B.T.L. Begins Search for Successor to Anwar Barrow as C.E.O.

Anwar Barrow

Chief Executive Officer of the state-owned Belize Telemedia Limited, Anwar Barrow, is on his way out of that post. But he has not yet formally stepped down, according to a statement issued by B.T.L.  The company states that Barrow holds the post going into the New Year, 2017; however, B.T.L. has started the succession process by looking for suitable candidates to replace Barrow as C.E.O. by early 2017, when he is expected to step down.   B.T.L. also says that after finding a suitable candidate for the post, there will be an orderly transition period between Barrow and the C.E.O.-designate.  Barrow served with the company as chairman of the Executive Committee for two and a half years and will continue to hold a seat on the Board of Directors.  During his tenure, B.T.L. saw declining profits and revenue for six years before an uptick in the recently completed fiscal year. There is a letter circulating in which Barrow wrote B.T.L. staff a week ago announcing his plans for departure.  In a copy of the letter, Barrow writes about his early days in charge. He says, “I believe when I first took up the role and said we were really going to change B.T.L., many people were sceptical and rightly so. They had heard this type of talk before and who was this “young boy” that would lead this change? Almost three years later, I don’t think there is doubt in anyone’s mind that B.T.L. has changed and is changing. I believe and hope that most of you agree it’s for the better. I have taken the company as far as I committed to the Board of Directors I would and as far as I am able to at the moment in my current role.” Barrow also restated his commitment to the company and asked that staff continue to remain focused on the company’s mission and future. The move comes as the company prepares to upgrade its network to Four-G L.T.E. in December, a process that Barrow personally championed and oversaw. In the company’s advertisement for a new C.E.O., it calls for, “a dynamic leader with business experience … The position is extremely demanding and will only suit highly driven individuals.” As for his exit package, a copy of a letter to Barrow from Chairman of the Board Nestor Vasquez back in July puts the tidy sum at over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to be paid upon the commercial launch of LTE or March thirty-first, 2017, whichever comes first. Interestingly, a figure of over two hundred thousand dollars is quoted as the payment due under the existing contract if Barrow had chosen to leave in July of 2016, with a smaller figure quoted as B.T.L.’s counteroffer. But the contract will not roll over after the end of March 2017 and the combined figure is final apart from current salary and benefits even if the L.T.E. launch is completed before then.