11 May marked the 2nd instalment of the Island Innovators gathering — a 4-part series of in-person, purposeful networking events designed to inspire, champion, and elevate unique projects & ideas to enhance Grenada.
Hosted by the Brazen Group, a locally-based global ICT firm, the event featured For73, a non-profit digital platform built by their Grenadian team as a dedicated online repository for Grenadian stakeholders to constructively share, collaborate and take action on Ideas, inspirations, and issues.
This was an event with an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) bias, from a personal, digital check-in at the entrance that fed corresponding welcome screens within the gathering to active dashboard screens showcasing many of the evening’s analytics and algorithms. Technology was harnessed to provide real-time insight into the event’s metrics and participants, including the number of first-timers vs returning attendees and the evening’s most-requested cocktails.
In keeping with the event’s concept of “making business a force for good by balancing profit and purpose, where leaders build not just companies but communities”, Brendan Heyck, the organization’s Founder & CEO, set the tone by endorsing Grenada’s rising human resource talent and the importance of investing in their career development. “At Brazen Group, we’re using the most powerful business platform in the world to power digital transformation here in the islands. As a group, our shared mission is to reverse the curse of brain drain by providing the Caribbean with world-class consulting by local talent. We are confident that we can earn internationally competitive salaries from our beaches so that Grenadians can reinvest on our shores.”
In a coincidence highlighting the surging emergence of a Knowledge & Service based economy, this private sector-led initiative was held in the same week as the public sector-driven “Unleash” conference. Numerous leaders within the community, public sector, and NGOs were in attendance, including the Hon. Minister Lennox Andrews and Orlando Romain, Grenada’s Advisor and Special Envoy for ICT and the Creative Economy. Island Innovator’s guest list underscored the general recognition of the synergies between the two events and an understanding of the necessity for public & private sector collaborations in the creative and ICT spaces.
The highlight of the evening was the ‘Shared Spotlight’ feature, during which innovators presented their ideas or aspirations for Grenada’s enhancement. Many shared ideas unique to Grenada’s business ecosystem, immediately earning them praise from the audience and subsequent networking opportunities. Hon. Lennox Andrews, Minister for ICT and the Creative Economy, offered encouragement and praise to the entrepreneurs and visionaries. Dr Wendy Grenade advised the gathering that T A Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) was guiding more tech-passionate students than ever before, while businessman, and former Grenada Ambassador Dr Angus Friday shared his enthusiasm about the many fields of which Grenada could avail itself and the boundless possibilities of investing in creativity and innovation.
Fayeann Lawrence, CEO of Sologistics, another remote-working global company and the visionary behind the For73 platform, was pleased to see the progress made since the platform’s and event series’ inception. She reminded the audience that, besides Leadership, “Innovation requires Perseverance and Action.” She cautioned against mindlessly focusing on the status quo and bureaucratic processes to the detriment of positive innovation. “[Innovation] requires a willingness to put aside old ideas, to facilitate rather than gatekeep, and do not allow our energy or enthusiasm to wane in the face of objections including ‘because it’s always been done this way’.” While alluding to the present beta-testing phase of the website, Ms Lawrence stated that work has been ongoing in collecting data for the repository for all to benefit from upon the website’s activation.
Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and the sounds of songstress Jenny J warmly fuelled the evening’s networking and socializing. As the evening drew to a close, there was a palpable air of anticipation for the next Island Innovators offering carded for September.
Brazen Group
