Chamber of Commerce and C&W Business Host Pivotal Cybersecurity Conference

St. John’s, Antigua (May 2, 2025) – The Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with C&W Business, successfully hosted one of the nation’s most impactful business conferences on Thursday, May 2, 2025, with a sharp focus on the escalating importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital economy.

Held under the theme “Strategic Leadership for Cybersecurity”, the event took place at the American University of Antigua (AUA) Conference Room and welcomed nearly 100 participants, including business leaders, IT professionals, and policymakers.

Executive Director of the Chamber, Martin Cave, opened the event with a thought-provoking question: “Have you considered what the unintended consequences are of artificial intelligence?”

This question set the tone for the day’s discussions, which centered on the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI), and the pivotal role leadership must play in building cyber resilience.

“Cybersecurity was flagged as one of the major training and development gaps in Antigua and Barbuda,” C&W Business Country Manager, Wayne Hull noted, referencing recent survey data.

He said that he was pleased to be able to join hands with the Antigua & Barbuda Chamber of Commerce to promote and bring awareness to this vital topic of cybersecurity.  “It is a subject matter that is necessary for sustainability, resilience, and just good business in today’s world.”

The conference featured presentations from Christian Benjamin, Associate Manager of Solution Architect – Security/Networking, C&W Business, Kamla Hamilton, Senior Product Manager – Security, C&W Business and Kevin Gordon, CEO, Simply Secure.

A panel discussion, moderated by another guest speaker Ives Benjamin, Sales Engineering Manager at C&W Business Antigua, engaged speakers and attendees in a dynamic dialogue around the current threat landscape, leadership roles in cyber resilience, and best practices for safeguarding enterprise systems.

Benjamin noted that cybersecurity is no longer just a niche concern or a technical challenge but a leadership imperative. He shared that cyberattacks globally have risen by 47% in the first half of 2025, with the Latin American and Caribbean region experiencing a 108% year-on-year increase, averaging 640 attacks per organization per week.

“And looking at that statistic compared to other regions, the Latin American region, outnumbers the amount of attacks compared to other regions … So, attacks are increasing. They’re becoming more sophisticated and complex. And as cyber risk rises to the top of boardroom agendas, the role of leadership has never been more critical.”

Gordon described the emergence of AI-related threats as the most significant shift in cybersecurity today. “That for us is the biggest risk. It’s the biggest change in operation; it’s also the biggest risk that we see.”

He noted that many organizations lack the policies and understanding required to effectively manage AI-driven threats.

Hamilton drew attention to human error as a leading cause of cyber incidents, revealing that nearly 20% of attacks are the result of human interaction. “We’re the ones that are taking on  these ransomware, these phishing attempts,” she said, advocating for the development of a “human firewall” through staff training and cyber awareness.

Building this “human capital” must start at the top, panelists agreed, emphasizing that executives need to treat cybersecurity with the same seriousness they afford financial records and performance metrics. They called on business leaders to update their outdated systems and processes, saying many organizations have not updated their security protocols in over a decade

One of the most overlooked risks, the panel said, is the belief among business leaders – especially in smaller regional companies – that they are not targets. “So they overestimate what type of protection they have in their environment  with the understanding that I’m not seeing anything so I should be okay. Wrong,” Gordon asserted.

According to Christian Benjamin, 99% of breaches occur at a management level. “They are busy with the volumes of emails they’re getting and they just click on anything. So, it has to start from the top.”

Ultimately, the panel called for a shift in perception, agreeing that cybersecurity should not be seen as a burden, but as a business enabler and revenue protector. As Hamilton put it, it should be as important as earthquake and fire drills.