Business
BrightPath and Columbus recognize Caribbean tech innovators at TechLink initiative
Bevil Wooding, Founder and Executive Director of BrightPath Foundation
Six Caribbean nationals have been recognized for their contribution to advancing technology innovation in the region at the launch of the BrightPath Foundation TechLink initiative in Grenada.
BrightPath in collaboration with its corporate partner Columbus Communications presented 2013 TechLink Caribbean Innovators Awards in 5 categories to Ingrid Riley of Jamaica, Nerissa Golden of Montserrat, Deanne Scott and Teddy Frederick of Grenada, Juma Bannister of Trinidad & Tobago, and Stephen Lee, a Jamaican-born US national.
“The launch of TechLink in Grenada is the beginning of a revolution in community based technology education for the region. The TechLink Caribbean Tech Innovation Awards celebrate the many hard-working, and often unheralded, pioneers who are advancing the tech sector in the region. We believe their stories and their achievements can serve as a powerful inspiration to others in the region,” explained BrightPath Executive Director Bevil Wooding during the launch.
“Our vision for TechLink now is to take the seed planted in Grenada and translate it into Caribbean apps, Caribbean books, Caribbean photos, Caribbean videos, and Caribbean solutions to Caribbean challenges,” Wooding declared.
Stephen Lee, the CEO of ArkiTechs Inc, a Florida-based IT consulting and services provider received the TechLink Tech Diaspora Service Award, for corporate volunteerism and for his outstanding contribution to technology training and Caribbean mobile app development.
Jamaica-born Lee, is a founding member of the Caribbean Network Operators (CaribNOG) Coordinating Team and serves as a Telecommunications Advisor to the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). He has also developed a suite of mobile apps to promote local content and culture.
Ingrid Riley received the TechLink Game Changer’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship and her contribution to transforming the region’s approach to tech business startups. She is the founder of Connectimass, a non-profit which teaches tech entrepreneurship and innovation.
