1 Barbados Business Catalyst • January - March 2010

Making it happen in 2010NEWCEO FORBIDCBy Jane L. BromeMr. Wilbur “Basil” Lavine has been appointed Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of the Barbados Investment & DevelopmentCorporation.The BIDC Board of Directors pursuant to Section 8(1) of the“My vision is to see the BIDC transformed into a trulydynamic, research-led trade and business developmentinstitution, fostering innovation and the leveraging oftechnology by companies.”Mr. Lavine is a graduate of the Universities of theWest Indies (UWI) and Lancaster, U.K., and ofseveral senior level Executive Education trainingprogrammes at Harvard University, U.S.A..In addition to his executive training and manyyears of relevant work- BIDC CEO Wilbur “Basil” Lavineexperience, he brings tothe position an academicbackground in naturalsciences, economics,operations researchand environmentalstudies.BIDC Act Cap. 340 of the Laws of Barbados at its Board Meetingheld on February 17, 2010 agreed, subject to the approval of theMinister of Economic Affairs and Empowerment, Innovation, Trade,Industry and Commerce, to appoint Mr. Lavine as the CEO of theCorporation with immediate effect.On March 05, 2010, further to the Board’s Decision, Dr. The Hon.David Estwick, Minister of Economic Affairs and Empowerment,Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce announced theappointment of Mr. Lavine as the CEO of the Corporation.A former meteorologist, Mr. Lavine joined the BIDC in 1994 asDirector of Research, Planning & Information, from the BarbadosDevelopment Bank where he was a senior executive. Hetemporarily headed the Corporation’s Small Business and NewEnterprise Division for eighteen months from 2005 to 2007 andacted as CEO on numerous occasions. Since August 2008, he hadbeen working continuously in that capacity, following the departureof former chief executive, Mr. Anthony Sobers. He has representedthe Corporation on several national committees and has also beenin the forefront in the design of some of its major systems andschemes. He has travelled widely.Commenting on his appointment,Mr. Lavine said “I am very happyto be accorded the opportunity tolead this important institution at thisvery challenging time in its history.I pledge to give of my very bestprofessionally while serving inthis capacity, with a view tomaking a real difference as theCorporation seeks to reinventitself. My vision is to seethe BIDC transformed intoa truly dynamic, researchledtrade and businessdevelopment institution,fostering innovation and theleveraging of technology bycompanies.”Barbados Business Catalyst • January - March 20103