ONE of the recently elected directors of Combined Investment Inc., has promised to create a positive change in the company, which according to him has not been doing well since its formation two years ago.
And he has offered some sound advice to the directors of the company, whose parent company is the National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT).
Willie Jeremie, a director from the south of the island, was elected at the company’s shareholders meeting held at the Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School-Campus B, last Sunday. At the meeting shareholders were presented with the financial report of the company, tempers flared with accusations flying back and forth. Some startling revelations were also made at the meeting, which ended with questions being unanswered.
The other directors of the company are FabianJagroop, EmmanuelaHermas, Godfrey Ferdinand and Aiden Blondell, the only other new director.
For the past year, a number of shareholders, mainly those from the south of the island, have been agitating for the removal of Ferdinand as a director of the company, but were left very disappointed after he was re-elected. A call was made for the recounting of his votes during the election, but it was not allowed.
In an interview with THE VOICE, Jeremie said: “I believe in my capacity I will make a change…My intention is to make a contribution because I am not just a director, but also a shareholder of the company.”
He identified several changes which he would like to see in the operations of the business. According to him, the company needs a manager, a credit policy and frequent meetings.
“This will allow information to be disseminated in a timely manner, so persons will be more adequately informed,” he stressed.
Jeremie said with those changes, the business will be able to thrive and be in a position to pay dividends to its shareholders.
“There was bad management in terms of record keeping…” he lamented.
He called on all shareholders to show a keen interest in their business, adding that they should not only depend on the directors to do that for them. “You ought to show more interest in your business and we will help you,” he said.
Jeremiesaid he hopes that lessons were learnt from the past and will not be repeated.
“Now that we have seen the errors, we are hoping that things will be put in place to minimize such errors,” he said.
He is calling on the directors to aim for the sky and be transparent.
By Kingsley Emmanuel