Community - page 6

Marina Bay is set for a multi-million pound investment, with the objective of further enhancing Gibraltar’s reputation as a go-to marine destination.

The plan includes an increased number of upgraded berths, 144 high-end waterfront rental apartments comprising “Marina Club” and new infrastructure with enhanced facilities.

Work is already underway with the first stage of development of this word-class project, which is replacing the old concrete Mediterranean-style berths to make way for the installation of easier access new floating finger pontoons.

The number of berths will increase and will be able to cope with vessels in the 15-18m (49-59ft) range. In addition, 12 fully serviced and carefully designed superyacht berths for yachts up to 100m (328ft) will be constructed. It is envisaged that the majority of new berths will be completed by the end of 2020.

It all forms part of a long relationship between Gibraltar and Gregory Butcher, owner and chairman of Ocean Village. Marina Bay was added to his property portfolio in 2006 as part of his long-term, high volume investment in the area.

William Bowman, Marina Bay marina director commented, “Short term and long term berthing will be massively enhanced, with continued opportunities for locals to berth their boats here and visit.”

The new superyacht berths, apart from having substantially improved infrastructure will also offer new services such as concierge.

Bowman went on to emphasise, “Our aim is to encourage longer term mooring from superyachts and provide them not only with duty free fuel, but also fantastic facilities and services to encourage them to use Gibraltar more frequently as a home port. We now have 5-star bathroom facilities, so after a long trip on the ocean, we offer the opportunity for boatowners to take a soak in a hot bath! This is something which is quite rare in the offering for marina facilities in this area.”

“Superyacht crew will have access to the Marina Club facilities for accommodation, sport facilities and F&B outlets. It is anticipated that a number of new jobs will be created as well as a direct result of the multiplying effect on local employment”.

The COVID-19 crisis has the potential to put many local businesses in distress, despite HMGoG’s call to private landlords to assist their commercial tenants.

The trading environment has continued a downward slide, and although many landlords – such as Fairhomes Group – have heeded the call of Government, some others remain silent and in some cases have neither been in touch with their tenants, nor replied to tenant queries. This is in contrast to the experience of many Chamber & GFSB members who have found that some landlords have even gone much further than the HMGoG advice and offered rent-free periods for the next quarter.

In a joint press release, the Chamber & GFSB commented, “This has been very welcome and demonstrates the strong bonds of solidarity which we have as a community.”

They added, “The Chamber and the GFSB would like to thank those landlords who have already taken these steps to help their tenants. We would also call on the Landlord’s Association and all remaining commercial landlords to assist their tenants in the current crisis. Now is the time for action. Now is the time to assist those businesses to try to keep trading so at least they can continue to exist and hold on to their staff in the long term.”

“It is incumbent on each of us to do what we can to help each other. When trading improves, we do not want to look back with regret and think if only we had done more to help. Do it today. Do it now.”

Fairhomes said it felt a special obligation to its tenants by saying, “Within Ocean Village and WTC [there are] small independent business run by people we know and who are already feeling the impact of the current situation, and we recognise that they need our help now”.

Fairhomes also wished to convey public thanks to all frontline workers in The Rock.

Gibraltar Insight is keen to hear from commercial tenants if their landlords have been supportive, understanding, or lacking. Any contact will be treated in confidence. hello@gibraltarinsight.com

tar Insight is keen to hear from commercial tenants if their landlords have been supportive, understanding, or lacking. Any contact will be treated in confidence. hello@gibraltarinsight.com

COVID UPGRADED TO ’MAJOR INCIDENT’

The COVID crisis in Gibraltar has been upgraded to a “Major Incident” by Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar.

This development allows all Government agencies to act within an enhanced response framework.

A Government spokesperson was keen to point out that this emergency structure is well rehearsed. Trials for such eventualities and different scenarios are run throughout the year to ensure that all emergency responders are ready to react in such eventualities.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo said, “This declaration merely formalises many of the command structures which have been so effective throughout the last few weeks. During that time, we have been in daily contact with the Convent and the Ministry of Defence”.

