by Marlon Madden
Barbados is in line to become home to a global digital agency, which is expected to provide dozens of job opportunities for locals in the area of software development. Dennis Augustine, Partner with Konabos Consulting Inc., a Canadian based firm, said he will be setting up shop in Barbados by July.
“We are looking to expand our team. We are immediately hiring about 20 software developers and about another 20 before the year is up. So we are going to pretty much double the size of our team in 2022. I believe that is something that can really help to transform this region,” said Augustine.
“In the short-term we will focus on intermediate and senior talent because that is what you need to then bring up the junior people we will be training. We really want to have a training to hire programme going, but we will start with the senior leadership and partners and then the senior technologists will lead those other groups,” he said, as he encouraged those interested in the opportunity to visit the company’s website and
linkedIn page.
The Dominican-born, who has been residing in Canada for the last 50 years, was in Barbados recently exploring and educating himself about the local business landscape and seeking partnerships. After meeting with various agencies including Invest Barbados, Augustine told Today’s BUSINESS he was very encouraged and was eager to set up shop in the island.
He said he did not believe young people in the Caribbean should have to migrate to seek job opportunities since a lot of work was now being done remotely across several industries. He said hiring Barbadians in the area of software development would be proof that the Caribbean can compete on the international stage.
“A lot of companies in the US and Canada are outsourcing software development to the wrong hemisphere. We are their neighbours. I think it only makes sense for us to compete. All you really need to compete in this kind of knowledge industry is an internet connection and an able mind. We have both of these things in abundance right here in Barbados,” he said.
“So there is no good reason we shouldn’t do that. I also realise that by working with Argentina and Brazil, we are able to offer very competitive salaries while having the overall mix of resources. This makes sense for our customers,” he added.
He said he hoped to use Barbados as a base for the Caribbean expansion of the business, adding that plans were already on the cards to establish a presence in Dominica. The senior technologist said in addition to the time zone, Barbados had good internet connectivity, stable political climate, an “aggressive and progressive” economic development agenda, great infrastructure and a favourable tax rate, making it the ideal location to for the digital agency.
“Why should all of that work be going over to Eastern Europe, India and other places in the world when the Caribbean is right here? I mean, 40 people are not going to change the scene here but it should prove to us that we can compete on the global scale. I would love to see the Caribbean be known for software development,” he said.
“What we are going to be doing is investing in those people and help them get over that ‘hump’ and replicate our model and to support those local teams and connect them with work in the US and Canada primarily. We are also expanding to Europe. They will be able to work remotely here,” he said.
Established in 2017, Konabos offers a range of software platforms, mobile and we applications for clients around the world.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb
