TT facing huge productivity challenge

He added that the country is living in economic isolation, doing business with a very limited number of countries and while Trinidad and Tobago is doing business with other countries, it is not doing business in other countries. He said there is not one locally-owned multi-national company which is operating as a multi-national in another country. He also said that the local economy is stagnant and the outlook for the next three to five years does not look good.

For all these reasons he said the business school had assembled three of the top business gurus in the world to speak at its Distinguished Leadership and Innovation Conference being held under the theme “Inspire, Innovate and Go Global” on May 5 at the Hyatt Regency.

Collins is described as a leadership expert, having written or co-authored six books which have together sold more than ten million copies globally.

The conference line-up also includes Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally acclaimed expert on creativity and innovation and author of the bestseller Finding your Element, the Element; and Pankaj Ghemawat, Globalisation and Business Strategy Expert and author of the book “3:0 World Prosperity and How to Achieve it.” Carillo said because its obsessed with impact and relevance, the Arthur Lok Jack business school had put together the three greatest minds and relevant speakers in the history of the business world to make presentations at the conference.

He said the Caribbean is a small region and is one prone to natural disasters and one of the most important things the region needs to do is to outgrow itself if it wants to sustain a growth trajectory that will sustain itself over time. He added that the region needs to move its growth platform from the Caribbean to the world. “So we have to stop being so Caribbean- centric and whenever we think about a new venture or an investment, it’s not always to see how relevant this value proposition will be for Trinidad and Tobago but for the world.” One unique aspect of the conference will be a large panel from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) which will include two prime ministers and two ministers of Education, Dr Michael Brown from Antigua and Barbuda and Byron Waldron from the British Virgin Islands.