After a decade at the helm of the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Peggy Griffith, has taken up another assignment – retirement.

During a recent farewell luncheon held in her honour at Champers Restaurant, an emotional Ms. Griffith thanked staff and stated that she made a good investment during her time at the FTC.

Known as being somewhat of a ???fashionista??? among her colleagues, and a singer, the graduate of the Girls??? Foundation School has always striven for excellence, and has therefore left an indelible mark wherever she was assigned.

Demonstrating a strong work ethic and an eye for detail, the former Director of Export Development with the now defunct Export Promotion Corporation, was responsible for developing and promoting exports of Barbadian products.

From there, she took up the mantle of Director of International Business with the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) from 1995 to 2005, where she was in charge of the promotion of foreign direct investment and international business.

Outlining that her primary focus was to develop her staff to their fullest potential, Ms. Griffith, who holds a BA in Economics from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus; and a Diploma in Public Policy and Management and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, is known for her dedication to the task at hand.

Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, took those gathered on a trip down memory lane about the guest of honour, who was also his former boss.

???Although I stand before you as the Minister responsible for the FTC, I am also here today because I have a very long history with Peggy Griffith since she was one of my first bosses when I joined the public service over two decades ago.

???I certainly reflect upon those days as a young officer at the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation now known as the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation, where my boss then was one who may very well be known to many of you, Errol Humphrey, who is sitting here as a recently retired member of the FTC Board. He certainly gave me immense guidance and sought unsuccessfully to curb my enthusiasm as a young officer and of course he was ably assisted by people like Peggy Griffith, who was part of the management team at the BIDC at the time??????

Reminiscing further, Mr. Inniss added that as a young officer, he benefited greatly from her wisdom and experience. He said: ???You know when you come out of University and you feel all enthusiastic, you feel you know it all and you can take on the whole world. However, it doesn???t take long to be tempted by those old wise hats who have been ???through the horn pipe??? and certainly can teach you a thing or two. I certainly take great pride in saying that individuals like myself and others have learned a lot from the university of life with outstanding professors like Peggy Griffith, Errol Humphrey and many others??????

Acknowledging that the FTC was one of the premier state agencies in Barbados because of Ms. Griffith???s leadership, Mr. Inniss pointed out that as Minister not once did he have to ???look back,??? or ???double check anything??? because of her knowledge of the job. He further noted that ???she left behind an institution to be proud of???.

The proud grandmother, who now plans on spending more time doting on her baby grandchild who lives in New York, thanked everyone for their support over the years. ??Stressing that all the comments made could not have happened without the backing and support from staff throughout her tenure at the FTC, Ms. Griffith commended them for the great work they had done and were yet capable of doing.

???I was merely the orchestra leader and I recognised that when I made the decision to retire, the Director could step aside and the orchestra would still be able to function and function very effectively,??? she underscored.

Calling on her former colleagues to give the Acting CEO, Sandra Sealy, their full support, she stressed that they must continue to work like they had before and to leave no stone unturned, because at the end of the day, they were going to build an even bigger and better Fair Trading Commission.?????I really want to be able to read the newspapers and listen to the call-in programmes and do all the things that we retirees do but most of all I want to be proud of you,??? she said.

Also present at the function was former Chairman of the FTC, Sir Neville Nicholls, who expressed appreciation for the development of the Commission under Ms. Griffith???s leadership, and commended her for having ???great interpersonal skills???, while retired board member Errol Humphrey lauded her ???dedication, professionalism, and drive???.

theresa.blackman@barbados.gov.bb

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