Leadership Cayman facilitates Opening Retreat and first seminar on Media

Leadership Cayman (LC) kicked off its seventh year in late January with this year’s class participating in the opening retreat at The Wyndham Reef Resort in East End. The Opening Retreat is designed to introduce participants to the philosophy behind the programme, to assess and develop leadership skills and to form closer bonds between the 25 class members. The six-month programme allows participants to learn more about their personal leadership style and hot buttons and to gain a better understanding of all aspects of the Cayman Islands. Martin Ruben, a graduate of Leadership Cayman 2011, chairs this year’s programme and delivered the welcome remarks. “Leadership Cayman is an awesome programme that provides participants with a unique opportunity to better understand their leadership style and to learn more about all aspects of the Cayman Islands society,” said Mr. Ruben. Dr. Peter K. Hammerschmidt, a Professor of Economics at Eckerd College and a Senior Trainer and Research Associate on the faculty of the College’s Leadership Development Institute: an affiliate of The Center for Creative Leadership, facilitated the retreat. He has been advising executives in leadership, innovative problem-solving, and teamwork for three decades and has been working with the Chamber since the start of the programme in 2010. The retreat consisted of a series of presentations, problem solving and team building activities, and included the provision of customised reports on each member’s leadership style. Participants were all engaged and expressed a high level of satisfaction with the retreat content. If you are interested in applying for next year’s Leadership Cayman class, visit www.leadershipcayman.ky or contact programme coordinator Trisha Meyerhoff at 743-9123 or send an email to [email protected]

Leadership Cayman Members Learn the Ins and Outs of Media

Radio Cayman was the first stop for this year’s Leadership Cayman class as part of the media seminar that took place at the Chamber of Commerce conference room in Governors Square on February 3, 2016. The seminar entitled “Media in Our Community” was organised and moderated by Leadership Cayman programme coordinator Ms. Trisha Meyerhoff. A tour of Radio Cayman kicked-off the seminar followed by a delightful dinner catered by The Hungry Horse at the Chamber. The purpose of this seminar was to learn how various media operate and how they influence the community and our personal lives. Media representatives from online media, print and television were invited to interact with class members. Panelists included Ms. April Cummings, Owner, Cayman Spaces; Ms. Tammi Sulliman, News Director, Cayman 27; and Mr. Alan Markoff, Journalist, Pinnacle Media. After Ms. Meyerhoff introduced the panellists for the evening, the group split into three breakout sessions where class members had the opportunity to speak openly with each of the three seminar panellists. This was very interactive and the discussions focused on three main themes: Freedom of Information, Freedom of the press, and the impact of social media on the dissemination of news. Class members learned about the opportunities and challenges that each of the representative stakeholders in the media industry encounter. Upcoming seminars in the 2016 Leadership Cayman programme will focus on the Financial Services and Education & Workforce Development. The programme could not survive without committed sponsors and the Chamber of Commerce and the LC Planning Committee acknowledges a major sponsor this year: Dart Enterprises Ltd. Seminar sponsors confirmed to date are Cayman First Insurance, Cayman National Bank, Deloitte, Endless Energy, and Greenlight RE. The Chamber is actively seeking sponsorships for the seminars in 2016 and persons or organisations interested in becoming a sponsor for the Leadership Cayman programme are encouraged to contact Nicola Burke at 743-9129 or Trisha Meyerhoff at 743-9123 or via [email protected] or visit http://leadershipcayman.ky/ for further details.