‘Harness Your Power…the Journey is Yours’ Conference Report

On Thursday 5 March, Gibraltar’s International Women’s Day celebrations got into full swing with the conference, ‘Harness Your Power, the Journey is Yours’, hosted by the GFSB & WIB (Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses & Women in Business (now united). This was the first IWD conference Gibraltar has seen and was a hugely successful day, attended by 150 people on the Sunborn. A much wider audience than originally anticipated was reached due to the event’s partnership with GBC and a Viewpoint broadcast and much buzz in social media. Attendees enjoyed a packed programme with discussions that ranged from ‘Women and Financial Empowerment’ to ‘Change Management’ and ‘Advancing Your Career or Business’.

There was an international array of panellists that also pulled from Gibraltar’s talent pool to highlight some hidden gems.  Delegates appreciated the energy and advice of keynote speaker, Nina Vaca (Chairman and CEO of Pinnacle Group, listed as the USA’s fastest growing woman-owned business in 2015 & 2018) to use its assets to its advantage:  small = mighty and nimble.  The second keynote, Catherine Hankinson showcased how in the UK women in policing had ‘broken the glass ceiling’ since policing’s establishment in 1829, with Peel’s rules encouraging the ‘wearing of beards’, to the top two police jobs in the UK now being held by women: the Met Commissioner and the National Crime Agency. There was a palpable positivity and energy in the room, a recognition of how far issues that women face have come and yet the continued journey. The event was sponsored by Hassans, EY, Ince, PlayTech and The Parasol Foundation, and was officially opened by Minister for Equality, Hon Samantha Sacramento MP.

Nina Vaca – Chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Group

• One single idea: be crazy good.
• I started my business to help my family: this is the no.1 reason that women globally start businesses.
• Women have 85% purchasing power in the home and corporations are starting to realise this. Having women at the table isn’t just about doing good; it’s about doing good business.
• The perspective you have of yourself and how you view yourself will be who you will become.
• Gibraltar is small but mighty! If you are small, know your assets (small businesses have the advantage in personalisation, localisation, and superior customer service).
• Always believe better days are ahead of us.
• Networks are important: use social media, and local programmes such as WIB/GFSB.
• Raise your hand, applaud yourself, have no fear.
• Finding the right partner who will support your dreams and do 50% of the work is the most important decision we will make.
• Women try to be so many things. Be a strong example to our children.
• Be clear on your why – in life and in business. If your why is not clear you could fall into a negative outlook. When you find out what your why is, you can find multiple paths to get there.
• The hardest moments can bring out your biggest strengths.

Michaela Rees – Director, Knightsbridge Incorporations

I have always worked flexibly around my children and feel that being a mother shouldn’t be a barrier to entrepreneurship. We need to make daughters robust, and our sons part of this and supportive of women at work. Children don’t see these differences that we do. I have always tried to involve my children in my business and they help out in the office. They have been given small budgets to manage from an early age. We deal with a lot of women needing financial planning and can’t stress enough the importance of having the education in the first place. Another issue is that women are not big risk takers and so obtaining finance is barrier as women don’t want to take a loan to get business off the ground. NatWest offer the ‘Back her Business’ programme which allows an individual to raise up to £10,000. If you have an idea, work out the forecast and try to get investment to make dream a reality.

Dineen Garcia – Diversity Global Consulting, LLC and co-organiser of the conference 

• Embrace lifes pivots.
• Be kind to others and yourself.
• Better to try and not succeed than not try at all: noble failures (attributed to former Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren).
• Having it ‘All” is subjective; my “All” doesn’t equate with yours.
• Perfection does not exist.
• Challenges are stepping stones: they aren’t drawbacks they are opportunities.
• Remember the Madeleine Albright quote: “there is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women”.

