The Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) is ready to roll out its new sector rebranding campaign within the next few months, according to outgoing chief executive officer Wendy Warren.

The new brand, which carries the slogan The Bahamas Advantage, includes a website set to go online in November and a Brand Ambassador Programme, which invites professionals from the industry to become the faces of the campaign and promote The Bahamas’ strongest selling points such as location, infrastructure, legislation and lifestyle.

“The key message [of The Bahamas Advantage] is that The Bahamas is the most experienced and well positioned jurisdiction for wealth and asset management in the Caribbean,” Warren told BFSB members at the group’s annual general meeting held yesterday at the British Colonial Hilton, Nassau.

The new slogan’s tagline “Your wealth and asset management gateway of the Americas since 1930” is designed to appeal particularly to the countries in the Americas, according to Warren who says this market is key to the success of the Bahamian financial services industry.

The CEO also highlighted the BFSB’s work over the past year in reaching out to other international centres such as China, Singapore and the US. “We need to make the Bahamas more visible,” she also said. “The Bahamas could position itself internationally, and especially in Latin America, as a centre for knowledge.”

Warren warned against complacency in the sector–particularly in such an uncertain regulatory environment. “So much in the world is changing,” she said. “There is no room for anyone to sit on the sidelines when it comes to the future of our industry.

“We have to be proactive and stay engaged.”

Chairman Paul Winder echoed this, saying: “One of the fundamental caveats of any organization is that it remains true to the needs of its members. The changes within financial services and the global economy have caused many companies to review and change. We recognize we have to adapt to effectively address the needs of our members and we take this seriously.”

Warren, who is stepping down after 11 years as the BFSB’s CEO and executive director, also paid tribute to her colleagues as she addressed the meeting, saying: “It is an amazing privilege to work with each and every one of you.”

A successor has not yet been appointed, but chairman Winder said he looked forward to welcoming the new CEO “in the not too distant future.”

cboal@dupuch.com