It was with tremendous sadness that I and the members of the International Business Unit of the Ministry of Energy and Business received the news of the passing of Mr. Ben Arrindell.
Ben (as he is affectionately known) occupied a special place in our hearts. He was like a member of staff in a fatherly and statesman-like manner. Ben has long served this country in the international taxation and business arena and his contributions are unquantifiable and significant to this country’s international business and financial services trajectory.
Ben has walked with the Senior Staff of the IBU through many meetings, discussions and negotiations with various OECD bodies and the EU. His astuteness, understanding of both the subject matter and the human construct served us well, as we traversed the waters of “blacklistings”, legislative amendments and product innovation. Ben was an invaluable longstanding member of the Treaty Negotiating Team and was involved in the expansion of Barbados’ bilateral treaty network, in the areas of both tax and investment. He was recently also involved in the preparation for upcoming negotiations. Ben was also presently leading a Business Facilitation Committee and serving on a Trust Regime Review Committee with the mandate of revamping the Trusts landscape in Barbados.
Ben was the consummate gentleman, always diplomatic and professional, and he will certainly be missed. There are not enough accolades to laud upon him concerning his contributions to our country. The Director, Deputy Director (ag) and staff of the IBU extend condolences to his wife, children, relatives, friends and colleagues.