With the nation gearing up towards hosing the highly anticipated Elite Pan American Track Championships in two weeks time, the recent results and athletes’ form can only mean positive things moving forward.

In a recent interview with Newsday, Racing Director at TT CF, Gary Acosta, stated, “The competition ran smoothly and the level of competition was outstanding as the athletes’ times showed they are really ready for the upcoming Elite Pan Ams.” According to the TT CF, the official national team of cyclist which will represent the twin-island republic at the Pan Ams, will be selected by Monday.

Since there were not enough teams registered for last Monday evening’s Madison race. The tall female PSL cyclist, Teniel Campbell, once again dominated the Women’s proceedings on the final day of the National Elite Championships, which concluded on Sunday evening.

Campbell started the last day of activities by setting a new National 3-kilometre Individual Pursuit record with a time of three minutes 55.44 seconds, eclipsing her 2015 record of 3:56.86, which she established at the high altitude track in Chile.

Her closest competitor was newly switched track cyclist, Alexandra Bovell (Unattached), who is also sister of famed TT swimmer George Bovell III, in a time of 4:00.84 with Christiane Farah (Breakaway) in third with a solid 4:11.07 pursuit. Campbell did not stop there though and saved the best for last when she came up against Kollyn St George of Breakaway Cycling Club in the 500-metre Time Trial. With a half lap remaining, St George was comfortably 0.3 seconds ahead.

However, when the clocks stopped on both ends, Campbell was adjudged the winner by 0.001 seconds in a time of 36.507 seconds.

Jovian Gomez (PSL) snatched the 4km Individual Pursuit event in a time of 4:52.90, just ahead of teammate Akil Campbell’s (PSL) time of 4:53.422. Quincy Alexander shrugged off the pain from his hard fall on Saturday morning in the Sprint Qualifications to set a solid time of 1:05.31. In the process, he captured the 1km Time Trial title with Akil Campbell also placing second in that race and Ako Kellar (Team Foundation) finishing third.

This condition is applicable for a period of one year, effective July 19. TATT said its statement was consequent to the receipt of notification from TSTT of the proposed change of control of Massy, dated May 2. The Authority said it is empowered to approve a transfer of control of concessionaires by Section 22 (1) of the Telecommunications Act.

TATT said it is also empowered to do so by Conditions A16 and A17 of the concession issued to all concessionaires, “bearing in mind that such approval should not be unreasonably withheld.” By Condition A20, TATT said it is empowered to, in the grant of any such approval, “ impose such reasonable conditions upon the concessionaire in respect of any transfer, assignment, change, disposal or arrangement as it considers appropriate.” The Authority said it conducted a thorough and fair analysis since it received the applications.

TATT said the analysis was done in a transparent manner and the interests of the sector were taken (including those of the applicants and consumers) into consideration in deciding to grant the change of control.

Junior Brown and Reagan Prince, of Macaulay Road, Claxton Bay and Mora Village, Point Fortin, respectively, are expected to re-appear in court next Wednesday when their criminal record tracing will be produced.

It is alleged that two gunmen stormed Sammy’s Bar located at Mt Pleasant Road, Springvale at Claxton Bay, on Friday and announced a robbery.

They gunmen robbed the Chinese national, who at the time was operating a roulette machine, of a quantity of cash before escaping in a car.

Sgt Ali together with other officers of the Couva CID went to a house at Soledad Road West in Claxton Bay, where they arrested the Brown and Prince, also called Reagan Deen, the same day.

PC Mitchell charged them with robbery with violence, shooting with intent, possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger lives.

All charges were laid indictably and so the accused men were not called upon to plead before Magistrate Siumongal Ramsaran yesterday.

Meanwhile, another man, Barry Prince, 34, also appeared before Magistrate Seemungal yesterday charged with the possession of a firearm, ammunition and marijuana. He too was not called upon to plea yesterday as the charges were laid indictably by PC Mitchell.

Police arrested him on Friday evening at a house on Soledad Road West after they allegedly found the firearm, ammunition and 197 grammes of the illegal narcotic.

The magistrate denied bail to Prince and remanded him into police custody to reappear in court on Wednesday.

Sgt Vikki Ranjitsingh prosecuted.

