The Rgt. Hon. Owen Seymour Arthur, currently the Leader of the Opposition of the Barbados Government, joins the UCCI plenary speakers with his presentation on the emerging place of the Caribbean in the global political and economic arenas: The achievements, challenges, obstacles in the region’s political, economic and social spheres over the last fifty years; proposals on how the Caribbean can better navigate these trajectories in the next 50 years. Mr. Arthur assumed office as Barbados’ fifth Prime Minister on September 7, 1994 and held that office until January 15, 2008.

Sir Ronald Sanders, is an international consultant, writer and former senior Caribbean Ambassador. His career spans an impressive array of political and diplomatic assignments globally.

Dr. Carlyle Corbin, who is speaking on “Contemporary Colonialism and the Challenge to Caribbean Integration,” is an international advisor on governance and multilateral diplomacy. He is the former Minister of State for External Affairs of the U.S. Virgin Islands Government, and the territory’s representative to various United Nations’ bodies.

The Hon. Paula A. Cox, JP, MP, who will speak at the UCCI conference on the "Bermuda Success Story," was in October 2010 elected as Leader of the Progressive Labour Party and appointed Premier of Bermuda.

Premier Cox was first elected to Parliament in 1996, then in her 30’s, becoming one of the youngest members of the House of Assembly. In her subsequent fourteen years as a law-maker for the governing Progressive Labour Party, Premier Cox has garnered wide-ranging experience in governance having held a number of Cabinet portfolios.

Professor Orlando Patterson, who is a historical and cultural sociologist and John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University, will speak during his plenary address on the topic, "What Explains Success and Failure in National Development? A Re-Examination of the Barbados-Jamaica Debate."

He previously held faculty appointments at the University of the West Indies, his alma mater, and the London School of Economics, where he received his Ph.D. His academic interests include the culture and practices of freedom; the comparative study of slavery and ethno-racial relations; and the cultural sociology of poverty and underdevelopment with special reference to the Caribbean and African American youth. He has also written on the cultural sociology of sports, especially the game of cricket. Professor Patterson is the author of numerous academic papers and five major academic books, including Slavery and Social Death (1982); Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (1991); and The Ordeal of Integration (1997). A book on the cultural aspects of poverty among disadvantaged African-American youth is forthcoming.

Plenary Speaker, the honourable Anthony Smellie, whose presentation will be entirled "Judicial Independence: The Ultimate Safeguard," has been a Judge of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands since February 1993. In June 1998 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands.

Included among his responsibilities as a Judge (and continuing as Chief Justice) is that as Central Authority for the Cayman Islands Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States of America.

Dr. Dax Basdeo currently has responsibility for a broad range of departments and authorities within the Ministry of Finance of the Cayman Islands Government, covering such key areas as financial services policy, economic development and international relations. Specific functions under Dr. Basdeo’s leadership include: the Department of Commerce & Investment; the Financial Services Secretariat; the Cayman Islands London Office; the General Registry; and the Tax Information Authority.

Dr. Michael Witter, Professor Neville Duncan, and Dr. Keith Nurse, all eminent faculty of the University of the West Indies, will jointly present in a plenary session on the subject: "Innovation Governance and Small States: Strategic Opportunities in Energy, Food and Health."