Yolande Vanessa Selman has over 30 years of experience in executive leadership, management consulting, human resources, and project management. She has extensive experience leading organizations in tourism development, community improvement initiatives, and human capital development across the Caribbean region. She holds an MBA and has managed large projects involving construction, event planning, and community development.

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11/7/15
YOLANDE VANESSA SELMAN
Address: The Penthouse, #301 Fidelis Tower, Fidelis Heights, Santa Margarita, St
Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago • Telephone contact: 688-4055; E-mail:
yolandeselman@yahoo.co.uk; Social Media> Whatsapp, Facebook, Linked In.
OBJECTIVE
To function in a position which offers an opportunity to add value to my team,
my organization and my country.
SUMMARY
 Experienced at executive leadership level in the state enterprise sector, advised
Board Of Directors, kept it in formed, guided the product development,
marketing, country/destination branding and promotion, entertainment and the
creative sector development, sustainable community tourism development,
cultural development, project conceptualization, design, development, and
execution, management of organizational transformation, programme
development, implementation and management of human relations and human
capital development programmes, budget development and preparation, staff
and sector capacity building, business development and country investment
promotion..
 Highly developed international business and community relations network,
particularly in the Caribbean, Latin America, United States & Europe.
 Pragmatic visionary
 Widely travelled.: business and vacation
EXPERIENCE
 Provided strategic leadership, planning and direction as CEO, CISL and Actg.
CEO, Tourism Development Company, Trinidad and Tobago
 Formulated/developed and major player in the implementation of the
Tourism sector policies

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 Provided leadership and direction as General Manager, Product
Development, Tourism Development Company, T&T
 Responsible for the execution of strategic objectives and policy decisions
of the Company and sector.
 Highly skilled in the development and maintenance of relation with local
and international stakeholders
 Innovated, conceptualized and generated new business opportunities in
the tourism, entertainment and creative sectors
 Innovated in project management and implementation at the national level-
Urban Regeneration, Heritage/Cultural and Arts
 Experienced in Training and Developing diverse groups of Human Capital in
the tourism sector – e.g customer service, micro entrepreneurship, skills and
capacity –building to strengthening competencies relative to the sector
 Initiated the partnering with the City and Regional Corporations and Chambers
of Commerce and other public and private organizations on community projects.
Among activities - Presented plans and programmes to their Boards and
chambers, delivered and launched community projects on behalf of the
government of Trinidad and Tobago
 Skilled in communications, analytical, relationship building and negotiation
skills among diverse target groups as well as individuals- Emotional Intelligence
 Team leader for project “Brand Destination T&T and team member for the
national initiative project “Brand T&T”
 Responsible for implementing Accommodation Sector Inspection programmes,
e.g the TTTIC initiative
 Practiced strategic planning executive, and implementer- Change agent
 Experienced in overseeing the preparation Company and Divisional strategic
plans, budgets & other financial information
 Practiced in contract negotiations and administration
 Experienced in Cabinet Note preparation, project proposal writing, presentation
and evaluation of output

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 Experienced at the local, regional and international levels in representation of
functional superiors e.g Minister, Chairman , Board and CEO
 Experienced speaker and presenter as champion, advocate, and opinion
leader/shaper
 Managed the operations of the Arthur Lok Jack School of Business (formerly
IOB) marketing, student, lecturer and consultant affairs including establishing the
Consultancy Service .
 Designed, organized and marketed seminars and conferences in leadership and
management training and development in specialized areas for upper and middle
management and professional levels within the Caribbean.
 Experienced in negotiating with and contracting consultants, international
lecturers and speakers from Europe, USA, Canada and the Caribbean to deliver
product in the region.
 Experienced in assessing market needs aimed to structure, organize and
market programmes/training products aimed to build enterprise capacity in the
areas of tourism sector strategy, technical, managerial and governance.
 In collaboration with international agencies, managed enterprise development
programmes focused on improving technical capabilities, management and
governance in small and medium-sized enterprises.
 Practiced in community, customer and corporate, governmental and inter-
cultural relations
 Experienced in Property/Facilities Management and managing construction
projects comprising interdisciplinary teams.
 Developed management systems and processes
 Designed and Developed projects which provide counsel, consulting, technical
support, project monitoring, evaluation of project proposals, access funding,
approve seed capital, constructed facilities designed to empower communities to
manage/sustain projects. The aim was to reach communities to promote
reduction of negative social behaviors, job creation, and generally enhancement
of the quality of life.
Examples - As CEO established from conception the state enterprise, Community
Improvement Services Limited (CISL) organizational, management and
operational models and systems. Executive skill: Leading and executing the
“Getting things done” model.