Only on Tuesday, Rasheed Brewster appeared in the Couva Magistrate’s Court charged by PC Ramoutar of Couva CID with the possession of a prohibited weapon, namely a SKS Russian rifle and seven rounds of ammunition. It is alleged that police found the items at his home in Trincity on Friday.

He was denied bail and the matter was transferred to the Arima Magistrates’ Court for him to appear on Tuesday.

Dear Piteous Pitcher,

I think most people will agree that one of the hardest challenges for creative people, or persons interested in advancing in the workplace is to gain support for their ideas from top management.

I know colleagues who believe that their proposals are ignored and not taken seriously, not because they have poor potential, but oftentimes because their bosses simply do not understand the idea or even listened to their presentation. This can cause any employee to feel frustrated and disenchanted, and even lead to innovative persons leaving an organization.

So what’s the solution to this age old problem? Well certainly having your boss onboard long before you pitch your idea is key.

You need to bear in mind that your idea may very well be the solution to a crucial business problem and your boss will hardly ever invest in something unexpected. Therefore, it is important to get your boss involved actively upfront. This will reduce the risk associated with the idea being rejected since your boss will be involved at the first stage of the project.

You should also frame your suggestion to match your boss’ goals.

Once your idea can advance or assist your boss in the workplace, 80% of your job is done. Therefore, pitch your suggestion in terms of how it might help your boss. Remember, what matters to your boss include: improving the bottom line, ensuring the team performs or simply just looking good. You should therefore understand where your boss wants to be (his / her goals) and examine how your idea can help your boss achieve those goals. Frame your idea from your boss’s perspective and not yours.

Remember, decision-makers have more trust and confidence in great performers. The organization’s top performers usually get the praise and attention. This is sometimes referred to as the “hero effect”. Your performance is a key factor and will impact how people view your personal brand. Make sure that your organization’s top executives are aware of your good work and that you have a strong personal brand.

Bear in mind that your boss will more than likely consider ideas from those deemed to be high performers. Your performance and reputation within the organization will be equated to your idea. You therefore need to build a good reputation and strong personal brand, if you don’t already have one.

You should also consider enhancing your presentation and public speaking skills through training. Additionally, there are business books and other resources that can prepare you to answer some tough questions. You can certainly learn how to persuade other people – “Pitch Anything” by Oren Klaff will teach you the nuts and bolts of persuasion, while “Positive Personality Profiles” by Robert A.

Rohm, Ph.D. will provide insights toward understanding the art and science of human behaviour.

Pitching is a skill that should be nurtured and developed like any other. It is the key moment when you want to persuade and influence someone to try new things or buy into a product or service.

Remember, you are putting your idea and yourself in front of other people, mainly the decision makers in your organization. Now, this may sound scary, but it is the only way to present your ideas and make an impression.

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas.

ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Cavelle Joseph, Human Resource Practitioner and a Past President of AFETT. Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com or by contacting the Secretariat at admin.

afett@gmail.com or 354-7130. Search for AFETT Events on Facebook and follow @AFETTEXECS on Twitter.

On August 10, AMB published its unaudited interim results, in which the ANSA McAL Group of Companies subsidiary reported PBT for the six month period ended June 30 had increased by 43 per cent or almost TT $50 million to TT $164 million compared to the same period last year, when the bank recorded PBT of $115 million. Earnings per share improved by 41 per cent to $1.51 ($1.07 in 2016).

Speaking with Business Day about AMB’s performance, Hill said “despite the challenging environment”, the bank’s increase in PBT meant it was able to contribute $164 million “and a significant fillip to the overall performance of the ANSA McAL Group.”

Hill said AMB saw growth in its investment portfolios in all companies: expanded mortgage lending, increases in insurance premiums and underwriting and, with the full integration of the Consolidated Finance Company Limited in Barbados, “our results were further enhanced by a regional uplift.

“All in all, we are starting to see the benefits of several strategic initiatives in all our companies. We launched our Securities Trading platform in the bank in 2015 and followed this in 2017 with the launch of our Private Wealth Management business, which has already started to gain momentum.

“We understand wealth creation and preservation in our Group, as its in our Corporate DNA,” Hill added. “So this new service was an easy bolt on for us to our suite of financial services. These solid advances have mitigated the other areas of the business where we deliberately were a bit more conservative, such as our retail and commercial lending, where we see the most exposure to the current tough economic climate.”

