Hashtag: #RossWebberColumns
Column: Why Bring Conferences To Bermuda?
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] Why does the BDA bring industry conferences to Bermuda? No, it’s not a trick question. Over the past two years—and the past two months, in particular—we’ve been involved in an unprecedented number of them. Not only have members of our team been flying our jurisdiction’s flag at overseas conventions... Read more of this article
Column: Vast, Vital & Relatively Untapped Market
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] Last month marked two years of my tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the BDA — a milestone that prompted a mental tally of our agency’s achievements to date. We’ve seen growth across multiple industry sectors: reinsurers setting up or redomiciling here; captives coming from fresh markets like Latin America... Read more of this article
Column: ‘Patience, Determination And Tenacity’
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] What does success look like? For the BDA this month, it looked like the smile on the face of former resident Eric Bertrand when he confirmed he was completing the process of opening a new Bermuda office for his global fund administration firm, Centaur Fund Services. Centaur already administers $12 billion in New... Read more of this article
Column: The Value Of Two High-Quality Brands
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] Brexit may be focusing attention on the eastern side of the Atlantic, but I’d like to reflect a bit on our recent trip to the American Midwest. Earlier this month, I joined Economic Development Minister Dr Grant Gibbons on a visit to Chicago’s Deputy Mayor Steve Koch. Overlooking the dynamic downtown “Loop”... Read more of this article
Column: ‘Strong Ratings Set Bermuda Apart’
[Written by Ross Webber] Earlier this year, I was asked to chat with a couple of visiting analysts from Standard & Poor’s. The ratings agency, like AM Best, Fitch, and others, periodically sends its experts to do a pulse-check on the island’s economy, measuring everything from GDP growth and the effects of national debt to our level of fiscal... Read more of this article
Column: Triangles, Talking Points, Team Bermuda
[Written by Ross Webber] “Where you guys from?” the coffee-shop lady asked as sunnily as the San Diego day outside. “Bermuda,” I said, appreciating the subtropics wouldn’t elicit the same wide-eyed envy it does in, say, Toronto, or New York for that matter, in mid-April. What I wasn’t prepared for was utter oblivion. “You mean, like... Read more of this article
Column: Cross-Selling Our One-Stop Shop
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] About a year ago, the BDA joined a couple of Bermuda-based global law firms for meetings in London—including a sit-down with a private-equity group. It is encouraging and rewarding when industry stakeholders adopt the “Team Bermuda” approach to business development, and this particular appointment promised... Read more of this article
Column: Fundamental Themes Of 2016 Budget
[Opinion column written by Ross Webber] Budget season is always a good time for evaluation. The Bermuda government’s 2016–17 statement, delivered this month, provides a fiscal snapshot of where our jurisdiction stands on debts, interest payments, industry challenges and GDP growth. Among the statistics and granular breakdowns, however, several... Read more of this article
Column: Expedient Targets For Political Agendas
[Column written by Ross Webber] It didn’t take long for 2016 to deliver a blunt reminder this is the year of a US presidential election. Along with a raft of very positive news rung in by the New Year — Bermuda’s consecutive GDP growth, increased consumer confidence, and rising company incorporations — January also brought a wake-up... Read more of this article
Column: Solvency II Has Positive Repercussions
[Column written by Ross Webber] Bermuda’s value as a world-class international financial centre received an immense boost a fortnight ago. In a much-anticipated announcement, the European Commission awarded our jurisdiction full equivalence under Europe’s Solvency II insurance regulatory regime, which comes into force January 1, 2016. This impressive... Read more of this article
Column: Firms A ‘Watershed For Our Jurisdiction’
[Opinion column written by Bermuda Business Development Agency CEO Ross Webber] Recent moves by leading global law firms to set up offices in Bermuda mark something of a watershed for our jurisdiction. Bermuda has been renowned for its strength and depth with regard to quality lawyers—however, it has not always been heralded for its variety of choice.... Read more of this article
