Bermudians have more chance to take advantage of opportunities offered by international business then ever before, according to the new chairman of Bermuda International Business Association, Jeff Conyers.

And he said that the ripple effects of new international businesses coming to the Island would provide additional job opportunities to Bermudians from all walks of life.

“International business is about all of us, because everybody from the taxi driver who greets the people at the airport, right through to the bell man at the hotel, though to the person who is planting the shrubbery at Elbow Beach, on a given day all take part,” said Mr. Conyers, who was elected to the post last week.

“I mean these are all people that are participating in the success of the community.”

When asked if Bermudians had more opportunities with the seven new reinsurance companies setting up with $7 billion of new capital on the Island, he said: “Well absolutely.”

And he said one of the challenges facing the Island was educating the Island's population about the new businesses while there was trouble in one of the economic sectors of the Island - the tourism industry.

He said: “The key thing in my view as we are moving forward is that we have a really challenging period ahead of us.

‘'Bermuda on the one hand has some very dire predictions in terms of the economy and what is going on. On the other hand we are faced with a phenomenal infusion of capital into one industry and it is going to require some dexterity and balancing to make that work in the community as a whole, and that is part of BIBA's role.”

One of BIBA's main remits has been to improve relations between the community and local business, and Mr. Conyers believes that this is still important work for the organisation

“One of the most essential things that BIBA does is the whole social awareness group. Dueane Dill has been heading that up for the past three of four years, he's really done a great job. That is a real element of focus because we really want the kids to understand that there is a future for them.”

And he added that the jobs provided through international business in Bermuda were not just in insurance and high powered financial jobs, but affected each and every Bermudian in the course of their work.

He said: “It is not necessarily just in the Financial Services Insurance arena, because numbers wise that is a very small part of what is going on.

“But that insurance business also brings a lot of ancillary businesses that feeds the accounting firms, the law firms, the banks potentially the financial services companies like ours. So a young Bermudian is going to have the option to look in all sorts of different directions and it is again BIBA's role to guide kids and sort of point them in the right direction.”

He added: “You know Bermuda has such a unique position in the world in terms of reputation in terms of a business environment coupled with, you know a life style and environment that is unique.

“And if you are Bermudian and prepared to take advantage of it, and by that, I mean prepared to educate yourselves and participate, and not necessarily in a business format, there are trades opportunities... you know engineering opportunities.

“It runs the gamut from gardening to accounting to moving things around.”

But he said that the organisation had to reach out to the people who felt alienated by the booming international business sector.

He said: “You hate to see people fall out of that and not be able to take advantage. And I think we have to continue to reach out and make sure people are aware that there truly is an opportunity. Its far too easy for people to say that is for them and this is for me and I'll never get there. Of course there are times in every body's life that it feels like you are not getting there, but that is part of the challenge.”