For the period under review, AMB’s subsidiary, Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Limited (TATIL), gained market share in its Motor and Property books over the prior year. Hill told Business Day that the insurance company “has demonstrated a focus on growing the business” which has included the use of “endearing TATIL ads which have become a hallmark of the brand strategy for our General Insurance business, where you are not a policy number, but a person.”

Quoting the popular tagline from one of its best known ads, Hill said, “TATIL, where people are people.

“This has been quite successful in driving an increase in policy count and market share. Policy growth was also as a result of the cross selling across our companies and its direct sales initiatives. If I might also add, once again A.M. Best confirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “A-” with a Stable Outlook for TATIL. This rating was based on TATIL’s continued solid risk-adjusted capitalisation, reinsurance support, history of profitability and overall strong operating performance which it has become known for, given its favourable underwriting results augmented by its steady investment income.”

Like its parent company, TATIL Life, also recorded an improved performance in PBT of $61 million ($2.8 million in 2016) as well as a market share gain in its mortgage and life products.

Regarding this subsidiary, Hill told Business Day that, “In addition to the exceptional performance of its investment portfolio, TATIL Life increased its underwriting on its annuity business and its mortgage lending business, both of which contributed to the improved performance over 2016.”

Hill credited the “very dedicated team at TATIL Life, led by Ron (Ronald Milford), a very entrepreneurial MD who has really been working the business since he joined us just about two years ago.”

Looking ahead, Hill said while the local and international environment “continues to present challenges”, AMB remains “confident of delivering a solid performance in 2017.

“Our businesses are well capitalised, our underwriting conservative and our teams fully energised to create shareholder value every day, so we anticipate that we will overcome any challenge thrown at us in the markets in which we operate, while we look for opportunities to grow both organically and inorganically.”

From about 20 countries in the Caribbean and Latin American (CALA) region, TSTT is one of the top companies demonstrating this pioneering behavior,” said Paulo Eduardo Da Silva, Export managing director at the Power and Telephone Supply Company (Power & Tel), at a brief recognition function during which the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT) received an award for being an innovative industry leader in the CALA region.

The award was presented to TSTT’s chief executive officer, Dr. Ronald Walcott by Jennifer Sims, Power & Tel’s chief executive officer, at TSTT’s Queen’s Park Oval Hospitality Suite on August 10.

Power & Tel is a global leader in telecommunications and cable TV equipment and serves telecoms of all sizes, including AT&T, Comcast and Telefonica. “We have been distributing to the CALA region for over 20 years and we noticed a lag between the USA and European region and the CALA region. It usually takes three to five years for any technology adopted in the USA to be implemented in this region.

However, delving deeper, we noticed a trend in which a few CALA companies were showing higher innovation than those in the USA and Europe, and TSTT is one of the companies which is leading this innovation. For example, when TSTT started its fiber to the home programme in 2009, many companies in Mexico, Brazil, USA, were just starting to think about it,” said Da Silva, as he expanded on why TSTT was deserving of the award.

Dr. Walcott thanked Power & Tel on behalf of the Board and staff of TSTT, and reminded that TSTT was the leader with several other initiatives locally and regionally, including being the only, full-service communications solutions provider in the country, launching the first and only 4G LTE mobile and wired broadband service locally, having the first and only TIA/Tier three certified, world-class data centre regionally and the historic almost $2 billion financing agreement with Republic Bank Limited to support TSTT’s $3.7 billion five-year investment and transformation plan. He said, “TSTT’s vision is to become the standard bearer in Trinidad and Tobago for leading edge communications solutions and services that will enrich the lives of citizens, businesses and visitors. We really appreciate this recognition because it serves as important validation of our company vision and says to us that we are on the right path.” Sims is a communications industry advocate and serves as Board treasurer for the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) which helps develop global ICT industry standards and policies; Board Treasurer of the QuEST Forum, a global association of companies dedicated to improving the quality and sustainability of ICT products and services; and Board president on the Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Chapter of Greater Memphis-Jackson. Sims commended TSTT for being a valued customer and for playing a vital role in the CALA telecom industry through the improvement of technology and services to end users. “The level of disruption in the global telecoms industry is very high right now with respect to how quickly services continue to change and grow. As a service provider, there are a lot of decisions to make and we recognise companies such as TSTT who are in the lead in the industry in terms of investing in these new technologies that benefit their consumer base and shareholders,” said Sims, who worked for IBM and HP for a number of years prior to joining Power & Tel.

