Centennial Announces Leadership Change
Centennial Bermuda Foundation announced the “retirement of longstanding and highly regarded Board Chairman, Tom Conyers, and celebrates and honours his significant impact during his tenure,” and noted that “Mr. Conyers will hand over to incoming Chair, Annarita Marion, effective December 5th, 2024.”
A spokesperson said, “Centennial attributes the transformation that it has undergone in recent years to the visionary leadership of Mr. Conyers. He has led a period of profound and meaningful change guiding Centennial through a period of steady transformation since 2012, when he joined the board, and as Chair for the past nine years.”
Significant transformation of Centennial Bermuda Foundation:
- The Theory of Change [2015-2016]: A two-year strategic planning process under the leadership of Mr. Conyers set out to establish clearer criteria for the organisation’s funding decisions. This group effort included representatives from across the entire community and resulted in an impactful statement known as the Theory of Change and Social Impact Statement. It clearly defines Centennial’s core values, its vision for Bermuda’s future and the organisation’s role in shaping that, and where their funding will make a difference. This year Centennial is revisiting their original Theory of Change by embarking on a strategic planning process, to ensure Centennial stays relevant to the needs of the community and is consistently growing as a philanthropic Foundation.
- Engaged first full-time team member [2017]: Under Mr. Conyers’ leadership, a need for full-time staff was identified, to further professionalize the management and take Centennial to the next level of growth, to carry out the mission of the foundation, and to create an environment for change, both operationally and philanthropically. The first pivotal position filled was in 2017 with Director of Programs, Vivien Carter. Then in 2019, Allison Towlson was appointed as full-time Managing Director. In 2022, Operation Coordinator Terre’ Smith joined Centennial, rounding out the small and powerful staff team of three.
- The changing face of Centennial’s Grant Review Committees and Board: The Theory of Change was an important process that heightened awareness and acknowledged the presence of structural racism in Bermuda and its significant impact, leading to the disadvantage of certain community groups over time. To address this, Centennial’s leadership team recognized there was a need for broader representation at the board level and within grant review committees. To this end, the Board instituted an open advertisement for Board and Committee members, with a clear focus on diversifying positions across the organisation and setting term limits policies to ensure regular turnover and continuous refreshment of board and committee members.
Mr. Conyers said, “We recognized the old way of doing things could be improved to ensure equitable opportunities for more people in our community, and I wish to acknowledge the Board, and particularly, Margaret Hallett, my Deputy Chair at the time, whose leadership and insight were instrumental in shaping the structure and direction of this transformative process.”
On a personal note, Mr. Conyers shared, “I do this work because, while Bermuda is a great place, there are naturally many issues and problems that need improvement. Despite the frustrations people have about the island’s direction and what needs to be done, we believe it is worth investing in. In the work we do, we see hope and improvement.”
Incoming Chair, Annarita Marion:
The spokesperson said, “Mrs. Marion joined Centennial as a Board member in 2015 and has held the Deputy Chair position for four years. She also Chairs the Scholarship Committee and the Audit Committee and until this year was Chair of the Economic Participation Review Committee.
“Mrs. Marion is highly regarded for her professional achievements, most recently the President and CEO of Chartered Professional Accountants of Bermuda until her retirement. She has held many Director positions in the finance industry and has contributed significantly to the community on boards in addition to her work with Centennial. This includes the Berkeley Institute, Bermuda Festival, Board of Education, and Family Centre, to name a few.”
Mrs. Marion explained the thinking behind the current strategic review and planning process, “We’re quite deliberate in how we fund charitable or social enterprise organisations, and we ask for success markers, so we know the organisations we fund are really making a difference. Even then we’re thinking, are we just scratching the surface? So we are contemplating a strategic direction that gets us into the root cause of social issues, not throwing money at issues but rather bringing about real, sustainable change.”
Mrs. Marion expressed her deep gratitude for Centennial’s management team of three, “This is an incredible team. These three ladies amaze me with what they can accomplish, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve worked with some great teams, but these three ladies, their heart and soul is in Bermuda, and I’m fortunate to be working with them. And the Board is great; a very diversified group who take on responsibilities despite having their own careers, they all come from the heart. I also love that we opened our committees to the public and the diversity of the committee members is incredible; it’s a balance of business vs charitable vs education, black and white – we have committees and a Board that truly represents Bermuda, and I think that’s very important.
“Our committee members have said, I’ve seen your Theory of Change and your mission, and I want to be part of this organisation. That says a lot. Now the question is, are we living up to those expectations in the way we fund, to achieve the positive impact we envision. That’s what we’re strategizing and shaping now and it’s an honour to chair the organisation.”
