New Chamber of Commerce to Facilitate Two-Way Trade & Investment Between Canada & Guyana

Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce hits the ground running with 27 founding members

GEORGETOWN, Guyana and TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) was officially launched today with a mission to facilitate two-way trade and investment between Canada and one of the fastest growing economies in the world – Guyana.

The CGCC, which has offices in both Toronto and Georgetown, plans to offer advice and concierge services to its members and others looking to do business in both Canada and Guyana. The Chamber will also serve as a business advisory body to governments on bi-lateral matters related to trade and investment in both Guyana and Canada. Members of the CGCC will have access to a wide network of entrepreneurs and decision makers to help create and facilitate business opportunities.

At its launch today in Georgetown, Guyana, the country's President, Irfaan Ali, said, "The creation of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce is an important step forward in increasing trade and investment between our two countries. Our government is aligned with the mission of the Chamber, and its leadership will have our support at the ministerial level."

Lilian Chatterjee, Canada's High Commissioner to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, said, "I welcome the launch of the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce as it fits with Canada's diversified trade agenda.  Building on Canada's long history in Guyana, there are ample opportunities for the Canadian private sector to flourish".

With the recent discovery of large off-shore oil reserves in the country, Guyana is on the cusp of a major economic transformation. Consequently, there are a growing number of business opportunities in the country that could benefit from Canadian investment, experience and technology. In addition, the business climate in Guyana is being transformed to make it easier to invest in the country.

Business leaders and investors from Guyana will also be looking for opportunities to increase trade and investment with Canada, particularly in sectors that offer attractive returns and complement their own business strategies.

This positive outlook has already attracted a number of leading companies and business leaders to the Chamber. For example, Founding Members of the CGCC include:  Banks DIH Ltd., Caribbean Surgery Inc., Cataleya Energy Limited, CGX Energy Inc., Mr. Dean Hassan, Demerara Distillers Limited, Edward Beharry & Company Limited, Empire Plus Home and Commercial Inspection Services Inc., Gafsons Industries Limited, Gaico Construction and General Services Inc., Go Logistics Inc., Gold Source Mines Inc., Gold X Mining Corp., The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited, Guyana Goldfields Inc., Guysons Oil and Gas, International Development and Relief Foundation , JHI Associates Inc., N&S Mattai & Company, NALICO/NAFICO, NSBOmega Guyana Inc., Panthera Solutions Inc., Precision Truck Lines Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, Scotia Bank Guyana Inc., Sterling Products Limited.

Guyana's Anand Beharry will serve as Chair of the CGCC Board, and Canada's Winston Kassim as Co-Chair.

The Chamber is looking to add to this impressive roster, and is inviting other members of the business community to apply for membership. At present, there are still Platinum and Classic categories of membership available, which come with a wide range of benefits.

"We are excited about the growing trade and investment opportunities that exist between Canada and Guyana, and how we at the Chamber can help facilitate more business between our two great countries," said Natalia Seepersaud, the CGCC's Chief Executive Officer.

Members of the business community are welcome and can apply to join the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce by visiting the Chamber's website at https://cgcc.gy/ or by contacting the Chamber at: [email protected] or [phone]. 

The Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Board of Directors

Mr. Anand Beharry, Chairperson
Chairman of the Beharry Group Conglomerate which includes, Edward Beharry & Company Limited; Sterling Products Limited; Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited, Guyana Americas Merchant Bank Inc. and NALICO/NAFICO.

Mr. Winston Kassim, Co-Chair
President, Winston Kassim Consulting; Chair of Global Monitoring for IDRF; retired Royal Bank Executive. Recognised with the Order of Canada and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for Global Volunteerism.

Ms. Patricia Bacchus, Secretary
Managing Director and Board Chairperson, Caribbean Container Inc. Since 2019 Ms. Bacchus has also been serving as a Director on the Board of Demerara Tobacco Ltd.

Mr. Suraj Mattai, Treasurer
Suraj is the Chief Operations Officer of N&S Mattai. He is the youngest member of the CGCC Board of Directors and also serves as the Head of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Mr. Fareed Amin, Director
Former Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, and Deputy Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship for the Province of Ontario.

Dr. Vishnu Doerga, Director
Managing Director of NSBOmega Guyana Inc., a global technical staffing company. Vishnu holds a Ph.D. in Management specialising in entrepreneurship as well as an MBA.

Ms. Caron Hawco, Director
President of the Caron Hawco Group. A former Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry Association Caron is an accomplished communications and reputation strategist, stakeholder and professional project manager, local content diversity advisor, negotiator and facilitator.

Mr. Shabir Hussein, Director
Executive Director Banks DIH Ltd., Director, Banks Automotive and Services Inc., Director, Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), and Honorary Consul of Sweden to Guyana.

Mr. Andrew Mendes, Director
Managing Director, Farfan and Mendes Group comprising Mines Services Suriname NV, Jaguar Oilfield Services and Panthera Solutions. Andrew is a 2020 Laureate of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence in Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Suresh Narine, Director
Executive Chairman, CGX Energy Inc., Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Chemistry at Trent University, Director of the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research, and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Chair in Lipid Derived Biomaterials. He is also the Director of Guyana's National Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

Mr. Anthony Whyte, Director
Chief Executive Officer of the GO Integrated Group of Companies, which includes: GO Logistics; Go to Home; Empire Direct Appliances; Burada Logistics; Strategic Logistics Services; Citrus Personnel; Whyte Capital Inc.; Anthony James Whyte Holdings; Sulpana Automotive Leasing.

Ms. Liz Wyatt, Director
General Manager, Sol Petroleum in Guyana. She holds the designations "Chartered Life Underwriter" and "Chartered Financial Consultant", and Fellow of the Life Management Institute, and is licensed under the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD") in the United States.

Mr. Scott Young, Director
Vice President, Corporate Development JHI Associates, Inc. Scott has expertise in natural resources finance and extensive institutional finance networks in North and South America, Europe and Hong Kong.

SOURCE Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce

Ms. Natalia Seepersaud, Chief Executive Officer, Email: [email protected], Tel: [phone], Website: cgcc.gy or: David Moorcroft, Strategy2Communications, Email: [email protected], Tel: [phone]