Sims also congratulated Dr. Walcott on his leadership of the company. “We recognise and appreciate professionals like Dr. Walcott who make a positive impact on the technological advancements of Fiber Optics, IPTV and FTTx in the Caribbean and Latin America. The skills, planning and hard work required to accomplish your personal and company goals is worthy of recognition.

Leaders like you make a difference.

Congratulations!” About Power & Tel Founded in 1963, Power & Tel’s extensive distribution system provides service providers and contractors an effective way to get the wide-range of products needed to build and maintain communication networks.

As a value-add partner, the company also offers efficient solutions for the management of material and transactions; asset visibility; and maximising resource & facility capacity. Company headquarters are located in Memphis, TN, with branch offices and distribution centers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Power & Tel’s inventory, experience and technologies can help reduce the costs within your supply chain and allow you to reach your profit objectives. To learn more visit www.ptsupply.com or call 800-238- 7514

Governments of the future will need to adapt and continuously evolve to create value. They need to stay relevant by being responsive to rapidly changing conditions and citizens’ expectations. Citizens are demanding more visibility on the allocation of public resources and challenging governments to be more efficient and equitable through accountability and transparency.

What is needed today is a flatter, agile, streamlined and tech-enabled government.

One of the ways in which governments can become flatter is through citizen engagement, which means decreasing the distance between government and the people using social media, mobile devices and other tools, increasing participation through consultations, surveys and other communication modes and committing to open data that provide citizens and businesses with access to information. Members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government devoted particular attention to the impact of new networks on democratic processes, focusing on citizen engagement. While this issue remains centrally important, the focus has broadened to encompass how the strategies, structures and practices of governments must change in the coming years, and how new information and communication technologies and networks can be leveraged to transform government capacity.

Agility and adaptability are also critical to effective and innovative governments. Successful governments can organize themselves to consolidate public and private resources quickly to address challenges. Governments must also be able to easily transform themselves when specific structures and processes are no longer needed.

This requires an agile workforce made up primarily of highly skilled knowledge workers with broad problem-solving capabilities and equipped with real time data and business intelligence – working in teams and networks, often with private sector partners. Adaptive governments that share services, labour and resources can deliver on their mission in more effective and innovative ways.

Consequently, governments of the future must be fully tech-enabled with a tech-savvy workforce. Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and processes must be redesigned to align with the dynamics of the networked world. Information infrastructures must support new modes of collaboration, information and intensive governance. Even in the poorest regions, brilliant examples of service innovation have been driven using cheap mobile and wireless technologies.

Now there are tools and systems that allow citizens to examine government activities and expenditures. At the same time, citizen engagement allows governments to reach out and incorporate the perspectives and ideas of citizens in decision-making and policy-making. Still other governments are building networked relationships between the public and private sectors to solve challenging problems that cannot be addressed by either sector working alone.

An increasing number of countries are building transparency and accountability and driving public and private innovation by information and communication technologies, including social media. It is hoped that our government will also follow this forward-thinking path into the future.

Their only Hexagonal result came on March 24 when they edged Panama 1-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, with goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams registering a clean sheet. Despite their difficulties, the 32-yearold shot-stopper remains positive about the team’s chances of qualifying for Russia 2018.

“It’s been challenging, to say the least,” Williams told FIFA.

com. “We struggled a bit to get some form of stability because we changed coaches, and it’s obviously tough when you change coaches at a crucial stage, like this one. In saying that, we’ve had some good performances under the new coach, Dennis Lawrence. It’s for us now to buckle down and get some points because we really need some points to stay alive in this World Cup qualifying campaign.”

The Lawrence factor Trinidad and Tobago’s recent struggles were not helped by a period of instability in the team’s coaching position. Stephen Hart’s reign on the bench ended after opening Hexagonal defeats to Costa Rica and Honduras last November. The well-travelled Belgian Tom Saintfiet succeeded Hart, but stayed a little over a month in the role before resigning after the team’s failure to qualify for this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

It prompted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association to turn to Lawrence to steady the ship. A member of the Soca Warriors side that qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Lawrence’s knowledge of trying to qualify from CONCACAF has been invaluable to Williams and his team-mates.

