Application, Schedule and Information

Hemi Mitic, MVO

Lead Director

Hemi recently retired from his position as Assistant to the President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and is currently a Labour Relations consultant.

Hemi started as a welder at a Lear Corp. auto parts plant in Kitchener, Ont., in 1967. He became president of Local 1524 and eventually led the region’s labour council before joining the CAW staff in 1981. Appointed as national director of organizing in 1986 and then as an assistant to president in 1992 until his departure in 2009.

Lisa Bell

Tour Co-Lead

Boasting over thirty years experience, Lisa has held key managerial roles in the financial services and public sectors, and excels in credit and financial services as they relate to SMEs and the Export Sector. 

Her recent executive appointment as Managing Director of the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank) included overseeing a team responsible for the overall management, business development, loan financing and general operations, ensuring delivery of its mandate to promote sustainable economic growth and development for Jamaica’s exporters and potential exporters. 

Prior to joining EXIM Bank, Lisa was the Deputy President of the Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO) where she contributed over eight years of service to the national investment and export agency. She also  held executive appointments  in the local financial services sector including at  Alpha Financial Services Limited, Victoria Mutual Investments Limited and Citizensbank . Lisa has worked overseas with both Anderson Consulting and the City of Miami Department of Management & Budget. 

As an experienced Board director, Lisa has held several appointments in both the private and public sector. She holds a Master of Business of Administration with a specialization in Finance, and  a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Miami, Florida, USA. Lisa is a 2011 CCELD Alumna.

Dr. David Bynoe

Barbados Lead

As an agronomist, economist and international sustainable development specialist, David has a strong passion for God, empowering people and protecting the environment. As the National Coordinator of the Global Environmental Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Country Office for Barbados & the OECS since 2013, he is responsible for effective management of the GEF-SGP local team, the SGP programme and its portfolio of projects. 

David holds a Master’s in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management (Distinction) from the University of York, United Kingdom (UK). He pursued this master’s as a Commonwealth Scholar to the UK after completing a first degree in Agricultural Science from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago. David concluded his Ph.D. with the University of Twente focusing on Multi-level Governance, Climate Change Adaptation and Agri-Environmental Stewardship within Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

He served on the Barbados Green Economy National Steering Committee; currently sits on the National Climate Change Committee, lectures at the University of the West Indies on Resource and Environmental Economics, and is an Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Development at McGill University. In addition, he served as a member of the United Nations Environmental Programme Scientific and Expert Review Team which assesses emerging issues impacting Small Island Developing States. 

Tammy Richardson-Augustus

Bermuda Lead

As a partner at Appleby law firm, Tammy maintains a diversified business transactions practice, with emphasis on domestic and international M&A, joint ventures, capital markets and securities (debt and equity), financing transactions and general corporate governance mandates.  

Tammy read law at the University of Bristol, joining the firm in 1997, she was seconded to Linklaters, London as a stagiaire and has worked in the Bermuda, BVI and Hong Kong offices.   

Helping shape legal advice, she serves  as a director on various statutory boards including The Bermuda Monetary Authority (Chair of Legal Policy Committee and member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee and Non-executive Committee), The Bermuda Deposit Insurance Corporation, The Financial Policy Council Review Group and The Bermuda First Think Tank.   Tammy is also a non-executive director on the board of The Polaris Group of Companies and Aspen Insurance Group (Chair of Investment Committee, Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee).

Focused on excellence in service delivery in the community, Tammy sits on the governance committee of non-profits including The Bermuda End-to-End, The Saltus Grammar School, One Love Foundation, WISTA Bermuda (Founding Member) and WeSpeak Bermuda., earning her a Justice of the Peace designation. Tammy was recognized by Bermudian Magazine as an Unsung Hero for 2024; and recognized as Woman of the Year 2024 by the Bermuda International Women’s Day Committee. 

