MONTEGO BAY, St James — Ernst & Young (EY) Caribbean’s Strategic Growth Forum kicked off here on Wednesday with more than 200 participants from across the world converging in Jamaica’s second city to share insights, network, and set the foundation for future collaboration to fuel economic growth across the region.

“We wanted to bring regional clients to converge in Jamaica and be able to network, collaborate, and maybe enter into joint venture arrangements, and learn from each other’s experience,” EY Caribbean’s Executive Chairman Wade George told the Jamaica Observer ahead of a welcome ceremony at the Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall where the four-day conference is being held.

Through a series of interactive workshops and presentations the forum will allow participants to learn and share in expert topics affecting businesses including cybersecurity, geopolitics, and technology disruption, such as artificial intelligence (AI), while gaining know-how to lead their companies into the future.

“A big part of the conference… is going to speak about the future and future disruptions. AI will play a big part of that, but there are other things… there is cryptocurrency, there are new technologies in various areas, so it’s more about how the future is going to be shaped so that businesses are ready to adapt and maybe envision what some of the threats and opportunities will look like in the future,” George said.

The conference will feature presentations by a stellar line-up of market leaders and EY advisors. Among the speakers are Bruce Daisley, former senior lead of Twitter Europe, a best-selling author who will discuss the future of work and workplace culture; Heidi Grant, EY Americas director of research and development in learning who is a best-selling author and works at EY’s Neuro Diversity Center; and Pascal Finette, co-founder of Be Radical, a futurist who will examine trends.

Presenters from Jamaica include 2003 EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner Audrey Stewart-Hinchcliffe, founder, chair and CEO of Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited Group; P B Scott, CEO and chairman of Musson Group; and Byron Dixon from the UK, also an Entrepreneur of the Year winner, with Jamaican roots, who will share their journey into business and overcoming challenges so as to inspire SMEs.

Earlier on Wednesday, at the EY Entrepreneurship Academy, start-up entrepreneurs and SMEs were provided with valuable insights into scaling businesses, valuing efforts, creating lasting legacies, and securing financing.

George said it was a strategic decision to bring the conference to Jamaica, which is hosting the event for the first time, based on what he said was the island’s positive investment landscape with consecutive quarters of growth, unemployment at historic low levels, among other indicators.

“We believe that Jamaica is going to play a powerful role in transforming the Caribbean and we certainly wanted to be a part of that,” George told the Observer. “All of our Caribbean territories are important but Jamaica is the biggest island in the English-speaking Caribbean that we work and operate in and we certainly wanted to honour that and work with our Jamaican business community and bring the communities of all the Caribbean together.”

The forum will culminate with the coveted EY Entrepreneur of the Year Jamaica Awards Gala on Saturday.