CARIBBEAN COUNCIL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Advisory Board of Directors
Over the past 15 years, Chris has worked with hundreds of UK and international investors and businesses to provide them with high-quality business advice, support and analysis on the markets of the Caribbean and Central America and helped them to grow their businesses. He has been involved with supporting investment decisions on major transactions with in-country research and support and provided a UK hub for promoting Caribbean investment and exports - hosting monthly round-table meetings with senior visiting Government and private sector figures from the region. In parallel, he has supported multiple regional private sector interests to achieve their trade negotiation, market access and development policy goals in Europe. Chris has organised regional conferences, Parliamentary Receptions and over a dozen high level trade and investment missions to the Caribbean and Central America.
Chris is a Member of the Advisory Board of Directors, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association; on the Board of the Crown Agents Foundation; the UK representative for the Chamber of Commerce Europe-Central America (EURACEN) and a founding member of the Council of Ibero-American Chambers (CIAC). Before working at the Caribbean Council, Chris worked at the European Commission in Brussels and worked for five years on UK and European policy issues for a major manufacturing industry trade body based in London. He also worked in Parliament as a researcher for Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP. A fluent Spanish, Italian and French speaker, Chris is a graduate of the London School of Economics and University College London.
Job Titles:
- Consultant and Editor, Caribbean Insight and Cuba Briefing
- Member of the Board of Trustees of Caribbean Central American Action
The former Managing Director of the Caribbean Council, David Jessop has worked on Caribbean issues for over forty years and continues to speak and write on Caribbean issues. He is the editor of our Caribbean Insight and Cuba Briefing publications.
David is a member of the Board of Trustees of Caribbean Central American Action (CCAA) in Washington and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). He is a non-executive Director on the Board of the money transfer business of the Jamaica National Building Society, a long established mutually-owned bank and financial institution.
Prior to attending the University of Essex he worked in financial public relations, advertising, and journalism. On leaving university Mr Jessop worked with a wide range of publications in the Caribbean and Central America as a journalist and Editor, while freelancing for the BBC, Financial Times and other leading publications.
Mr Jessop has an influential weekly syndicated and electronically circulated column called the View from Europe that appears in leading newspapers in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, St Lucia, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere in the region, and in North America and Europe. His column addresses a wide range of international and hemispheric issues. He also writes a column called the Business of Tourism on Caribbean tourism matters that is widely published in the region.
In 1998 he was awarded the OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to Anglo-Caribbean relations, in 2009 the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Government of Jamaica, and in 2012 made a commander of the order of Christopher Columbus by the Government of the Dominican Republic.
Lord Bruce has developed an in-depth knowledge of the oil and gas sector over a number of years. Before joining Parliament, he worked as a researcher at the North East Scotland Development Agency and went on to establish Aberdeen Petroleum Publishing. His work both in Government, business and as the Elected Member of Parliament for Gordon (covering the city of Aberdeen) over 32 years enabled him to witness first-hand the impact of the development ofScotland's oil industry from its very first beginnings.
Lord Bruce held the parliamentary seat of Gordon from 1983 until he stood down as an MP at the General Election in May 2015. He was appointed as a member of the House of Lords in August 2015.
During the years he spent in the House of Commons, Malcolm had a number of Liberal Democrat front-bench positions including on Treasury, Energy, Rural Affairs, Trade and Industry and Scotland.
From 2005 to 2015, he was the Chair of the Parliamentary Select Committee on International Development, challenging the Government on a range of development issues including: conflict and peace-building, violence against women and girls, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, poverty eradication and arms export controls.
During his time as a local MP he raised issues relating to Oil and Gas safety, taxation and skills, local transport and infrastructure, health, policing and education, as well as the devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament.
He participated in the Scottish Constitutional Convention (SCC) which developed the framework for Scottish devolution and which paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Maria's main role is to support the Managing Director across the range of the Caribbean Council's activities including membership programmes, events and project delivery.
Before joining the team at The Caribbean Council, Maria was the Events and Marketing Coordinator at The British and Colombian Chamber of Commerce. While at the Chamber, she was responsible for organising a number of high-profile events; one of them being the Colombia Investment Roadshow 2018.
Maria is currently completing her Undergraduate Degree in Event Management and Tourism at the University of Westminster. She is in process of submitting her dissertation which focuses on how Colombia can become a more attractive destination by using media outlets in a focused manner.
Maria Tereza was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. She moved to the UK in January 2013 to complete her secondary education at Bellerby's College in Oxford. Maria is fluent speaker in both Spanish and English and has intermediate Russian and French.
Philip Dubow is a political risk, intelligence, and criminology professional focused on international trade and sustainable development. Previously, he was a project manager at a civil engineering software service for smart cities.
Philip has conducted research on China's Belt and Road Initiative and maritime security, including in Caribbean contexts. Originally from New York City, he has lived in several countries prior to the United Kingdom: Greece, Israel, China, Italy, and Portugal. Philip is a graduate of Tufts University and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. He is learning Portuguese and Spanish.
Alongside her work at the Caribbean Council, Rachel is currently completing a Master's degree in International Public Management with a focus on Emerging Markets and Global Risk, at Sciences Po, Paris. She will defend a thesis on international trade and regional integration in the Caribbean in 2020. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Sussex.
Rachel has held various research assistantship roles at the University of Sussex and at Sciences Po and worked as an assistant to a French MEP candidate. Before working at the Council, Rachel worked for a UK heavy equipment exporter focussed on West African markets.
Rachel grew up in the Bahamas before moving to France to complete her education. She is a fluent French and Spanish speaker.
Rachel carries out research on political and economic developments in the Caribbean and Central America to support the delivery of consultancy and advisory projects. She produces the Caribbean Council's leading fortnightly publications, Caribbean Insight and Central America Briefing and sub-edits Cuba Briefing. Alongside her work at the Caribbean Council, Rachel is currently completing a Master's degree in International Public Management...