Our History

Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management

As early as the late 1980’s it was evident that the business environment was changing drastically. What was even more apparent was that a new breed of manager was needed to face the onslaught of challenges that the 21st century would bring. 

 

In response to these factors the private sector of Barbados and other members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), met with the then Principal of The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus- Sir Keith Hunte. With the support of the Governments of Barbados and the OCES, they planned the birth of a Caribbean, educational organisation that was capable of providing relevant management skills, leadership tools and knowledge to the region. 

 

This group driven by the opportunity to create a legacy for the region sought the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), headed by the then Ambassador Mosina Jordan. She generously supported the concept and as a result, on April 17th, 1991 the Centre for Management Development (CMD) was established. 

In spite of its humble beginnings as a pilot project with one programme and 30 participants the CMD grew by leaps and bounds. By June 14th, 2006 the organisation re-launched as the Cave Hill School of Business (CHSB); a modern organisation founded on three pillars: Academic Programmes, Executive Development Programmes, and Consultancy and Research. Though all of CHSB’s Academic Programmes are accredited by the UWI, the School operates autonomously, with all activities being conducted under the policy and direction of an independent Board of Directors. 
  
The School delivers high-quality, cost effective and competitive training as well as organisational development opportunities to companies in Barbados and across the OECS. This is achieved by drawing on experts from both the private and public sectors, management training institutions and universities (regionally and extra-regionally) in order to ensure that the quality of our programmes are of the highest. 

 

Our emphasis is on the quality essential for realising our vision of executive development that will meet the needs of the global business community, now and in the future and as such we are continuously examining new and emerging trends in order to improve our capabilities. 

Testimonials

What our graduates say

  • The IMBA programme format provided flexibility to further my business education while remaining on the job.  I was immediately able to utilize sharpened knowledge and skills in all business education disciplines to contribute more meaningfully to achieving my organization’s objectives.   Equally crucial, being able to maintain presence and visibility, played a key role in securing a position as a competitive candidate for career advancement in my organization. The award of the International Masters in Business Administration degree (distinction) from the CHSB/UWI provided further validation for immediate appointment to top-level management.  I embrace my new responsibilities with the confidence that I am equipped to manage in this challenging global environment.  This programme is extremely rigorous, requiring a high level of tenacity, responsibility, commitment and sacrifice; the pay-off, however, is absolutely worth it.
    Marilyn Gardiner-Usher
    Deputy Governor Operations - Central Banking Operations
  • The Cave Hill School of Business IMBA programme has reinforced the foundation of my business knowledge and has equipped me with new skills, courage and confidence, that I have been able to utilize immediately in my new career as a Training and Management Consultant at Customer Service Academy of Jamaica where I specialize in Strategic Change Management and Customer Service Training.

    The programme has a comfortable blend of qualitative and quantitative courses. The case studies and how they were facilitated were invaluable, as they gave insight into the boardrooms of real businesses, doing analysis and solving problems. The facilitators were world-class and they brought priceless real life experiences.

    The team approach employed added richness. We learned how to build consensus and understanding, and to contribute to each other’s experience and learning, fitting us to succeed in this global economy.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the competitive intensity, the exposure to the diversity of thoughts which resulted in a widening of my own perspective as a result of the interactions with fellow classmates and faculty.

    Thank you Cave Hill for giving me the opportunity to be an alumnus of this great institution and for all the memorable moments associated with our time together!

    Marlene Campbell
    Management Consultant/Trainer, Customer Service Academy of Jamaica
  • There are two aspects to consider when attempting to quantify what benefits I have derived from the EDM and now the EMBA. Before we consider this, however, I must state the fact that calculating what I have learned is really quite impossible since I’ve forgotten how little I knew. The two aspects are that of education and then education within the framework of the Cave Hill School of Business. First, education provides you with innumerable benefits; the ability to recognise what is happening within your organisation and country and to be equipped to positively effect change, the fact that you now know what the economists are talking about on BBC world, the capacity to be able to provide valuable input into your childrens’ university level projects, the fact that now your are more marketable, etc.

    I am absolutely positive that the EDM was the catalyst to a future lifetime of learning. Secondly, the aspect of being able to pursue education, together with peers, through a distinguished, experienced and hardworking organisation. I will always be grateful to those whose concept it was to provide excellent, affordable and easily accessible education and, of course, to those whose difficult job it is to implement the concept. The staff of the Cave Hill School of Business are efficient, approachable and determined to hold us responsible for achieving the required standards. The materials provided and facilitators chosen clearly indicate a commitment to the highest standards and it is always with a sense of anticipation that I open the next textbook or logon to the next course.

    Juliet Hines
    Director, Associated Engineering Services Ltd
  • The Executive Masters in Business Administration is an exceptional programme both in terms of the business knowledge it imparts and the personal strengths it helps to develop. It proved useful from the very outset, helping to develop analytical, report-writing and presentation skills. It helped me to better analyse business problems and the operating and legal environment of the company; thereby enabling better planning and monitoring. The programme provided exceptional tools and approaches to enhance my capabilities thus providing immense value to the enterprise.

    CHSB’s programmes are apposite; therefore, I highly recommend this EMBA for all managers and I would endorse others from my company for this or any other CHSB programme.

    Alvan Lennox Haynes
    Chief Executive Officer, Belize Water Services Limited
  • Actions speak louder than words, but it is nice to hear the words with the actions.

    “I have recommended three persons to your Executive Diploma Programme and they all are reaping the benefits of learning in a practical environment and honing their interpersonal skills. Keep the good work up!”

    Clearly Melanie is happy with what she got in the EDM, she is happy with what she is getting in the EMBA and is contributing to the happiness of others – you too can reap the benefits of developing your educational career with CHSB

    Melanie Haynes
    Participant, EMBA GM Cohort 24
  • My name is Miriam Cervantes Requena and I am a graduate of CHSB, Barbados . I am a member of Cohort 3 of the Executive Diploma in Management (EDM) programme. CHSB proved that they are indeed “a catalyst for business growth through the development of intellectual and human capital.” After being away from the classroom for so many years, CHSB and its team of professionals were able to help me refine and upgrade my skills; skills that I believed were dormant for too long, even non-existent.

    The programme contained an organized and rigid curriculum that had to be met at the end of one year. Amidst the hard work and dedication of the team members, the programme proved to be beneficial to each of us as individuals and even to our organizations that benefit from our skills. This programme helped me become a better person with stronger leadership qualities. I became better prepared to lead and motivate my staff, and prepare them for future upward mobility. CHSB through the EDM programme helped me achieve a level of success that I thought would never be possible, after so many years, in a modern competitive business world.

    I can safely say that I recommend the Executive Diploma in Management (EDM) programme from CHSB, to any who has been out of the classroom and feels the need to better hone their managerial skills. If the opportunity should become available, I would most definitely participate in other programmes that CHSB offers.

    Miriam Requena
    Administrator, Belize Social Security Board