Welcome speech by FTIB CEO at 2010 EYA Contract Signing
Email this page
Print this page
Tweet this pageDate: 16 Jun, 2010
Welcome Speech for the
2010 Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards Contract Signing
Chief Executive Officer FTIB: Mrs Annie Rogers
Date: 16th June, 2010
Venue: Kalabu Tax Free Zone
The Acting CEO of TFL, Mr. Sakeasi Seru;
Our very important representatives from the media organizations;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
First of all a very big bula vinaka to you all.
Today is a very important day for us because it actually marks the kick off towards the Exporter of the Year Awards 2010 and today we will be officially signing on our major sponsor that is making this Award possible with our other smaller but equally important sponsors as well.
I think it is important for us to understand what the Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards is all about. For us, this is an avenue to make the general public aware of the very critical role that our Exporters play in our economy. With bringing in the very much needed foreign exchange earnings and the jobs creation that their businesses bring about, the spill-over effects that this has into the economy, as well as the fact that it sustains many livelihoods of our people shows how very critical this Awards is.
I think there is a little bit of misunderstanding in terms of what this Awards actually gives to our exporters. Very recently, we had an Exporters Awareness Seminar and in that seminar we made the general public as well as our exporters aware of the funding facilities – the Duty Suspension Scheme, quarantine requirements and many other aspects that make their businesses more possible.
For the Exporter of the Year Awards, this gives us an avenue to reward and to give accolades to the very important people that do such businesses and bring in the foreign exchange earnings for our economy. So again, of course that simply shows to us why the Awards are so critical.
As I have said in the past, we try to make the Awards bigger and better every year. And why we do that, simply is because for us, and I think it is a fact, the Exporter of the Year Awards is the premium Awards night in Fiji. Not only is it done with a lot of pomp and splendor, there is money given to the winners which they can put back into their businesses and make their businesses thrive.
At the same time, it is also important for us to make our people aware of what exactly they are doing. And I think that’s always a very critical role. I think also the fact that they get awards, which they can show to potential businesses outside externally and also to show them that they are highly credible – that not only have they have won an Award but they’ve won THE Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards for their businesses. So this is a huge credibility when they are seeking out new markets and new importers of their products.
This year we will have the following Award categories. First of all the Prime Minister’s Award which is the main one. Then we have the Small, Medium and Large Exporter of the Year Awards – so three separate awards here. We have the Indigenous Exporter Award, Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Services, ICT, The Unique Exporters Award, Tourism, Manufacturing, The Exporter to NZ, Exporter to Australia, Exporter to the U.S.A, Exporter to the Pacific Islands and this year an Exporter to Asia Award.
So I would like to very briefly touch on the differences. In the past, we had a Unique Exporter as well as an Emerging combined into one Award. This year, we are just focusing on Unique because we are of the view, if they’re emerging, they can apply in the category into which they are emerging. So if they emerging small, they can apply for the Small Exporter of the Year Awards, if they are emerging medium they can apply into that and if they are emerging on big scale they can apply for the Large Exporter of the Year Awards.
I think also, given the fact that to Asia we export $121m worth of goods; we felt it appropriate that we have an Exporter to Asia Award and that’s what we are doing this year.
As you can see, our theme for this year is Exports Excellence: The Pillar of Economic Prosperity and I think that really goes without saying - exports and the private sector are what should and do drive our growth. Admittedly with our help we can do a lot better than we are doing at present, but it is through this avenue - through the private sector through our exporters that our economic prosperity has hopes of growing from where we are at and we always foster everything we can to make that happen.
I’d now like to cut to the chase. It is with very great pleasure that I thank Mr. Sakeasi Seru and his Management and the Chairman of his Board for once again being our major sponsor. They were our sponsors last year and we are extremely pleased that they are staying with us this year and hopefully they will continue into next year as well because it is a three year contract.
Mr. Seru thank you so much. You’ve been so willing and so accommodating in taking forward this Award. And I’d like to make it clear as well, the entire Awards is funded fully by our sponsors and by the sale of tickets. So everything we are given in terms of sponsorship and what we make in tickets is churned back into the night both in prizes as well as in the media that we need to contact to get this out to the general public as well as to holding such a very pomp and splendors ceremony during which we reward our exporters. With those few words Mr. Seru thank you again.
And to the media, I really would like to say you have a critical role. As I have said at the Seminar on Awareness to Exporters, what we are trying to do through the Exporter of the Year Awards, your role is extremely critical. If I may say that’s probably why we hosting you to lunch as well. You really are the ones that through your medium, through your papers, through your television as well we can get out to the general public that our exporters are extremely critical to all of us. So thank you all very much.