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Example - conceptualized and developed the Co-management systems for the St.
Joseph and St. James Renaissance Community Projects. Also worked on the
project to revitalize/develop Nelson Island. Ex. Skill: Conceptualizing and Design
COMMUNITY SERVICE
 Founding and Board member of the St. James Community Improvement
Committee (St. James CIC) - producers of the 12 –year old ‘We Beat’
Community Festival
EDUCATION
Currently candidate in the Post MBA (PMBA) Programme – Arthur Lock Jack
GSB, Trinidad
EMBA (Executive) – Leadership & General Management concentration
Arthur Lock Jack GSB, The University of the West Indies – Trinidad
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA – Human Resource Management
University of Guyana, South America – Guyana
BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE – History and Spanish
University of Guyana, South America – Georgetown, Guyana
 Awarded the “Guy De Weever Award” for Best Performing Student
 One of six students selected on Spanish Language Exchange visit to Cuba
Participated in and delivered several career developmental and skills upgrading
programmes at both local and international institutions including, but not
exhaustive:
 Leadership
 Tourism Product Development and Marketing for island destinations
 Log frame Analysis – IADB
 Project Management for Professionals
 Marketing
 Emotional Intelligence/Relationship Management
 Community Relations
 Project/programme Management
 Strategic Planning/Management
 FIDIC training on contract administration for the construction industry
 Proposal Writing
 Inter-cultural Relations

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 Protocol
 Human Resource Development – Development of human capital
 Business Communications
 Marketing
 E-Commerce
 Total Quality Management
 Quality Customer Service
 Computer literate – Word, Power-point,
 Spanish Language proficiency – satisfactory
EXPERIENCE (by specialization/ area)
Consulting Experience:
1997 to 2002 : Consultant/Project Manager- Project Manager – Tourism and
Industrial Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TIDCO)
 Directed the development of the Renaissance Districts Community Project
i.e. urban centers of tourism, arts, heritage entertainment and to encourage
economic activity.
 Company liaison and interface with several publics – Government Ministries,
Chambers of Commerce, Manufacturers’ Association, Downtown Owners &
Merchants Association (DOMA), rural communities, public and private sector
agencies.
 Head, Project Management team on following ‘hard’ (construction) projects
for tourism development:
- Gateway over Maraval River, St. James
- St. James Amphitheatre
- St. James Square and
- St. James Market
- St. Joseph Entranceways at Abercromby and King Streets
- St. Joseph Enhancement of George Earle Park, St. Joseph
- Chaguanas cultural and recreational facility and park
- Arena/San Raphael : Construction of Model Amerindian Village
Total Project budget over 3yr. period - $15.2 m
-Immortelle Eco Resort, 52 Room Hotel/Villas Tobago
-The House of Mas’ Hotel and Entertainment Complex, Trinidad
CONSULTANCIES continued – Independent and collaborations
July 2002- 2003 – UNAIDS Secretariat, Port-of-Spain

