CONTACT - Guernsey Chamber of Commerce

Guernsey
climbs
specialist
finance
centre
rankings
Guernsey has placed fourth in this
year’s rankings of specialist finance
centres from global trade magazine
The Banker.
The island made the biggest gains
in the top half of the table, improving
its score by nine points from last
year to jump up four places.
‘It is very encouraging to see
such an improvement,’ said Peter
Niven, chief executive of Guernsey
Finance, the promotional agency for
the island’s finance industry.
‘This seems to be a reflection of
Guernsey’s relative position in the
wake of the economic crisis. We are
seeing anecdotal and empirical
evidence that suggests the Island
is bouncing back well, particularly
in relation to some of our
competitors and these rankings add
further weight to that view.
‘There are still some significant
challenges ahead and we cannot be
complacent but this is another
reason to be positive about the future
of Guernsey’s finance industry.’
This is the second year in a row
that the magazine, which is part of
the Financial Times group of
business publications, has
undertaken research on
international finance centres. New
York leapfrogged London to take
pole position in the overall rankings.
Within the rankings of
‘specialised financial centres’, the
Cayman Islands retained its first
place from Bermuda (up two places
to second) who overtook Jersey
(down a place to third).
Guernsey’s position of fourth out
of 18 placed it ahead of, amongst
others, the Isle of Man (sixth),
Gibraltar (11th) and Malta (13th).
Guernsey’s business leaders are being
given the opportunity to improve a key
professional skill and increase the
Guernsey’s productivity by doing so.
The half-day seminar will see
delegates learning how to tap into their
creative talents in order to power
innovation and improve their business
performance. The Tony Carey Creative
Leadership Workshop is named after one
of the originators of the Guernsey Awards
for Achievement who died last year.
Tony Gallienne, a former chairman of
the IoD in Guernsey and a vocal
champion of the importance of creativity
in business, said the seminar was a
positive development for the island.
‘In Guernsey we pride ourselves on
being innovative and entrepreneurial and
the workshop will offer practical help for
business people who want to tap into
their skills in these areas. As a
knowledge-based economy doing things
smarter or differently to our competitors
can help give us the edge over the
competition. So I see this workshop as
potentially vital for the Island’s business
leaders of today and tomorrow.’
Delegates will learn practical creativity
and innovation methods and at the same
time gain closer links with Guernsey’s
business leaders in a variety of sectors,
contacts that will continue to be useful in
the years ahead. The event is being led by
UK-based Paul Sloane, a leading expert
and speaker on creativity and the positive
impact it can have on businesses.
‘Above all I want delegates to realise
that we all have the capacity to be
creative, it’s just a question of how best
to tap into our potential. Business people
attending the event will be given practical
tools to help them improve innovation in
their organisations,’ he said.
The event, which is sponsored by AO
Hall and supported by the Commerce
and Employment Department and the
Chamber of Commerce, is the idea of
Tony Carey’s son, Andrew.
‘Creativity perhaps has a reputation
as being a bit of a touchy-feely subject,
and not one that has a strong relevance
to the business world. In fact, as
Guernsey people have demonstrated
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Seminar in creativity
for business leaders
is launched
‘Working harder or cheaper will help
but to really make a difference one
has to think about business issues
creatively. My father completely
bought into that philosophy’
ANDREW CAREY
over many years, creative thinking
applied well in business can be an
absolute game-changer,’ he said.
‘ Working harder or cheaper will help
but to really make a difference one has
to think about business issues
creatively. My father completely bought
into that philosophy and I’m sure would
support efforts to help make Guernsey
more competitive.’
The event, which includes lunch, will
be held on Wednesday 17th November
at the Old Government House Hotel and
costs £75. Registration is through
Orchard Events by emailing
Fiona@orchardevents.com or by
calling 240606.
The late Tony
Carey, one of the
originators of the
Guernsey Awards
for Achievement.
www.guernseychamber.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010 | CONTACT | 09