In the winner's circle

Bernard Dulal-Whiteway FCCA, CEO of Caribbean conglomerate Neal & Massy, tells Colette Steckel about his involvement in the future of Trinidad & Tobago and his quest for success in business and on the race-track

For a country of 1.2m people which ranks as the most industrialised and second-largest in the English-speaking Caribbean, the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago has some big ideas for its future. So big, in fact, that in 15 years time, the twin islands will hardly recognise themselves. That is, assuming the Government's Vision 2020 plan doesn't go awry.

Vision 2020 is an all-encompassing, long-term plan. At its heart is the aim of giving the people of Trinidad & Tobago equal opportunities to achieve their potential in a dynamic and developed country that offers a high quality of life, an accessible education and health system, a sound legal framework and a thriving economy. With such lofty ambitions, one wonders whether Vision 2020 will ever come to fruition. But the Government has kept potential critics at bay by consulting the public on the myriad stages of the plan. And has enlisted some of the brightest and most experienced professionals in the country to head the project and the various sub-committees in key focal areas.

Among them is Bernard Dulal-Whiteway FCCA (58), chief executive of the Trinidad-based conglomerate Neal & Massy, who chairs one of the 28 sub-committees of Vision 2020. He has no doubt that Vision 2020 is one of the most exciting and important exercises ever undertaken by the nation. 'What we're doing is looking at what Trinidad & Tobago should become. And not just through the politicians' eyes. There is much consultation taking place throughout the country, which is being driven by the public and private sectors. Vision 2020 is an opportunity to transform Trinidad & Tobago, to take us into what we call the promised land: a developed state by the year 2020.'

The key focal areas of the sub-committees include energy, education, the environment, agriculture, HIV/AIDS, health, national security and tourism. Bernard's focal area is industry and entrepreneurship; unsurprising given his stellar background working at the top echelons of business management. 'We are looking at how to turn Trinidad's economy from one that is so totally dependent on the oil and energy sector (it is the fifth largest exporter of liquid natural gas in the world and the largest exporter of methanol) into one that is more diversified. How do we do that? And what can we do to develop our country's small businesses?'

Tricky questions come as standard in every one of the Vision 2020 sub-committees, but Bernard is optimistic that by the time each focus group puts forwards its strategies in December this year, the final plan won't be sitting on a shelf gathering dust. 'If we come up with a good plan - one that is acceptable to all political parties and to every sector of society - then it can and will be implemented.'

This isn't the first time Bernard has been asked to sit on Government boards or lend his expertise to private sector organisations. As Bernard puts it: 'There's a time in one's life when you have to give something back. And anything I or anyone else does for the Government is for the good of the country.' He was one of the founding members of Tidco, the tourism and industrial development company of Trinidad & Tobago, and has held directorships at Iscott, the iron & steel company, Trintoc, the country's oil company, and so the list goes on.

He currently sits on the board of the Republic Bank, has the challenge of a Vision 2020 sub-committee, and then there's the day job to do: heading Neal & Massy, one of the oldest and most respected groups of companies in the English-speaking Caribbean. In business for over 80 years, Neal & Massy is involved in automotive and industrial equipment, energy, industrial gases, retail, distribution & logistics, and information technology, and has interests in Miami, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Antigua as well as its home in Trinidad.

Bernard took up his post as CEO in 2000. His appointment followed the lean years of the 1990s, when the Group was restructured, its unprofitable businesses sold off, and its financial position put back in the black. Bernard has spent his first few years at the helm of Neal & Massy ensuring the longevity of the Group's business sectors by investing in core growth areas like food retailing, distribution and energy. 'We've made some acquisitions and we have a good team here. In fact, we have a very well-oiled machine in Neal & Massy,' remarks Bernard. He has a point. The group recorded sales of TT$2.8bn and profit after tax of TT$182K for the 2003 financial year, capping a fifth consecutive year of growth in the business. Published half year figures show a promising start to financial year 2004 with a 3% increase in sales and a 20% hike in profit after tax.

Despite the healthy financial position of the Group, Bernard is concerned about the future because of the shortage of skilled professionals in the English-speaking Caribbean. 'The biggest challenge for Neal & Massy right now is a shortage of good people. There's a high migration rate, particularly in Guyana and Jamaica,' says Bernard, adding that a group-wide training and development programme has been introduced to improve the skill set of Neal & Massy staff. 'At the end of the day, what is going to make a difference to a business is people.'

His own route to the top began over 30 years earlier, when he was persuaded to join Neal & Massy in 1972, handling accounts at the Group's head office in Port of Spain. The decision to quit his job as senior accounts manager at oil giant Texaco, the leading company in Trinidad at that time, was not an easy one. Texaco had offered his first job on leaving school and a four-year scholarship to study ACCA at South West London College (now named London South Bank University) in the UK. But Bernard saw potential in the mainly automotive company that was starting to make its mark in the English-speaking Caribbean with strategic moves into other businesses. 'Many people thought I was taking a step back by joining Neal & Massy, but I saw the opportunity for the Group to grow and for me to grow with it. I was fortunate. I moved up the organisation very quickly.'

Within two years, he was appointed to the Board of Directors at one of the subsidiary companies and started managing the automotive assembly plant a few years later. In 1984 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Parent Company and, for the next two decades, he would alternate his industry specialisms by moving in and out of various divisions within the Group, eventually becoming chairman of Neal & Massy's automotive business unit. 'Of all the professions, accounting & finance is the fastest track to general management,' he reasons.

Four years into his tenure as chief executive, Bernard is looking to broaden the Group's horizons, specifically into Latin and Central America. 'The English-speaking Caribbean market is very small with a population of around five million. We're now involved in sectors that have great potential, like energy, but we realise that our future is to get out into the wider world.' The region is home to 250m people, so the opportunities for growth are enormous, but Bernard recognises that getting into other markets can be tricky: there are language barriers, cultural sensitivities, not to mention unstable economies and turbulent politics. 'If you want to grow, you have to deal with these things. The competition from globalisation is so great that we can't afford to stay local.'

With retirement beckoning (he has committed to five more years in the chief executive seat), it's doubtful that Bernard will be in place to see all his plans for Neal & Massy come to fruition. But he hopes that by the time he retires, he'll leave behind a strong company headed by a group of world-class executives. His own plans for enjoying his retirement are more modest: the occasional attendance at cricket matches, if only the West Indies team would return to form, a bit of travelling, and more time on the farm (and on the race-track) with his numerous thoroughbred horses. His office space is already lined with trophies, photos and a particularly smart painting of his equestrian pride and joy, New Millennium, which won him the local derby in 2000.

But with Vision 2020 to see through, and other similarly worthy projects in the wings, Bernard doesn't envisage his retirement without some benevolent work. 'I've done a lot of social, charitable and Government work in my time, but one can always do more. There are a lot of people out there who have not been so fortunate in their careers or their life choices. Professionals have a responsibility. It's what keeps us sane.'