Tammy has passed CPA exam (not licensed), is a member of the Bermuda Bar Association, a certified One Love facilitator, an amicus curiae in domestic violence proceedings, a frequent contributor to The Royal Gazette newspaper and UEFA Equivalent D licensed football coach.  Tammy was a featured guest speaker at: Clarien Bank (2020), Princeton University Symposium (April 2023), Bermuda Monetary Authority Insurance Team (2024) Buckingham Palace (April 2024) and Fortitude Re (May 2024).

Nickolas Steele

Grenada Co-Lead

A  former Grenadian politician and Cabinet Minister, Nickolas  attended Westmoreland School, where he twice earned the distinction of Island Scholar. He went on to Northeastern University in the United States, where he majored in International Business and Political Science.

Upon his return to Grenada, he developed and  and managed various business enterprises, including Steele’s Auto.

In 2011, Nickolas entered politics, and won the constituency of the Town of St. George in the 2013 General Elections, and was appointed as  Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Business. In November 2014, he was appointed as Minister for Health, Social Security and International Business.

In the 2018, he won the constituency of South St. George, and was again appointed as the Minister for Health, Social Security & International Business. He has held the Health portfolio throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively managing the Ministry for Health and helping to safeguard Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

In 2019, he was elected to the Executive Council of the World Health Organization (WHO) and  served two stints on the Board of the Global Fund. 

In 2022 he decided to re-enter  the private sector,  spearheading  business ventures in the Import, Export and Tourism sectors as well as a consultancy firm, Allegria Inc focused on  regional G2G and  B2B projects.

Lindsay Thompson

Bahamas Lead

With more than 30 years in the private and public sector working as a journalist, editor, writer, and crisis communications specialist in disaster management, Lindsay is a employed under the Office of The Prime Minister, Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Her vast experiences and collaborations with internal and external clients inclusive of governments and countries outside The Bahamas, have revealed a proven track record of contributing to developing communications strategies, policies, and plans. She has worked directly with four Bahamian prime ministers, and various local and foreign government officials at the highest levels.

Lindsay is a Caribbean Canada Emerging Leaders Dialogue 2011 Alumna and continues to participate in supporting The Duke of Edinburgh Leaders’ Dialogues. She also participated in the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) of the United States Department of State – the first Multiregional Project on Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, and in the Executive Policy and Development Symposium on Transnational Organized Crime – Anti-Corruption & Media Relations, (Session 68) at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Roswell, New Mexico, serving as a Delegate Leader for The Bahamas.

Educated and trained in journalism and mass communications in the United States, and the United Kingdom; Lindsay has participated in international exchange programmes in the United States and Canada, and received credits and certificates in supervisory techniques, disaster management, and media relations courses.

Her latest venture: an Associate Producer in the groundbreaking, award-winning documentary: TWO-FACED-Gender Inequality in The Bahamas. The film takes an in-depth look at The Bahamas Constitution, Marital Rape, Gender-Based Violence, equal work for equal pay, and related issues.

Lindsay is a long-time volunteer with The Bahamas Crisis Centre – an organization that promotes the safety and healing of survivors of gender-based violence, and child abuse, and advocates for laws for the protection of such victims; and Hands For Hunger, a humanitarian organization committed to eliminating unnecessary hunger and reducing food waste through creating meaningful and engaging partnerships formed amongst all sectors of the Bahamian community. She is a founding member of The Bahamas Press Club 2014.

Colin Ebanks

Jamaica Lead

As an experienced Human Resource Professional and General Manager, Corporate Services at the National Export Import Bank of Jamaica, Colin is responsible for the Human Resources, Administration, Procurement, Information Technology and Registry functions of the organization. 

With over 15 years of management experience in both the private and public service, Colin has a passion for employee development, people management and the integration of information technology to improve operational efficiency. He has led numerous training courses, developed performance appraisal systems and completed projects to increase employee output and personal development.

Colin holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, a Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology and a Masters of Science in Human Resource Development. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration. He is an avid reader, cyclist and swimmer and is married with two children. Colin is the Chairman of the Board of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities and a Director of the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica.