Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Environmental Management Consultants, Shyam Nokta, has been elected the new President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) for fiscal year 2017 – 2018.
During that association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), Ramsay Ali, CEO of Sterling Products Limited, was re-elected First Vice President; Yonette Jeffers of Laparkan Freight Forwarders was elected Second Vice President, and Autamaram Lakeram of NAMILCO retained the finance portfolio of that association by being elected 3rd vice president.
CEO of the Environmental Management Consultants, Shyam Nokta
In responding to the Board’s confidence, Nokta indicated that his main objective over the year would be to consolidate and expand the organisation through strengthened relationships between the board and member companies. He indicated that an important area of focus will be facilitating the resolution of issues affecting members through closer collaboration with key stakeholders.
Nokta also said that emphasis will be placed on strengthening important sub-sector bodies covering agro-processing, services, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, construction and engineering; forestry and wood products, fast foods, and minerals and related products.
The first-time president expressed strong interest in seeing the GMSA establish strategic partnerships with other business support organisations (BSO) to position the business community to maximise opportunities from new and emerging sectors, such as the imminent hydrocarbon industry.
Nokta is highly skilled in the management of natural resources, the environment and climate change, and has over 15 years of experience working as a consultant. He previously served as Adviser and Head of Guyana’s Office of Climate Change, where he was instrumental in the development and implementation of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and negotiating the REDD+ partnership with the Kingdom of Norway.
Nokta holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Assessment and Management from the University of Oxford-Brookes, and was the recipient of several academic awards, including the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.
His vice president, Ali, who had held the reins of the GMSA following the passing of its president, Eon Caesar, in December 2016, outlined in brief remarks some of the association’s recent achievements and interventions, which included the preparation of the organisation’s Strategic Plan for 2017-2020; strengthened relations with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and facilitating resolution of members’ key issues; the GMSA’s successful negotiations — with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CARICOM Secretariat — to expand the range of items exempted from the Common External Tariff (CET); and securing Government’s support and intervention with the United Kingdom to lift the UK Environmental Agency’s 2015 ban on Guyana’s Greenheart lumber.
The GMSA has over 100 member companies covering the manufacturing and services sectors. The Board of Directors for this fiscal year 2017–2018 includes such companies as Sterling Products Ltd; Banks DIH Ltd; the Edward B Beharry Group; Swansea Associates; and Brass, Aluminium and Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF). These companies have kept the GMSA strong and functional over many years.