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 Development of the instrument to promote the involvement of the private sector
in the fight against HIV/AIDS
March 2003- Inter-American Development Bank, Port-of-Spain
 Ex-post evaluation of the SERVOL Community Organization
May, 2003 – Ministry of Social Development, Trinidad
 National Consultation on Social Development re: Vision 2020
March 2003- Inter-American Development Bank, Jamaica
Ministry of Education and Culture, Youth Development Project
April, 2003 –Commonwealth Secretariat, Project , St. Vincent & the
Grenadines - consultant with Dr Gwendoline Williams and Associates
May, 2007 – Ministry of Public Utilities & the Environment and WASA –Master
plan
August, 2007 – National Consultation on Food Prices and Office of the
Parliament – planning and execution
September, 2007 – 2009 - Organizational Transformational Development Plan
for the Formation of a NAHFSA
January 2008 to July 2009 – Consultant to the Office of the Parliament,
Trinidad – Capacity building plan
November 2007 – August 2010 – Project Consultant- Cabinet-appointed
Committee. Organizational Transformational Plan for the Establishment of a
National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (NAHFSA) for Trinidad
and Tobago.
April 2008-September, 2011 - Consultant, Community Tourism, Tourism
Development Company. Assignment: To develop the sector –Policy,
management, administration, and all other systems
December 2014- date- Consultant- Tender/Bid and Project Proposal
development
 LEADERSHIP

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Chief Executive Officer, (Actg.) : Tourism Development Company (TDC)
May 2013 to July 2014
General Manager : Tourism Development Company (TDC) Sept, 2011 to
September 2014
Chief Executive Officer : Community Improvement Services Limited (CISL) -
2005-2007
 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & HUMAN CAPACITY-BUILDING
Vice-president, Human Resources, North West Regional Health Authority, 2003-
2005
 Responsible for Human Resources, Corporate Communications
and Security functions for an organization of 4,000 plus employees.
(various times)
 Responsible for the Industrial Relations function - Head of
Delegation for Joint RHAs Negotiating Team with NUGFW and
MPATT
 Chairman of the Change Management exercise- Separation
Oversight Committee of the NWRHA
 Chairman of Change Management exercise - the Integration
Committee for the integration of two RHAs/ national health care
authorities
 Chairman of the Joint RHAs Team on - Job Evaluation
Other areas to be discussed at interview
 1990 to 1995: Designed, developed, marketed and delivered training products
and programs to over six hundred (600) senior executives through out the
Caribbean region – Arthur Lok Jak Graduate School of Business
(ALJGSB), Trinidad
 1987 to 1990: Group Human Resource Manager – Guyana Natural
Resources Agency. Led human resource function team of the natural
resource management agencies, including gold, bauxite and oil.
 1984 to 1988: Human Resource Manager – Central Bank of Guyana.
Responsible for Bank’s human resource function, including training and
development, recruitment, staff welfare, employee compensation , industrial
relations and staff/development training.

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 1981 to 1983: Supervisor – Human Resources – Central Bank of Guyana.
Established the Bank’s first Human Resource Division, and manual &
computerized Human Resource system.
PROGRAMMME/PROJECT MANAGEMENT/PROJECT ADMINISTRATION
 1990: Project/Programme Manager – Implementation of the project titled “
ALJGSB, formerly UWI IOB .The Regional Executive and Management
Development Programme for executive development and training
 1991: Acting Executive Director – University of the West Indies, Institute of
Business.
 1990 to 1994: Manager, Administration and Operations – University of the
West Indies, Institute of Business.
- Implemented all operational and administrative systems for the Institute;
- Head of delegation for negotiations in Miami, Colorado, Virginia and at
the NTL training organization;
- Member of the Strategy Team for establishment of Global Quality
Exchange, subsidiary of the IOB
 1985: Seconded to the Ministry of Finance, Guyana to head country
preparations for ACP Ministerial Conference on Sugar. Project
necessitated visits to Fiji and Brussels. Since then, planned and
coordinated several other educational initiatives
FACILITIES/ MANAGEMENT OF PROJECT FACILITIES -
 Marketed and Managed the operations of all facilities constructed
MARKETING AND PROMOTION (including International Marketing) -
 1990 to 1994: Senior Manager, Programme/Product Development -
University of the West Indies, Institute of Business.
 Designed, Organized and Marketed all executive and management
training products/programs for senior executives throughout the
Caribbean.
 1990 to 1994: Company’s in-house Management Development
Consultancy services manager.
 1995 Sector Specialist, Entertainment Industry, TIDCO
– Responsible for the strategic marketing and policy formulation of sector in
Music, Dance Theatre and Film:
- Directed the economic development in four (4) sector areas: music, dance,
film& theatre
 Strategy formulation of the domestic and international marketing and
promotion of sectors, including the manufacturing and financial areas;

