A panel discussion by Bermuda's top business leaders, including Sir John Swan and David Ezekiel, will be top of the bill at a conference held by the Bermuda Employers' Council (BEC) at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel next month.

The BEC's combined CEO and Executives and HR Professionals Corporate Summit, which will take place on Thursday April 23 to Friday April 24, will be broken into two sessions - one for HR managers on global best practice information, upgrading their skills and exposure to cutting edge methods in the industry, and the other for executives, including the local CEO panel discussion.

Graham Redford, president of the BEC, said: "We are excited to be able to present this summit to Bermuda businesses as we believe it is timely given the economic climate that we currently operate in. It is open to both non-member and member companies of the BEC and we are proud to offer another tool to help companies navigate the difficult economic challenges we face."

The first part, which takes place on April 23, will feature Milton Perkins, a well-respected practitioner based in Texas and familiar to Bermuda's HR community, who will present two sessions: 'Measuring & Evaluating HR, How to Effectively Demonstrate That People Issues Really Matter' in the morning and 'Getting the Right Fit the First Time, Hiring Strategies, How to Get and Keep the Best Talent for the Organisation' in the afternoon.

Lunch, which is included in the cost, will comprise a presentation on the BEC's 'The Shift' - an analysis of Bermuda workplace trends from 1980, projected through to 2030.

The second session, on April 24, will consist of a speech by Ms Ronnie Goldberg, executive vice-president of the United States Council for International Business, on the state of world business from a US perspective.

Ms Goldberg's address will be followed by a panel discussion led by Sir John, Mr. Ezekiel, Gerald Simons and Norman Mastalir on the current state of business in Bermuda and what we can and should be done to best position Bermuda to survive and thrive in the current economic turndown.

The event will be supported by Digicel, HWP Group, Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Universal Electric, Bermuda Cleaning, Gorhams, the Bottom Line and the Catlin Group.

To sign up contact the BEC on 295-5070, e-mail twarner@bec.bm or visit the website at www.bec.bm