Teaching is in my DNA. I often found myself preparing and delivering short courses at Barbados National Bank, which I joined and eventually became CFO of after working with one of the Big Four firms in Toronto, Canada, (where I had taken a second degree, in commerce) and then a firm in Barbados.
When I saw there was a lecturer’s role in accounting at the University of the West Indies, I successfully applied for it. I went on to head the Department of Management Studies, and introduced courses such as Caribbean taxation and fraud examination. I also helped UWI upgrade its accounting programmes several years ago. I also set up the North Eastern Caribbean Accounting School to offer classes in ACCA and other qualifications.
For my business, I identified areas where training was deficient in the smaller islands
After a two-year stint with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), I eventually took the self-employment plunge. With hard-working and successful parents as role models, I had wanted to be self-employed from an early age. My mother had told me that the sky was the limit. I was able to identify the training areas that were deficient in the smaller islands and built my business on that.
Successful entrepreneurs often have several streams of income. My lecturing at UWI and my consultancy firm, Caribbean Consulting Group, allowed me to interact with hundreds of finance people across the Caribbean, influencing the lives of those who are now heads of government and financial institutions.
Gaining a PhD in accounting in only two years opened many doors for me. However, the legacy I hope to leave is the work I have done with disabled people. Twenty years ago, I co-founded a centre for adults with developmental disabilities in St Kitts. It is named Ade’s Place after my son Ade, who was disabled; he passed away shortly after we opened the centre. I still chair the voluntary board. In my opinion disability is a human rights issue, and if I had law-making powers, I would tackle the obstacles that prevent people with disabilities from having access to free education, housing and healthcare.
I use my favourite quote, ‘Readers are leaders’, as the tag line of my bookstore
I was also involved with the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation. It is an NGO set up to advise on how funds from the Citizenship By Investment programme should be spent in St Kitts and Nevis. As chair of the board for seven years, I reviewed all proposals that were submitted as we financed major projects in tourism and education.
My favourite quote is: ‘Readers are leaders.’ I use it as the tag line of my bookstore, Greenlands Books and Things, which specialises in books written by and about people of colour. Another of my favourite sayings is: ‘An investment in education reaps dividends which cannot be stolen from you.’
I am very busy as an educator, author, entrepreneur, accountant, certified fraud examiner, steelpannist, advocate for persons with disabilities and TV host. I am also an avid reader and enjoy time on the beach. I feel I am still evolving.