Catherine Hankinson – Assistant Chief Constable, West Yorkshire Police

• Dont underestimate the value of a mentor: be careful not to pull up the ladder behind you.
• Ask for help: it helps with learning and helps other people to share their vulnerability too.
• Flexible working discussion is not just a female issue, it’s a parenting issue and it needs to move away from gender.
• It will be 170 years until women have full economic equality with men: as estimated by World Economic Foundation .
• I particularly notice a lack of confidence when talking to female colleagues. The little voice inside tells you that you can’t do something, then it’s reinforced in everything else you do. 
• I focus on being a role model for the types of behaviours I expect my team to exhibit and meet directly with junior colleagues to talk to them about expectations.
• A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong it is until it is in hot water.” Eleanor Roosevelt 
• Be kind: nobody cares what you know, until they know you care. People will always remember how you made them feel.
• Build your resilience before you need it. Make time to indulge in the things you like so you are physically and mentally strong to build for when you need it.
• FAIL is merely an acronym for First Attempt In Learning.
• Know yourself – really know yourself. What are your stakes in the ground? 

Mandy Gaggero – Marketing Director, MH Brand 

Is there a double standard between the vocabulary used to describe the character traits between men and women?

A man is commanding; a woman is demanding.
A man is forceful; a woman is pushy.
He’s assertive; she’s aggressive.
He strategizes; she manipulates.
He shows leadership; she’s controlling.
He’s committed; she’s obsessed.
He’s persevering; she’s relentless.
A man is a perfectionist; a woman is a pain in the ass.  

So, to the women who are labelled: 

Aggressive: keep being assertive
Bossy: keep on leading 
Difficult: keep telling the truth
Too much: keep taking up space
Awkward: keep asking hard questions

There are kind people (of both sexes) who are positive, reliable and supportive.  Find them and align yourself with them, use them as role models and ask for help when you need advice.  Asking for help is not giving up, it is refusing to give up.

Kathryn Morgan – Previously Director of Regulatory Operations at Financial Services Commission

The local gender pay gap in Gibraltar is just over 19%, compared to 17% in the UK.  About 12% can be explained by the “mummy tax” – having two kids and taking a year off for each one will reduce lifetime earning by about 12%.  And that doesn’t allow for missing out on promotion opportunities, or working part-time.  

Divorce is a time when it’s important to think about money – not just for the short term, but longer term.  Sharing of pensions is difficult and divorcing couples should get proper advice from a pensions expert, not just their lawyer.  Interestingly, it costs about £3,000 to divorce in Gibraltar.  This could be a barrier to women leaving abusive relationships.  

Make sure you pay yourself before other bills, for example, by putting money into a pension and building up a fund for rainy days.

The second Resilience Games took place at Devil’s Tower Camp on February 12th, hosted by British Forces Gibraltar.

Participants competed to test their physical strength and mental resilience in various components of fitness, across five team workouts.

These comprised 12 two-person tri-service teams, featuring same sex and mixed pairs. The event saw friends and colleagues pair up to fight for the winning title.  

After the five workouts, the final count of scores was compiled by Sgt Zoe Fowler.

Winners 

Cpl Danny Richards and AB Jamie Reed 

Runners Up 

Cpl Sean Simmonds and LCpl Matthew Hall 

Third Place 

Maj Nick Kemp and Maj Phil Godsiff

The day ended when Commodore Tim Henry, Commander British Forces Gibraltar, presented the winners with trophies and prizes, and congratulated all entrants on their efforts.  

Despite signals to the contrary from Brussels, the UK Government reiterated that Gibraltar retains its integral status as part of the United Kingdom’s negotiation for future EU relations. The UK’s mandate specifically states, at para 11, as follows:

“11. The Government will act in these negotiations on behalf of all the territories for whose international relations the UK is responsible. In negotiating the future relationship between these territories and the EU, the UK Government will seek outcomes which support the territories’ security and economic interests and which reflect their unique characteristics.”

This position confirms what was set out in writing by Sir Tim Barrow in November 2018, as the Permanent Representative to the EU for the United Kingdom Government, in answer the statement of the EU at the time of the conclusion of the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo commented, “I am very pleased to see confirmation today that the UK Negotiating Mandate includes Gibraltar, exactly as we had agreed with the United Kingdom and as the UK’s Permanent Representative in Brussels set out in November 2018 when the EU first suggested it would seek to exclude us from any future agreement. I look forward to the start of the negotiations and to the work we want to do to improve our relationships with the EU, despite our leaving legal membership of it, and in particular to improving our relationship with Spain for the benefit of the people who live and work on both sides of the Frontier.”