has reached the semi-finals, with games scheduled for November 23rd. Futgoff will play Queens Park Rangers, while SGU Lady Knights take on St Patrick.

Meanwhile, the action in the Quarter finals intensifies this weekend with four matches with games scheduled for Friday and Sunday at the National Stadium. Keen and exciting matches are in the making as the teams seek wins to advance further into the competition and remain in contention for the handsome championship prize.

NEWIM GBSS engage Bernie’s Ice Cream St John’s in the opening game Friday evening from six o’clock, while the other from 8:30, matches Hard Rock and Forde Happy Hill. The St John’s outfit beat St Andrew’s Football League (SAFL) 2-1 in the preliminaries, while GBSS earned a bye. The other games Sunday feature a clash between Glovers Spice Boys and Boca Juniors. Spice Boys beat Gouyave FC 2-1, while Boca Junior stopped Fetter Boys 5-4 in the lone encounter so far to be decided by a penalty-shoot out.  Game two matches J Mark Construction Sun Setters and Mt Ritch. The quarter-final games were scheduled for Thursday between Ball Dogs and St David’s united.