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BIBA（https://biba.bb） > BIBA Press Releases（https://biba.bb/category/biba-press-releases/） > Global Business Week 2026 Media Launch: Remarks by BIBA President Joanna M. Austin
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Global Business Week 2026 Media Launch: Remarks by BIBA President Joanna M. Austin
Posted on October 1, 2026 Categories: BIBA Press Releases（https://biba.bb/category/biba-press-releases/）, Featured Press Releases（https://biba.bb/category/featured-press-releases/） Comments are off for this post
Mr. Kevin Hunte, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Business Development and Commerce; Ms. Kaye-Anne Greenidge, Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados; Ms. Sangene Watkins-Diagne, Director of the Business Compliance Division; Ms. Anne Reid, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Private Sector Association; other strategic partners and valued sponsors, in particular our host this morning and Gold Sponsor, CIBC Caribbean; Directors of BIBA; Members of our Global Business Week Steering Committee; members of the media; and distinguished guests, good morning, and welcome to the official launch of Global Business Week 2026.
It is my privilege to address you for the first time as President of BIBA, the Association for Global Business, and to do so at the launch of a week that has been part of the national calendar since 2009.
For a second year, Global Business Week will be held under the theme “Resilience: Adapting, Transforming, Thriving.” We have retained it deliberately. The pressures that gave rise to the theme, among them changing international tax requirements, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change, have not eased. The question before us is no longer only how we withstand them, but how we position Barbados to thrive.
This year also carries a wider significance. In November, Barbados marks 60 years of Independence. For much of that journey, the global business sector has been part of the national story, as a source of foreign exchange, of tax revenue and of skilled careers for Barbadians. Global Business Week exists so that this contribution is understood well beyond our own membership. It is our opportunity to meet Barbadians where they are and to explain plainly what this sector does, why it matters and how they can get involved.
We begin, as we always do, with reflection. Our Commencement Service will take place on Sunday, October 18 at Abundant Life Assembly. It is a reminder that business must always serve people and community.
We remain focused on the next generation. The Secondary Schools Symposium will be held on the morning of Tuesday, October 20 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. On Wednesday, October 21, the Careers Showcase, sponsored by the Financial Services Commission, moves for the first time to the Barbados Community College. That move allows us to reach a wider group of students, including those on technical and vocational paths, and to show them that there is a place for their skills in this sector.
On the evening of Tuesday, October 20, we will host the Public Discussion Forum, sponsored by Caribbean Jobs, under the title “Smarter, Faster, Gone? The Human Side of the AI Revolution.” Artificial intelligence is already changing how work is done, and Barbadians are entitled to a frank conversation about what that means for their jobs and their skills. Our panel brings perspectives from banking, the creative industries, human capital and data privacy. The Forum will be streamed live online and broadcast live on BEAT 104.1, so that anyone with a phone or a radio can follow the discussion.