In a statement to The Anguillian, Mr. Calvin Bartlett announced that he was not fired or retired from the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce but had resigned from his position as Executive Director with effect from December 7th, 2009.

Mr. Bartlett, who is now moving on, feels that he had contributed greatly to the development and recognition of the Chamber during the seven years in which he served with much sacrifice and hard work but with an absolute sense of pride and accomplishment.

Mr. Calvin Bartlett

He said he had unselfishly devoted a significant amount of time, energy and made personal sacrifices to endure the working conditions under which he had to function at the Chamber. He stated that he had learnt a lot from being a team leader responsible for coordinating the various skills, talents and commitments of many volunteers, professionals and organisations during his term of office. He acknowledged that their contributions were invaluable towards promoting the present positive image of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce among leading global organisations.

Mr. Bartlett was of the view that the Board of Directors had now decided to take the Chamber into a different direction which he had no difficulty with, but was disappointed that it appeared that he was being excluded from further involvement in the Chamber. He charged that recent actions by the Board had raised certain concerns and challenges to his motives and professionalism without reasonable explanation. He explained that in all of his efforts and achievements he had never acted out of a quest for power or personal gain, but rather out of passion for the job.

He said there were never any major disagreements with the Board of Directors with regards to the parameters of his position, although it was clear that their mandates and visions were not always in sync and furthermore there were never any specific guidelines for him. He was left with the daily operations of the organisation and had simply done his best to render his skills in the best interest of the Chamber.

He has received many commendations for his work, one as recent as some months ago from the World Chambers Federation which expressed delight in seeing the Anguilla Chamber “grow in statue not only locally, but regionally and internationally.” He was also commended by other international business organisations for his “pioneering spirit and perseverance to realise a Chamber, to involve similar Chambers, and to create a network of the region along with larger Chambers in other parts of the world.”

The difficulties and disappointments aside, Mr. Bartlett said he was grateful for the opportunity to work with the Chamber and wholeheartedly hoped that it would grow to its full potential and strength as an integral tool for helping and promoting business in Anguilla in the future.

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