The Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) has hired a trio of Bermudians to boost its team.

Kevin Richards, Deshay Caines and Victoria Buckley have all joined the public/private partnership headed by Ross Webber and aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs.

Mr Richards will be responsible for developing shipping and aircraft finance sectors, as well looking at the feasibility of seed capital and infrastructure projects.

He will also work with the accounting and banking sectors to create a better environment for business.

Mr Richards, who has a BA and MBA from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and a background in financial services, previously worked as marketing manager at GE in Canada and in London with GE Capital International.

He said: “After spending time in the United States, London and Toronto, I hope to leverage my international experience and network to drive growth in the international commerce sectors — while building on the work Ross and the team has done so far.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be able to work every day toward growing the economy in Bermuda.”

Ms Caines is business development coordinator, responsible for providing support, coordination and implementation of the agency’s strategies to attract and maintain business.

She joined the agency in early September after working at Digicel Bermuda for three years, latterly as an account manager.

Ms Caines is a graduate of Oakwood University in Alabama, with a joint degree in business management and history.

She said: “I am thrilled to join and lend a proactive approach to business development across all international business sectors.”

In addition, the BDA has promoted Morgan Simons from administrative assistant to concierge and human resources coordinator, providing administrative support to the BDA’s CEO and office manager, as well as to its concierge business service industry partners.

Ms Simons, a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK with a Master’s degree in international tourism management and who also has a first degree in French from Montreal’s Concordia University, will also oversee the BDA’s new student internship programme.

She said: “Having never worked in a corporate office before, this experience has already taught me a lot about the field of business development.”

Ms Buckley joined the BDA in the summer as its new administrative assistant.

The fluent Portuguese speaker previously worked as a customer services representative at Logic Communications and TeleBermuda International as a programme coordinator for YouthNet.

She said: “I’m excited for this opportunity to grow professionally with a dynamic agency like the BDA and be a part of bettering the Island.”

The BDA has also signed up Cordelia Philip, who has a BA in economics from Montreal’s McGill University, for a two-month internship. She will work in business development support, fundraising initiatives and general administration.