The Insurance Association of the Caribbean appoints Equisoft’s insurance expert as new board member

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Equisoft, a leading global provider of digital solutions for the insurance and wealth industries, is pleased to announce that Ruben Veerasamy, Equisoft’s leading insurance expert in the Caribbean, has joined the IAC Board of Directors. The announcement was made during the 43rd Annual Caribbean Insurance Conference in Panama.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ruben as a new member of our Board of Directors. With over 20 years of extensive experience in the industry, we believe Ruben will significantly contribute to fulfilling IAC’s mission of promoting and fostering the advancement of the Caribbean insurance industry,” said Patrick G. W. Ward, President, IAC.

Ruben brings a unique blend of technical expertise and strategic leadership to the IAC board. In his current role overseeing sales, project delivery, and account management for the Caribbean region, Ruben has helped 18 Caribbean insurers modernize their legacy systems. His hands-on experience guiding insurance carriers through complex digital transformations, ensuring optimal solutions are delivered on-time and on-budget, positions him to provide valuable insights that will help shape the future direction of the Caribbean insurance industry.

“I’m deeply honored to join the IAC Board of Directors. I’m excited to contribute to help drive forward IAC’s mission in fostering the advancement of the Caribbean insurance industry,” said Ruben Veerasamy, Equisoft Senior VP, Caribbean. “Partnering with IAC is part of Equisoft’s global mission to make financial services accessible to all through innovative technologies and industry collaborations,” added Veerasamy.

About IAC

IAC was the brainchild of a small group of visionaries (industry leaders from Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Barbados) who wanted to prepare the indigenous insurance industry for the future challenges of the remaining century. Its mission is to promote and foster the advancement of the Caribbean insurance industry through research, education and advocacy, in so doing to create a platform for regional harmonisation and integration in the industry.

About Equisoft

Founded in 1994, Equisoft is a global provider of advanced insurance and investment digital solutions. Recognized as a valued partner by over 300 of the world’s leading financial institutions, Equisoft offers a complete ecosystem of solutions, from innovative front-end applications to extensive back-office services and unique data migration expertise. The firm’s flagship solutions include SaaS policy administration, CRM, financial needs analysis, financial planning, asset allocation, fund and portfolio analysis, quotes and illustrations, electronic application, agency management systems, as well as customer, agent and broker portals. With its business-driven approach, deep industry knowledge, innovative technology, and multicultural team of experts based in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, Equisoft helps its clients tackle any challenge in this era of digital disruption. For more information, please visit www.equisoft.com.

Safer Nicotine Alternatives Could Save Thousands Of Lives In Barbados And Trinidad And Tobago, Experts Say

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News Americas, PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, September 10, 2025: International health experts are urgently advising for immediate policy reform in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, insisting on the adoption of life-saving tobacco harm reduction strategies. They point to a proven global blueprint that has already empowered more than 150 million people to quit smoking.

Analysis from Smoke Free Sweden shows that more than 14 million lives can be saved globally by 2060 if governments act decisively to integrate tobacco harm reduction into traditional control methods. For the Caribbean, this depends on the speed with which governments can act. Adopting safer nicotine alternatives like vapes and oral pouches will prevent thousands of needless, premature deaths, but only if the correct policies are enacted now.

This urgent call to action is set against a backdrop of stubbornly high smoking rates, with nearly one in three men in Trinidad and Tobago and 11% of men in Barbados still dangerously addicted to cigarettes.

“Policymakers face a clear choice: lead a public health revolution or fail their citizens. The strategies to make smoking obsolete by making less hamrful alternatives accessible, affordable and acceptable are proven,” said Dr. Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and a former secretary general of the World Medical Association. “Act now to save thousands of lives. ”

For example, in the United Kingdom, smoking rates fell by 41% as vaping became a popular alternative. Japan saw cigarette sales plummet by more than 40% following the introduction of heated tobacco products. Meanwhile, Sweden, which adopted safer alternatives decades ago, is on the verge of becoming officially ‘smoke-free’ and has the lowest rate of smoking-related death in the European Union.

