In our October 2024 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Debbie Jollie, the Stammering Communicator who is based in Trinidad and Tobago, and Technology Architect and Digital Transformation Consultant, Garfield Gordon, of Jamaica, the panel discusses:  our continuing vulnerability to cyberattacks; ESG versus CSR and the effects on ICT; and Caribbean consultants becoming true digital nomads.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!

Welcome to our October 2024 Community Chat episode! This month’s discussion is a true mash-up of topics as there does not readily appear to be a common or cohesive theme – but that makes for an interesting show!

Unlike our September chat, both of our guests showed up, and thanks to their diverse backgrounds and expertise, we enjoyed a rich and engaging conversation. We welcome your thoughts and feedback and encourage to extend these discussions to your own circles.

 

Introducing our guest panellists

Debbie Jollie
Garfield Gordon

 

Debbie Jollie is an independent business and marketing strategist, digital marketing consultant, lecturer and speaker who runs a full-service marketing agency. She holds a Master’s degree in Management Consultancy and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Enterprise.

Debbie has over 15 years of experience in managing marketing strategies and consulting with brands in the Caribbean, USA, UK, Australia and South America. She specialises in Marketing and Business Strategy, Digital Marketing and Growth Marketing.

Garfield Gordon is a multi-disciplinary Technology Architect and Digital Transformation Consultant having over 30 years of diverse IT experience including software development, field engineering, enterprise architecture, systems engineering, cybersecurity, training and management in Jamaica, the Caribbean, Canada and the United States of America. He has extensive knowledge in: start-ups, medium to large enterprises, independent software vendors (ISV), value-added resellers (VAR), aviation, real estate, financial services, business process outsourcing, managed services; telecommunications and other vertical markets.

After spending 12 years at Cisco Systems Incorporated, he continues to focus on diverse projects in business transformation, architectural and technical solutions, cybersecurity, data protection, and the Internet of Things, with engagements across Governments, Service Providers, large enterprises, and Small to Medium Businesses throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.

 

The topics discussed

In recognition of Cybersecurity Month, but noting not the numerous tools and expertise available, there is still widespread concern that Caribbean countries, in particular, are still underprepared for digital threats. Although some countries reported a decline in successful attacks, devastating incidents are still occurring across the region. We thus opened our conversation with the topic, With all the available protections, why are we more vulnerable than ever to cyberattacks?

Second, although Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been around for several years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is gaining prominence. In some circles, ESG and CSR are being used interchangeably, but they are different, which we discuss. Further, in some instances, ICT can have an impact on these obligations and vice versa. So our second topic is, ESG versus CSR and the effects on ICT.

Finally, and arguably a positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the increased appreciation of remote work and the benefits to both employers and employees.  However, it’s one thing to work from home but completely another to relocate temporarily and work from another country. Yet, more and more people, even in the Caribbean, are embracing that lifestyle and moving to far-flung locations. On previous podcast episodes, we had young digital nomads (people in their 20s and early 30s) on the show, but how different might the experience be for older or more experienced professionals?  Our final topic focused on, Caribbean consultants becoming true digital nomads.

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image Credit:  D Jollie;  G Gordon; Matthias Zeitler (Pixabay);  freepik;  freepik

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez