Both Sides of The Coin: The Story of The Central Bank of Barbados 1972-2017

Chapter 5: Some Notable Developments 185 From 2010, an annual one-day session on issues affecting the domestic financial system was started in collaboration with the Barbados Bankers’ Association and the FSC. International Business 101, a special seminar in 2012 for young attorneys, was arranged in collaboration with the legal profession. High profile presenters during this period included Trevor Farrell, then senior lecturer at the UWI, St. Augustine (2004), Ewart Williams, then governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (2006), Paul Volcker, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board and Cheng Siwei, a former high-ranking Chinese political figure (both in 2012) and Per Callesen, former governor of the Central Bank of Denmark (2015). Distinguished Visiting Fellows Programme A useful addition to the public education effort was the introduction of the Bank’s Distinguished Visiting Fellows Programme in 2014. The first academic to hold this position was Senior Fellow and Director Emeritus of the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, Dr. Fred Bergsten. Bergsten spent six weeks in Barbados during which time he paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Chris Sinckler, held seminars for the Bank’s staff and students at the UWI Cave Hill campus and was interviewed by Governor Worrell. The highlight of the fellowship was the Caribbean Economic Forum, a live broadcast with a studio audience moderated by regional journalist, Julian Rogers. During this interactive session Dr. Bergsten made a presentation on a range of economic and financial issues and fielded questions from the studio audience and journalists across the region. This forum was broadcast on television and radio stations in 18 First Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Dr. Fred Bergsten.