Contributors Bios - Summer 2011

SANJAY M. AMIN

A Director for BCQS Group International, Sanjay first moved to the Caribbean in 1997 to open the BCQS office in the British Virgin Islands, then picked up sticks and headed to Barbados in 2006 to open their office, finally hitting St Lucia's shores in 2008 to open that office. His diverse experience includes managing a variety of commercial, residential, resort, airport, hospital and industrial projects in the Eastern Caribbean.

Click here to view our exclusie interview with Sanjay Amin.

LISA M. BOWYER PhD, LLM, LLB, Principal Consultant

Prior to founding Liberty Consulting in 2008, legal academic, long-standing island resident and green activist, Lisa Bowyer, assumed advisory roles in financial services regulation policy in both the UK and the Cayman Islands. Focusing primarily on environmental policy and regulation in relation to the finance sector, she became finance sector representative on the Cayman Islands’ National Climate Change Committee in 2009. A tireless advocate ianist, yoga devotee, triathlete and founding committee member of the Cayman Youth Choir.

Join her on page 76 as she considers sustainable finance in the Caribbean.

DR MAT COTTAM

Originally from across the pond in the UK, Mat arrived on Cayman’s shores nine years ago and now heads up the local Department of Environment’s new Terrestrial Ecology Unit. His diverse responsibilities include endangered species’ preservation, as well as the management of conservation and protected areas. With Blue iguanas, Red-footed boobies, Green anoles and the odd crocodile – it is quite the colourful career. He is also a specialist grant writer and moderates the conservation communications network www.CaribbeanHub.net. An avid writer and talented amateur filmmaker, Mat spends any free moments kite surfing or exploring the world’s great wildernesses.

On page 48 he discusses the multiple benefits of investing in one’s garden.

DEREK GALON

With a childhood spent under his father’s grand piano, listening in ‘surround sound’ to concert preparations, little wonder Derek’s life was destined for the arts. Ever passionate about music, he soon added photographer to his repertoire, requisitioning the family bathroom to serve as a darkroom, where he developed not only exhibition-quality photographs, but also, a rare ability to capture the artistic feel of the moment with his meticulous eye for detail. Later, moving from Europe to Canada, he expanded into multimedia and graphic design, but never wavered from his two main loves: photography and music.

With images featured in award-winning coffee table books, Derek’s shares his artistic eye on page 48 with stunning photos of Caribbean gardens.

ELLY HAILS

Interior design student, Elly Hails, divides her time between the Cayman Islands and London, finding new inspiration through her interior design and travel blog www.caribbeanlivingblog.com. Passionate about travelling and discovering what littlevisited areas of the world have to offer interiors, she is constantly evolving her signature style of eclectic furnishings and bright bold prints.

In this issue, on page 26, she rounds up some of the punchiest and most eye-catching eco-friendly upholstery fabrics the luxury textile houses have to offer.

DENAYE HINDS, LEED AP, GGAA

Director of Sustainability for OBM International’s (OBMI) initiative in the sustainability sector, Denaye is responsible for building and leading OBMI’s Design and Planning sustainability policy. Hailing from Bermuda, she currently resides in Miami, Florida where she is a Sustainability Consultant in the South Florida and Caribbean region for LEED and Green Globe and recently received her Master’s in Construction Management from Florida International University. When not enhancing the earth by ensuring responsible design, Denaye can be found lying on the beach with a good book or working with her charity, GreenBean Inc.

Turn to page 53 for inspiration on how she effortlessly constructs eco-chic interiors.

SIMON HUTCHINGS

Senior director with SWA Architects, one of the most prominent architectural design firms in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), Simon, RIBA, has been responsible for many of the firm’s most prestigious projects. Growing up in rural England, Simon moved to TCI in 1998 where he is currently designing his family home.

On page 47 Simon discusses incorporating green technologies into his designs so that they are “true reflections of today” and lay the ground for a better tomorrow.

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