Benn full of praise for EMBA programme

The time has come for a new generation of leaders to emerge to unite the Caribbean region and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.This was message sent by Minister of Agriculture, Senator Haynesley Benn as he addressed an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) dinner Tuesday night.He told the function at the Mount Restaurant at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies: “We stand at an important moment in the history of the world, between the industrial society of yesterday and the information society of tomorrow.” Benn praised the School of Business for moving the EMBA programme from a fully face to face format to an on-line and distant learning format.He indicated that he was old-fashioned and that his pursuance of the course in 1993/95 under the previous format provided him with an opportunity to build friendships and establish relationships that stood the test of time. He said the School of Business had created political leaders throughout the Caribbean and  identified current Government members, Minister Richard Sealy, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner and Benn himself as graduates. “I strongly believe that I am looking at some budding politicians in Cohort 18.  And I know that one day the Cave Hill School of Business will be recognised for the role the institution has played in the preparation of our people for political leadership in the Caribbean.”Benn said,  “Leadership in the 21st century requires attributes related  to character which are similar to but at the same time different from those of the past.“Values and principles such as integrity, courage, vision and determinination are unchaging leadership qualities. “The ability to deal with uncertainty, complexity  and  a globalised economy are, on the other hand, new leadership requirements,” he said.  (KB)