Page 13 - CANTO Annual Report 2019

Secretariat Report
Today as we meet for our 36th Annual General Meeting, I am privileged to share with our Board and members the major activities and accomplishments of the CANTO Secretariat for 2019. In my address to delegates at our successful 35th Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition held in my home country of Trinidad and Tobago last July, I noted, “paradigm shifts are required in the way we do business and in the way we think, because the one thing we know for certain is that the technological transformation of the world is here to stay. As technology leaders, it is up to us to drive the process of digital transformation even when leaders and implementers are resistant”. In 2019 we held true to that promise through our theme, “Transitioning to a Digital Region – Opportunities and Challenges”.
Under this theme we convened our 35th AGM from 27th-30th January, 2019 at the Courtyard Marriott, Guyana, co-hosted by GTT and the 35th Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition at the Hyatt, Trinidad, from 21st-24th July 2019.
In 2020 we move a step further as we acknowledge the need to adapt.enable.innovate. We must now adjust and align our business strategies and operations to meet the growing demands of voracious customers and the unrelenting competition. The CANTO Secretariat stands ready to meet the needs of our membership.
1. Membership
Our membership remains strong and engaged with one hundred and thirty-five members spanning thirty- five countries.
2. Stakeholder Satisfaction
In 2019, the Secretariat continued to implement the recommendations from delegates to enhance membership and increase our valued added services and upgrade the overall experience of all stakeholders at CANTO events.
In addition, the marketing scope and reach of CANTO stands to be increased, as we now have on board a Sales Specialist and a Business Development Officer, who will join our team in February. This move was in keeping with a recommendation to restructure the Service Development department into a Sales Department and a
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