The Virgin Islands (VI) Government’s Representative Office in Hong Kong recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Photo: Internet Source

A special reception was held to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the establishment of the BVI Hong Kong Office. Photo: BVI Hong Kong Office

Staff of the BVI Hong Kong Office Dr. Ricardo Wheatley (Director), Ms. Siobhan Flax (Deputy Director), Ms. Jheanque Guishard (Political Economy Officer), and Mr. Shaquille Malone (Political Economy Officer). Photo: BVI Hong Kong Office

Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) in a specially forwarded message to mark the occasion, expressed his gratitude remarking, “I extend special thanks and congratulations to all office Directors, Representatives, and staff who have faithfully served in Hong Kong over the past decade. You have represented the Virgin Islands with patriotism and professionalism, ensuring the long-term success of this vital initiative. The people of the Virgin Islands owe you an immense debt of gratitude.”

Dr Ricardo Wheatley, Director of the Hong Kong Office and VI’s Asia-Pacific Representative, who was on hand to mark the occasion, lauded the decision to establish the Hong Kong Office as strategic and visionary.

“It acknowledged the burgeoning significance of the Asia-Pacific region as a core market for BVI’s financial services and underscored the Territory’s commitment to maintaining a localized presence to better serve its stakeholders,” he said.

Established between 2013 and 2014, the Hong Kong office was inaugurated as a shared space with the BVI Financial Services Commission’s Representative Office.

The initiative came 11 years after the establishment of the BVI’s London Office and represented a transformative step in the Territory’s modern history, expanding the Government’s economic footprint beyond the Caribbean, Europe, and North America into Asia-Pacific.

Hong Kong was a natural choice

“Hong Kong was the natural choice,” said Mrs Lorna G. Smith, OBE, then Director of the VI’s International Financial Centre, reflecting on the office’s establishment, “Its proximity to China, coupled with its vast network of law firms and corporate service providers specializing in BVI business, made it the ideal location to anchor our operations in the region.”

In 2021, the office’s mandate expanded to include socio-cultural and educational engagement with the launch of the BVI Asia Abroad Scholarship Programme.

This has since enabled students from the Virgin Islands to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Asia, with six Virgin Islanders undertaking full-time studies at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels in 2024.

Special reception

The 10-year milestone was commemorated with a reception hosted at the prestigious Island Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong with about 175 guests, including industry stakeholders, practitioners, and foreign and local government dignitaries.

The occasion also saw special recognition bestowed to present and past directors and representatives of the BVI Government and FSC offices in Hong Kong, including Ms. Sherrie Ortiz-Fahie, Ms. Elise Donovan, Mr. Burton Challwell, Mr. Leon Wheatley, Ms. Michelle Todman-Smith, Mr. Kenneth Baker, and current representatives Dr. Ricardo Wheatley and Mr. Shane Baptiste.