“Let us use the evidence we have at hand. A constructive, evidence-based approach in the Caribbean will yield life-saving results. We are not just urging, but demanding that policymakers look at this global blueprint and act decisively. Hesitation will be measured in funerals,” Dr. Human added.

This demand for a science-backed policy shift comes just ahead of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control conference (COP11), where Caribbean delegations have a duty to champion public health innovation over outdated, ineffective and ideological dogma.

“For too long, the debate has been crippled by misinformation that ignores a fundamental truth: people smoke for the nicotine, but they die from the tar in combustibles,” said Dr. Human. “By denying smokers access to products that are up to 95% less harmful, governments are actively protecting the lethal cigarette trade. It is past time to put public health first and implement policies based on science, not fear.”

About Smoke Free Sweden:

Smoke Free Sweden is a movement which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden’s smoke-free success can be attributed to its open attitude towards regulated alternative nicotine products.

For more information on Sweden’s successful approach to becoming a smoke-free nation, please visit www.smokefreesweden.org

Caribbean Roots Kamala Harris Breaks Silence In Tell-All New Book On Biden And 2024 Run

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Sept. 10, 2025: Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has broken her silence on one of the most consequential political decisions in modern American history, calling President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election bid an act of “recklessness.” In excerpts from her forthcoming memoir, 107 Days, published in The Atlantic today, Harris reflects candidly on the mistakes, missed opportunities, and strained loyalties that shaped her historic tenure as the first Black and first Caribbean American vice president of the United States.

FLASHBACK – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Vice President Kamala Harris during Thursday’s July 31, 2025 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Harris, the daughter of Jamaican economist Donald Harris and Indian-born cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, roots her political identity in the immigrant values of resilience, service, and justice. Her father’s Jamaican heritage and her mother’s South Asian background gave her a unique lens on the challenges of marginalized communities, something she has repeatedly described as central to her public life.

“Recklessness” and a Missed Opportunity

In the memoir, Harris writes that Democrats, herself included, made a grave mistake in allowing Biden to decide unchallenged that he would seek another term at the age of 81. While she never directly questioned his physical or mental fitness to serve, she said it became clear that “at 81, Joe got tired.” The signs of age, from verbal stumbles to visible exhaustion during grueling schedules, underscored her view that the stakes were too high to defer to “an individual’s ego” or ambition.

“During all those months of growing panic, should I have told Joe to consider not running? Perhaps,” Harris admits. “But the American people had chosen him before in the same matchup. Maybe he was right to believe they would do so again. In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego. It should have been more than a personal decision.”

Her candor is striking given her loyalty throughout Biden’s presidency. Harris publicly defended him after his faltering debate performance against Donald Trump in 2024, insisting then that the president was up to the job. But her memoir paints a more complicated picture of private doubts, internal tensions, and frustration with Biden’s inner circle.

Undermined and Underestimated

Beyond the election question, Harris details how members of Biden’s team often failed to support her — and at times, actively undermined her. She recalls being sidelined in speeches, inadequately defended against conservative attacks on her competence, and denied effective backup in responding to media narratives about “chaos” within her office.

“Their thinking was zero-sum: if she’s shining, he’s dimmed,” Harris writes. “None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. Given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands.”

Despite these slights, Harris emphasizes her commitment to loyalty — to Biden, to the Democratic Party, and most importantly, to the country. Yet her tone is one of clear disappointment that the team around the president did not see her success as part of Biden’s legacy.

A Caribbean Voice in U.S. Politics

For many in the Caribbean diaspora, Harris’ rise to the vice presidency was proof of the region’s enduring impact on global politics even though she did little to celebrate that side of her heritage. In critiquing Biden’s re-election bid and recounting her challenges in office, Harris frames her honesty as a duty.

Looking Ahead

Harris’s memoir arrives as Democrats continue to assess how the 2024 loss reshaped the party and as she carves out her next chapter. By publicly admitting she regrets not challenging Biden’s decision to run, Harris strives to distinguish herself from many party leaders who remain hesitant to criticize him directly.

Her words also raise questions about how future leaders will handle the balance between loyalty and candor, particularly when the stakes are existential. 107 Days is set for release on September 23rd.