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 Data base design and administration in collaboration with the Central
Statistical Office for the establishment of the Music and Entertainment
industry sector.
 1996: Directed the historic marketing launch of the Trinidad and Tobago
Entertainment Industry in Europe – attendance and participation of
forty-six (46) business persons and artists at the world’s largest music
trade fair, MIDEM, Cannes, France.
 1997: Functioned in same capacity for firms in Jamaica, Bahamas and
France.
 1992 to 1994: Functioned similarly for the Trinidad and Tobago Instruments
Limited, Anaheim, Califo1rnia
BUSINESS MATCHMAKING/PROJECT FINANCING
Director, Karibbean Kompass Business Development Service
 1997 to present: Objective: to create and foster business opportunities among
local and international firms.
 Clients include:
- Capital Access Group – Washington, D.C.
- International Roraima Gold Corporation – Guyana
- Lennox Sealey Associates – Trinidad
- Tanner Associates – Toronto , Canada
- Immortelle Resorts, Tobago
DIRECTORSHIPS/ASSOCIATIONS
Director - Odyssey Consult Inc.
Associate - Valiant Consulting Group
Former Director – Vision On Mission
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
 MEMBER – National Academy of Arts & Sciences (NARAS), producers of the
Grammy Awards; Florida Chapter
 MEMBER – International Downtown Association, Washington D.C.
 MEMBER – Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), Washington
D.C.
 MEMBER – American Society for Training & Development (ASTD)
 MEMBER – Guyana Society for Human Resource Practitioners (GSHRP),
Guyana, South America

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 FOUNDING MEMBER – Recording Industry Association of Trinidad &
Tobago (RIATT)
 FORMER MEMBER – The University of the West Indies MBA Alumni
Association
 FOUNDING MEMBER – Trinidad & Tobago Foundation for the Arts (TTFA)
 FOUNDING MEMBER - Caribbean Association of Women Entrepreneurs
(CAWE)
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
 Serving on the ex
 Serve with the Christ Child Convalescent Home for Abandoned and Abused
Children, Diego Martin
Support the Home through executing Community and fundraising projects,
supplying material goods, as well as influence and encourage prominent
persons in society to support the Home.
 Served with the Pour L’ Innocent Organization for HIV-AIDS Children,
Trinidad
The project focused on the funding efforts, education, public awareness and
generally spending quality time with HIV/AIDS infected children. The
organization comprises a dozen persons whose main objective is to provide
funding and support to pregnant women with the anti-retro-viral drug/s that
serves to prevent the spread of the virus from mother to child. This experience is
responsible for my desire to continue working with communities.
 Programme Director – Youth and Enterprise Series:
This is an Outreach pilot programme to work with the youth in over forty (40)
Secondary schools in Port-of-Spain and environs. The aim is to encourage young
persons in ‘high-risk’ schools to remain in schools, the health issues/risks/impact
of HIV/AIDS, recognize the value of education and to motivate them towards
success. Programme is implemented mainly by way of the delivery of
motivational ‘rap sessions’ and mentoring exchanges delivered by a battery of
high profile individuals sharing their ‘rags to riches’ life stories. The Programme
provides advice, consulting, technical support, develop projects, evaluate project
proposals, access funding, approve seed money and teach the young persons to
manage projects. The aims is reduction of the negative social and economic
impact of school dropout rate.
 Executive member : St. James Community Improvement Committee,
producers of the WeBeat Festival
References available upon request.

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