Agenda

Over the course of two packed days and a rich array of panels, interviews, community polling and workshops, a world-class roster of 75 speakers will explore:

How we can frame a comprehensive vision and investment strategy for tourism-related infrastructure
Delivering on obligations of island stakeholders to guarantee social protections in health, education and security
Cutting-edge solutions to seek opportunity from Caribbean’s thorn in the side, waste management
How we can create a commercial case for food security in the region?
What needs to be done to deliver cutting edge digital and telecom infrastructure for citizens and digital nomads alike?

In addition to the Main Stage, we invite attendees to meet the market through numerous structured and unstructured networking/meeting opportunities including the cocktail reception and inaugural CARIF Awards.

Monday

September 19

8:15

Registration and Refreshments

9:00-9:15

Chairperson Welcome and Warm Up (Dynamic Polling/Trivia)

9:15-10:15

Ministerial Keynote: Infrastructure for Growth, Resilience, Sustainability

As islands strive to meet NDCs, achieve growth and satisfy the evolving needs of local industry and populations, we consider which innovative and collaborative approaches to development can bring the region closer to these goals.

How can investment in infrastructure be a key tool for economic recovery and decarbonization in the Caribbean?
How do mitigation and adaptation policies fit into broader national infrastructure plans? Do these plans make sense for small jurisdictions?
Which infrastructure developments have the biggest impact from a socio-economic perspective, and how can these be prioritized?
What improvements in transportation infrastructure could help ease inflationary pressures on islands?
What steps are regional governments doing to attract investors and developers, when faced with an increasingly selective private sector?
Highlighting standout projects on the horizon- and visions for the future

Stephen Beatty

KPMG International
Head, Global Infrastructure | Head, Global Center of Excellence for Cities and Local Government | Co-Lead, Economic Growth Services, Global Government Moderator

10:15-11:15

The Tourism Bounce Back, and How it is Driving Infrastructure Development

Trends in tourism post-Covid: Which islands are winning back visitors, how have their trends and choices changed? What does this imply for infrastructure demand?
What infrastructure developments are being spurred on by the tourism uptick? How can we guarantee tourism driven infrastructure is not only to the benefit of tourists?
Where are the opportunities to engage the tourism sector for green and health-conscious infrastructure investment?
Are digital nomads here to stay? How can these ‘nomads’ be converted into contributing residents? –
Which visa schemes/citizenship programs are proving effective in this conversion?
What residential and educational offerings might incentive permanent residency?

Isabel de Caires

CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
Director, Corporate Investment Banking
Roderick Cherry

Invest St. Lucia
CEO

11:15-11:45

Networking

11:45-12:45

Underpinning a Robust Project Pipeline: Approaches to Financing and Risk

Leading financiers and project developers discuss the dynamics of the market, and the innovations in financing and risk management strategies that will get projects off the ground.

How are regional financiers reassessing their approaches to financing, in order to accelerate getting more shovels into the ground?
What actions should project sponsors put in place to create a smooth glidepath to securing financing?
Is a green infrastructure component the dominant driver for investors?
Democratization of financing: How project sponsors can create opportunities for citizens to invest
How to encourage greater involvement of local private partners in infrastructure development

Adam Carter

CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
Managing Director, Head - Investment Banking
Stephen Grell

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited
Managing Director

12:45-1:30

Green and sustainable infrastructure: How do we measure success?

Building sustainability and green principles into infrastructure planning and development can offer the win-win of attracting investment for projects and helping to fill the Caribbean’s infrastructure gap in a more resilient and climate friendly manner. Questions remain about the execution and metrics.

Built to last – how financing highly resilient infrastructure may be more economical in the long run
How to measure and demonstrate the long-term economic impacts of mitigation measures in project design
Integrating climate risk into project design: Tools and application
What does the focus on ESG mean for the ability of islands to secure financing
How can governments and multilateral organizations support effective and transparent green infrastructure policy and help support increased access to climate finance?

Daniel Best

Caribbean Development Bank
Director, Projects Department
Gillian Charles-Gollop

CIBC FirstCaribbean Corporate and Investment Banking
Executive Director, Corporate Investment Banking & Advisory
Christiaan Gischler

Inter-American Development Bank
Co-Lead Special Group on Mining , Geothermal and Hydrocarbons

1:30-3:00

Lunch

3:00-4:00

Transforming Caribbean Economies Via Robust Digital and Telecommunication Infrastructure

Regional standouts: Digital infrastructure rankings across the region
What investments offer the potential to most significantly impact Caribbean citizens and economies?
To what degree will 5G rollout improve the business environment and facilitate growth across sectors?
Developing regulation to enable increased investment in the sector: What needs to be done?
Do PPPs have a place in digital, broadband projects? What structures meet the needs of the asset?
How is the appetite from investors developing for Caribbean digital infrastructure? What can be done to increase appeal?
What is the potential for a regional digital initiative and how does this function with individual islands’ strategies?

Javier Mendez-Castillero

Cable & Wireless Company
Senior Director of Sales Operations Excellence
Dr. Justin Ram

Justin Ram Advisory Services
CEO

3:45-4:15

Networking

4:15-5:00

Airports: Back in a Big Way

The post-Covid revival in traffic is putting airport development back at center stage. With a mix of expansions and refurbs in tender or under development across the region, we look at how governments, concessionaires, and investors perceive the opportunities in the Caribbean airport sector, and what can be done to drum up investor appetite.