ENDS
2010 Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards Contract Signing
Chief Executive Officer FTIB: Mrs Annie Rogers
Date: 16th June, 2010
Venue: Kalabu Tax Free Zone
The Acting CEO of TFL, Mr. Sakeasi Seru;
Our very important representatives from the media organizations;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
First of all a very big bula vinaka to you all.
Today is a very important day for us because it actually marks the kick off towards the Exporter of the Year Awards 2010 and today we will be officially signing on our major sponsor that is making this Award possible with our other smaller but equally important sponsors as well.
I think it is important for us to understand what the Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards is all about. For us, this is an avenue to make the general public aware of the very critical role that our Exporters play in our economy. With bringing in the very much needed foreign exchange earnings and the jobs creation that their businesses bring about, the spill-over effects that this has into the economy, as well as the fact that it sustains many livelihoods of our people shows how very critical this Awards is.
I think there is a little bit of misunderstanding in terms of what this Awards actually gives to our exporters. Very recently, we had an Exporters Awareness Seminar and in that seminar we made the general public as well as our exporters aware of the funding facilities – the Duty Suspension Scheme, quarantine requirements and many other aspects that make their businesses more possible.
For the Exporter of the Year Awards, this gives us an avenue to reward and to give accolades to the very important people that do such businesses and bring in the foreign exchange earnings for our economy. So again, of course that simply shows to us why the Awards are so critical.
As I have said in the past, we try to make the Awards bigger and better every year. And why we do that, simply is because for us, and I think it is a fact, the Exporter of the Year Awards is the premium Awards night in Fiji. Not only is it done with a lot of pomp and splendor, there is money given to the winners which they can put back into their businesses and make their businesses thrive.
At the same time, it is also important for us to make our people aware of what exactly they are doing. And I think that’s always a very critical role. I think also the fact that they get awards, which they can show to potential businesses outside externally and also to show them that they are highly credible – that not only have they have won an Award but they’ve won THE Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards for their businesses. So this is a huge credibility when they are seeking out new markets and new importers of their products.
This year we will have the following Award categories. First of all the Prime Minister’s Award which is the main one. Then we have the Small, Medium and Large Exporter of the Year Awards – so three separate awards here. We have the Indigenous Exporter Award, Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Services, ICT, The Unique Exporters Award, Tourism, Manufacturing, The Exporter to NZ, Exporter to Australia, Exporter to the U.S.A, Exporter to the Pacific Islands and this year an Exporter to Asia Award.
So I would like to very briefly touch on the differences. In the past, we had a Unique Exporter as well as an Emerging combined into one Award. This year, we are just focusing on Unique because we are of the view, if they’re emerging, they can apply in the category into which they are emerging. So if they emerging small, they can apply for the Small Exporter of the Year Awards, if they are emerging medium they can apply into that and if they are emerging on big scale they can apply for the Large Exporter of the Year Awards.
I think also, given the fact that to Asia we export $121m worth of goods; we felt it appropriate that we have an Exporter to Asia Award and that’s what we are doing this year.
As you can see, our theme for this year is Exports Excellence: The Pillar of Economic Prosperity and I think that really goes without saying - exports and the private sector are what should and do drive our growth. Admittedly with our help we can do a lot better than we are doing at present, but it is through this avenue - through the private sector through our exporters that our economic prosperity has hopes of growing from where we are at and we always foster everything we can to make that happen.
I’d now like to cut to the chase. It is with very great pleasure that I thank Mr. Sakeasi Seru and his Management and the Chairman of his Board for once again being our major sponsor. They were our sponsors last year and we are extremely pleased that they are staying with us this year and hopefully they will continue into next year as well because it is a three year contract.
Mr. Seru thank you so much. You’ve been so willing and so accommodating in taking forward this Award. And I’d like to make it clear as well, the entire Awards is funded fully by our sponsors and by the sale of tickets. So everything we are given in terms of sponsorship and what we make in tickets is churned back into the night both in prizes as well as in the media that we need to contact to get this out to the general public as well as to holding such a very pomp and splendors ceremony during which we reward our exporters. With those few words Mr. Seru thank you again.
And to the media, I really would like to say you have a critical role. As I have said at the Seminar on Awareness to Exporters, what we are trying to do through the Exporter of the Year Awards, your role is extremely critical. If I may say that’s probably why we hosting you to lunch as well. You really are the ones that through your medium, through your papers, through your television as well we can get out to the general public that our exporters are extremely critical to all of us. So thank you all very much.
ENDS
Prev month
