The new year brings a new face to the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) as the organisation fills one of its top positions – senior director, support services. Atilola Harper, a seasoned Certified Public Accountant and fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados, brings over 20 years’ progressive experience to the BTMI.
Harper, who has worked in the finance, tourism and retail industries, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from the Edinburgh School of Business – Heriot-Watt University.
Speaking on his appointment, Harper said “the BTMI stands at the core of the execution of the medium to long term goals for the Barbados visitor economy. I was therefore very attracted to the BTMI as an opportunity to benefit the Barbadian economy in a focused and structured organisation.”
In his new role, Harper will report directly to the CEO, William “Billy” Griffith, and will be responsible for leadership of the finance, human resources, research and administration departments. He will have oversight of the organisation’s budgeting, financial reporting, facilities planning, information technology, corporate services, human resources and internal audits.
Prior to joining the BTMI, Harper served as the finance manager at BITT Inc., and also previously held the post of director of finance at Unicomer. He added that “the senior director, support services role affords me the scope to utilise my 20 plus years of experience as a senior finance and executive management professional to assist with fulfilling the mandate of this pivotal organisation in Barbados.” (PR)