How have the priorities of investors changed since the pre-Covid period? How are public sector stakeholders responding to these expectations?
Case study comparisons: Identifying key hurdles and approaches taken to regional airport projects- What has been successful? What lessons can be drawn from these experiences?
Assessing the pipeline for the sector, and what will be needed to bring plans to fruition
Expectations from these developments on regional competitiveness and economic plans
Optimizing the economics of airports with ~ 1 million passengers
Outlook for updating regional travel links

Lester Nelson

Bermuda Airport Authority
CEO
Michelle Ottey

International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Senior Investment Officer and Head of IFC Transaction Advisory Services in PPPs for the Caribbean
Filipe Pereira dos Reis

IATA
Regional Director, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, The Americas
Dr. Kenneth Romer

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation
Deputy Director General & Acting Director of Aviation Office of the Deputy Director General

5:00-6:00

How Can We Move the Needle Towards More Effective Water and Wastewater Management?

Part I: State of the Water and Wastewater Sector

-What projects and initiatives are progressing island water supply, treatment, management?

Comparing approaches to water utility management and asset management: What works best?
Technologies and digital solutions for more effective water network management, and to incorporate increased energy efficiency
Assessing investor appetite for water projects, and how this can be further stimulated
Addressing the challenges of non-revenue water, and climate risk

Mark Barnett

National Water Commission, Jamaica
President
Sara-Jade Govia

Ministry of Public Utilities, Government of Trinidad and Tobago
Water Sector Specialist

Raymond Campbell

KPMG Caricom
Head of Advisory Moderator

6:00-6:15

Chairperson’s Conclusions

6:15-6:30

Presentation of CARIF Awards

6:30-8:00

CARIF Cocktail Reception

Tuesday

September 20

6:30

CARIF Fun Run

Early risers: Join your fellow CARIF delegates for an enjoyable and invigorating networking fun-run around beautiful Coconut Grove.

8:00-8:45

CARIF Exhibition

8:45-9:00

Chairperson Welcome and CARIF Trivia

9:00-9:20

Keynote Interview: Economic Growth, Diversification and Population

Exploring the fundamentals of how islands can create greater economic growth and achieve economic diversity
How are islands attracting remote workers, high net worth residents and long stay tourists and how the needs of citizens with guest residents are being equitably managed
Where is the low hanging fruit to economic diversification? And what are the longer-term, grander ambitions that could be possible?
What needs to be done in terms of capacity building, financial and social frameworks, and regulation in order to achieve these goals?

10:15-11:00

Creating a Commercial Case for Food Security Infrastructure

What do the islands require to ensure a sustainable food supply?
What infrastructure is needed to meet this demand in terms of warehousing, greenhouses, climate-controlled transport access?
What is the role of various public and private stakeholders in establishing reliable food infrastructure and how can these developments become bankable projects?
How can distributors be integrated into planning and incentivized to support island to island agricultural trade?
Innovations in food production: How can we finance these potentially game-changing solutions?

11:00-11:40

Reimagining P3s

Are we seeing a uptick in the use of P3s, and witnessing their use in sectors which did not traditionally use them?
What are the expectations of stakeholders in terms of structures?
How has perception of risk changed in the current landscape?
Could a more collaborative approach to designing P3 structures, such as ‘progressive P3s’ stimulate increased private sector investment?

David Pratt

PRT Group Inc
President

11:40-12:00

Networking

12:00-12:45

New Generation Power Systems and Paving the Way to Electric Mobility Success

Island administrations have placed e-mobility at the center of energy transition strategy, but electrification of fleets is just part of the puzzle. What else needs to be done to support decarbonization efforts in the transport space?

What infrastructure development is needed to bridge the gap to full electrification of public and private fleets?
What success stories are emerging and how can these be best replicated and improved upon?
Could transitioning tax structures stimulate a shift in consumer mindset about electric vehicles?
Where are the potential linkages with broader sustainable and resilient infrastructure development?

12:45-1:30

Investing in More Modern, Efficient and Greener Ports, and Associated Infrastructure

The shipping industry is demonstrating a commitment to decarbonization, and Caribbean ports should follow course.

What developments will allow regional ports to increase capacity, reduce inefficiencies and encourage clean fuel vessels?
How can infrastructure developments and reimagined management of port assets address bottlenecks and impact competitiveness?
What needs to be done to replace/complement diesel bunkering for more efficient fuels? Is there financial support, incentive for the updates?
What are the needs and opportunities for associated infrastructure, such as connected roads, to support more efficient port operations?

Mike Maura Jr.

Nassau Cruise Port
CEO & Director

1:30

Agenda

Registration and Refreshments

Chairperson Welcome and Warm Up (Dynamic Polling/Trivia)

Ministerial Keynote: Infrastructure for Growth, Resilience, Sustainability

The Tourism Bounce Back, and How it is Driving Infrastructure Development

Networking

Underpinning a Robust Project Pipeline: Approaches to Financing and Risk

Green and sustainable infrastructure: How do we measure success?

Lunch

Transforming Caribbean Economies Via Robust Digital and Telecommunication Infrastructure

Networking

Airports: Back in a Big Way

How Can We Move the Needle Towards More Effective Water and Wastewater Management?

Chairperson’s Conclusions

Presentation of CARIF Awards

CARIF Cocktail Reception

CARIF Fun Run

CARIF Exhibition

Chairperson Welcome and CARIF Trivia

Keynote Interview: Economic Growth, Diversification and Population

Visions for Resilient Social Infrastructure

Creating a Commercial Case for Food Security Infrastructure

Reimagining P3s

Networking

New Generation Power Systems and Paving the Way to Electric Mobility Success

Investing in More Modern, Efficient and Greener Ports, and Associated Infrastructure

Chairperson Conclusions and Lunch