A vibrant and savvy leader, Lisandra Rickards has overseen the finance and training
programmes at the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship - Caribbean (BCoEC) over the past
few years, working particularly closely with entrepreneurs as they develop their business
plans and pitches in preparation for accessing funding. In December 2016 she’ll step into
the role of CEO, ready to meet the challenges head-on, while forging ahead to continued
successes.
B:Inspired: How did you first get involved
with BCoEC?
B:Inspired: Why did you decide to apply for
the position of CEO?
Lisandra: When I left my last position in
investments, I was looking for an opportunity that
would combine my skills and experience in finance
and business development with my search for
more creativity and flexibility. Lisa Lake and I knew
each other as Harvard alumni, and she emailed
me a list of open positions at BCoEC. I interviewed
for and was selected as an Entrepreneur
Development Trainer.
Lisandra: Professionally, I’ve always been
interested in solving the problem of turning small
businesses into thriving enterprises, and working
with BCoEC has been ideal to bridging that gap.
Also, BCoEC has been one of the few entities in
Jamaica to take a philanthropic approach to
developing and financing businesses, driving the
push to prepare entrepreneurs to create more
jobs, generate revenue, and contribute to the
economic growth of the Caribbean. We’ve done a
lot, but there’s still a lot more to do, and I want to
play an integral role in that process.
B:Inspired: What did your previous role at
BCoEC involve?
Lisandra: I worked with incoming cohorts on
structuring and presenting their businesses, in a
compelling way, to funding sources and potential
partners. Later, I became the Entrepreneur
Programme Manager, and then Entrepreneur
Programme Director, overseeing all the
programmes from training, to access to finance,
to mentorship and coaching.
B:Inspired: What are you most looking
forward to in your new role?
Lisandra: The opportunity to build on what Lisa
has done and take it to even greater heights.
We’re restructuring our programmes and I’m
looking forward to helping our entrepreneurs to
the next level of scale. BCoEC is helping to build
globally relevant businesses, and I’m excited for
what’s to come.
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