The Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) special economic zones (SEZ) development project has won an Excellence Award in Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Practices from the Financial Times’ fDi Intelligence magazine .

The 2021 Free Zones Awards mark the second consecutive year for CEC to be recognised as a top free zone in the Americas. The awards celebrate the most promising free zones across the world. The publication invites government entities, investment promotion bodies, and free zones to complete a survey detailing the attractiveness of their zone, their facilities, and what kind of incentives they offer to investors.

Since its inception in 2011, CEC has helped to strengthen Cayman’s economy by attracting knowledge-based businesses in industries such as technology development, media and marketing, biotech, fintech, maritime, and aviation to set up a genuine physical presence in the Cayman Islands.

In CEC’s first 10 years of operations, the development project has had an estimated economic impact of US$502 million on the Cayman Islands economy and is now home to over 260 SEZ companies.

While welcoming the awards, CEO at CEC, Charlie Kirkconnell, said, “A wide range of multinational companies have made CEC their platform of choice for global growth because we offer world-class global mobility services. This includes accelerated business set-up, access to a thriving community of talented business professionals and entrepreneurs, and personalised relocation and operational services and support.”

“Despite the pandemic, CEC has continued to prioritise quality experiences, develop innovative opportunities, and deliver first-rate programming to ensure that zone members and residents of all backgrounds receive the right support and encouragement to develop into tomorrow’s leaders and active contributors to our ever-evolving global economy,” he added, noting that the award helps to build trust amongst foreign direct investors.