FIRST Lady Sandra Granger on Thursday received a courtesy call from the wives of the members of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) and several women executives from Banks DIH, at her State House office.The group was led by Sharon Nelson, Human Resources Manager at Banks DIH Limited, and included Mena Carto, wife of Paul Andrew Carto, Human Resources Director; Liz Pereira, wife of Michael Pereira, Operations Director; Hollie Kendall, wife of Brewer Mathew Kendall; along with Techla Gonsalves, Human Resource Executive; Kavorn Kyte-Williams, Corporate Legal Officer; and Shaundelle Easton, Linden Branch Manager, all of Banks DIH Limited.

The delegation also included Gail Chu-Fook, wife of Allan Chu-Fook of the Caribbean District of the MBAA; Val Simpson, wife of Bill Simpson, who is the keynote speaker at the 55th MBAA Convention – Caribbean; and MBAA attendee Lisa Ramsumair of Trinidad and Tobago, among others.

The First Lady said that while the meeting was “supposed to be a courtesy call”, it turned into a warm, interactive brunch session, during which the women exchanged views on a number of topical issues. “I filled them in on my service activities and answered their questions,” the First Lady said.

In an invited comment, Ms Nelson said the objective of the meeting was to allow some of the spouses and women executives of Banks DIH to meet with the First Lady. Ms
Nelson said she admires the First Lady’s convivial nature, and was very pleased with the meeting.

Ms Carto, also in an invited comment, said that while the men are in formal sessions, the women paid a courtesy call on the First Lady, “who entertained us to brunch, and we had a very nice conversation…. She told us all about the service activities which she is involved in, and the life of the wife of the President; and we were able to share our views with her. It was a very pleasant morning”.

Ms Simpson, another MBAA spouse, said that while she has attended other conferences around the world, this is her first trip to Guyana, and she felt honoured to have met the First Lady.

“It’s been very nice,” she said, adding that she was enjoying socialising with the other spouses, delegates and dignitaries.

The MBAA wives have accompanied their husbands to Guyana to attend the convention, which is being hosted by Banks DIH at the Pegasus Hotel. Over 94 companies from across the Caribbean, North America and Europe, including suppliers and brewers, are attending this annual convention, which is held in a different country every year.

Carto told the Ministry of the Presidency that the MBAA meeting is “being held in Guyana for the third time, and coincidentally, it’s been held here every 10 years, so the first was 1986, then 2006, and now 2016.”