“Throughout all the troubles that we had in such a short period of time, I think Dennis’ experience of having played in the Hexagonal and helping the national team qualify for the World Cup, plus his experience of coaching in England, has allowed him to come in with all the right experience,” Williams said.

“He has all the right people around him as well – the likes of Sol Campbell, Stern John, Stuart Charles-Fevrier – these guys have really put their heads together and they are really able to pass across the relevant information that we need to be able to really transform us quickly and as smoothly as possible.”

Crucial September As they look ahead to their next set of qualifiers, the scenario for Trinidad and Tobago is a clear one.

They effectively need maximum points from their home clash with Honduras on September 1 and their visit to Panama four days later to have any realistic chance of earning automatic qualification for Russia 2018. Williams believes his side have the ability to deliver when needed.

“The mood around the camp and the team is one of great optimism,” he said. “I think culturally as a society in Trinidad and Tobago, we tend to produce our best when our backs are against the wall. These games against Honduras and Panama are very important for us, but knowing we can compete and can actually ruffle the feathers of the best in CONCACAF, I think it’s now for us to transfer this into winning performances and get three points in each of the next two encounters.”

In an interview with Newsday on Tuesday, Indarsingh said, “It is an additional 114 families that will now be added to the 25,000 workers unemployed since the (Dr Keith) Rowley administration assumed political office.” The Couva South MP said the sending home of the workers came at a particularly critical time when school is going to re-open and parents have to buy books and uniforms for their children. He said government also continues to undermine the principle of good industrial practices, the labour laws of T&T and the Industrial Court. “At a time when the government has called upon labour and citizens to make sacrifices, where are they getting money to hire senior counsels to appeal the Industrial Court rulings?” Indarsingh said “Government has asked labour to return to the table of national tripartite talks, but one wonders how could labour trust a government that is behaving in such a contentious, anti labour manner? Further, they have failed to grow and diversify the economy. No one knows what these two new entities are.

Are these workers going to be reabsorbed?”Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus also got a scolding from Indarsingh who said she has been silent since the closure of Arcelor Mittal and Centrin. He said a proposed national employment registry by Baptiste-Primus to deal with retrenched workers

He spoke during a commemorative exhibition at the Alma Jordan Library, University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus.

Crawford, who witnessed the events live in London, said, “Before I left Trinidad, someone asked me ‘what medals?’ I told them we have four great chances. One of them is Jereem, I said it, Richards (in the men’s 200 metres); the (women’s 4x100m relay), Keshorn (Walcott in javelin), and the 4×4 (4x400m relay). I said, but they’ll have to earn it.” Richards was part of the victorious 4x400m relay team, while he copped bronze in the men’s 200m. The women’s 4x100m relay team placed sixth in the final while Walcott finished seventh in his final.

Crawford continued, “If you look at those guys (Jarrin Solomon, Richards, Machel Cedenio and Lalonde Gordon), the way they run in the 4×4, they went for it.

“You have to go for it, and as I said, you have to earn it. And they earned it.” Crawford said that if it wasn’t for Richards’ bad start in the 200m final, he would have won gold. And he had great praise for the athletes and the effort required to run the races and excel.

“You can’t just run like that. You have to be prepared to take your body beyond.

You have to learn to manage pressure. You have to learn to manage speed and you’ll get success.” The exhibition, titled “Hasely Crawford – National Hero”, is part of the annual National Heroes Project launched by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) on July 21 this year. The initiative aims to recognise TT nationals who have excelled in their respective fields and whose legacy of service, contribution or inspiration has impacted the country.

This year’s focus is Crawford who, at UWI yesterday, took the time to converse with guests and sign autographs.

NGC chairman Gerry Brooks and NGC president Mark Loquan, were among the officials present.

The exhibition detailed his historic run at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada, with video footage of his historic race, as well as excerpts of past articles of races where he excelled.

Also on display were boards showing Crawford’s role as Head of Community Relations of 1996 and his role in the implementation of the Right on Track Programme and his continuous role of community engagement throughout the years.

The exhibition is one in a history of initiatives by the NGC to support local sport, which includes the recent Youth Elite Programme, and runs from July 25 to August 18 at UWI. It will then move on throughout various schools and NALIS libraries across the country.