The Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC) will host a forum for business leaders and school leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the island’s educational institutions. The Forum is a joint initiative between ABIC and the Ministry of Education.
The Forum, scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 at the offices of ACE Bermuda, will include about 60 participants, including school principals, the Permanent Secretary and Commissioner of Education, and corporate leaders from the international business sector. The discussion will be led by a team invited by ABIC from the University of Virginia’s Partners for Leaders in Education program. The Partners for Leaders in Education is a joint initiative of the Darden School of Business and the Curry School of Education at UVA. The program was founded to provide school leaders access to the most advanced thinking in business and education in order to meet the unique demands of managing and governing schools – with a specific emphasis on school turnaround strategies. The UVA team includes Executive Director LeAnn Buntrock, Darden professor June West, and researcher Lauren Rhim.
Corporate turnaround executive Mike McGavick, CEO of XL Capital Group, will open the forum by speaking on his own experiences in turnaround situation.
“The ongoing success of the international business sector is linked to its ability to access well-educated and qualified local employees,” says ABIC Chairman David Ezekiel. “The state of the Bermuda education system is therefore a key element in whether this jurisdiction remains a domicile of choice for international business.”
Mr. Ezekiel went on to state that he hopes the Forum will be the first of many opportunities for dialogue between school and business leaders, adding that there is much value to both groups in being able to discuss together many of the challenges leaders face in managing their organizations.
“The Government of Bermuda welcomes this support from the business community as we work to improve our education system,” says Minister James. “I would also like to echo Chairman Ezekiel’s comments that this is hopefully the first of many opportunities for shared discussion., and to personally thank the UVA team for accepting the invitation to participate in our Forum.“
ABIC, the voice of international business, represents more than 130 international companies incorporated in Bermuda.
