Flow BVI welcomes Maria De Grads as its new General Manager
The following is a media release from telecoms company, Flow.
C&W Communications, operators of the Flow, Flow Business, C&W Business, and BTC brands in the Caribbean, is pleased to announce the appointment of Maria De Grads as the new General Manager of Flow British Virgin Islands effective October 1, the first female leader in the company’s 58-year history of operations in the Territory.
“Maria’s appointment marks a significant milestone for our company. Her extensive experience, vision, and passion for empowering teams will be instrumental as we continue to enhance our services and strengthen our connection to the BVI community. We are confident that under her leadership, Flow BVI will continue to grow and deliver innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Susana O’Sullivan, VP, North Caribbean, C&W Communications.
De Grads, who is a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has over 21 years of experience in the telecommunications industry with C&W Communications, having joined Flow St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2004.
During this time, she has held a variety of roles including Commercial Lead in the Southern Caribbean markets comprised of St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada and Barbados, where she was responsible for Growth and Acquisition Strategy; Commercial Manager in St. Vincent; and Product Executive. She also has a strong background in customer care and human resource management.
In her most recent position as Senior Manager for Commercial Operations in the South Caribbean, De Grads excelled in developing and executing groundbreaking commercial plans to drive customer acquisition and revenue growth.
“I am honored to step into the role of General Manager of Flow British Virgin Islands, and to be the first woman to hold this position in our 58-year history makes it even more meaningful. I am excited to lead our talented team as we continue to deliver innovative services, enhance our customer experience, and contribute to the growth of the BVI community. Together, we will build on Flow’s legacy and ensure we remain at the forefront of connectivity in the Territory,” she said.
De Grads holds an associate’s degree in business management from the University of the West Indies and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and Sales Management from the University of Edinburgh.
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Another island woman again?
Boy shut your illiterate mouth! Can you do a better job? I think not so just be nice about it.
What continent would you rather her come from? Such a puerile statement!
Don’t worry about being your rude & racist self on this news site..
Flow here so long. Why we keep importing a GM. Struuupes!
If you qualify then you shud put your name in the hat! Stop hating ….
Wow so all the local people who have been acting I this post and labor allow them to bringbin someone.
Wo**t service provider in the BVI.
Companies want their managers to be loyal to the company first, not to family as is often the case here. Too many related and, intentional or not, nepotism is too often the case.
The only way to straighten out the ministries is to hire outside managers who can hire and fire with no regard for anything but experience and willingness to work.
While I congratulate Ms.De Grads on her appointment, I believe we need to take a closer look at how we prioritize local talent in the Virgin Islands. There are qualified Virgin Islanders who could fill key leadership roles, and I’m concerned that we are granting too many work permits for positions that locals are fully capable of occupying.
I understand that some roles may require specialized skills or international experience, but there should be a clear and fair assessment process to ensure that expatriates are only hired when there are no qualified locals available. We need to focus on building up our local workforce and reserving work permits for those with unique expertise that we genuinely lack here. This will strengthen our economy and provide more opportunities for our people.