Retired Major General appointed as new GMSA President

Georgetown: The new Board of Directors of the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) has elected retired Major General Norman McLean as President of the association for fiscal year 2015 – 2016. He succeeds Clinton Williams, who has completed a two-term stint, which is the consecutive limit prescribed by the GMSA’s Articles of Association.

Mr. McLean himself had previously served as President of the then Guyana Manufacturers Association (GMA) during the 1990s.
In his acceptance remarks, Mr. McLean noted his long history with the association, reminding members that he had in the past worked assiduously to ensure that the GMA was adequately meeting and surpassing the needs of its membership.
He said he was happy to head the association again at this time when its record of recent achievements is good.
He thanked the Board for the confidence reposed in him and asked members to continue to work together in order to meet the goals the association has set itself.
These goals include revisiting and re-calibrating the GMSA’s Strategic Plan in keeping with the changing needs of member companies.
Mr. McLean brings to the GMSA considerable experience in human resource development and operations management.
In recent years, the former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has been working on the ‘winding up’ process for the now defunct Omai Gold Mines.
He has transferred these considerable skills into his consultancy with ETK Sand Springs, an expatriate gold and mineral mining company which is currently preparing to commence operations in Guyana.
Mr. McLean also serves as Company Secretary of the Bosai Bauxite Mining Company.

Outgoing GMSA President, Clinton Williams expressed his own gratitude for the unstinting support he received from the board and membership throughout his two-year terms, first served in 2010–2012.
Williams noted that he is vacating the office with the finances in the healthiest state it has been in for some years, and will continue to work with the GMSA in his new capacity, the immediate past president and sub-sector co-ordinator.
The GMSA held its two-part Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 10th and 30th respectively. The first session is usually held to discuss the audited accounts and to elect the core members of the Board of Directors. This new board later attends Part II of the AGM to elect the president and identify the members who would head the sub-sectors, specified areas on the manufacturing/services landscape which the GMSA oversees. These sub-sectors are construction and engineering, services, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-processing, forestry and wood products, fast foods and minerals and related industries.
The board also selects the members who would manage the affairs of the main Standing Committees which include international trade and investment, policy and legislation, and governance and security.

The Board of Directors 2015 – 2016 are Norman McLean (President); Ramsay Ali of Sterling Products Limited (1st Vice President); Eon Caesar of Safeway Security (2nd Vice President); Malisa Nokta of Environmental Management Consultants (3rd VP/Treasurer); Clinton Williams of Guyana National Industrial Company (Immediate Past President); Autamaram Lakeram of National Milling Company; Mark Bender of TCL Guyana Limited; Raymond Ramsaroop of Edward Beharry Group of Companies; Peter Pompey of Brass, Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry; Clement Duncan of Swansea Associates; Yonette Jeffers of Laparkan Freight Forwarders; Mohindra (Neil) Chand of Barama Company; Ramesh Dookhoo of Banks DIH Limited; and Luanna Persaud of Qualfon.
The GMSA is one of the three major business support organisations in Guyana and it is now in its 51st year of existence.
Mr. McLean has held numerous portfolios, including being at the helm of the now defunct Guyana National Service (GNS), a paramilitary institution that was inaugurated in 1974 and provided military training for, and the orientation of, thousands of Guyanese.
Mr. McLean was initially the second-in-command to Brigadier Clarence Price before assuming the top post of Director-General during 1974-79.
He was also directly responsible for design, planning and implementation of the national youth programme. His portfolio further enabled him to aid in the development of the talents of young people with an aim of enhancing their growth to satisfy the mandate towards the establishment of a morally efficient nation.