December 11th 2008 saw the successful launch of Young Enterprise in Gibraltar at the Government Finance Office. The four Young Enterprise companies trading at the College, the Link Teachers, Business Advisors, representatives from the Government and business community attended the reception which was officially opened by Minister Clive Beltran.
Each of the four companies had an exhibition stand displaying their products and services.  Pure selling Top of the Rock Achievement Certificates, Class selling handmade jewelry, Goods r Us selling scarves and offering a tuck shop service at the College selling goods from their own kiosk and Plan It the recycling company. Franco Cassar, Director of Barclays Wealth said he could feel the ‘buzz’ from the Students when he walked in the room. The Students spent the evening discussing their businesses and promoting their products and services to the visitors at their stands. Stephen Reyes, Partner at Deloitte and an Advisor for Pure said the Young Enterprise Company Programme was “Great entrepreneurial training”.
The active involvement of Volunteers from the business community is vital to the success of the programme.  Not only do the Advisors give their support to the Students, but also valuable time. They are able to offer the Students the benefit of their experiences, enabling the Students to make sound business decisions. Danny Gabay, MD of Redwood International Transport and Advisor to Plan IT said he was impressed with the way the Students had taken the Young Enterprise Company Programme on board and as an Advisor it was rewarding when the Students listened to the advice they gave.
There has been an overwhelming reaction from the business community and each of the four companies has a number of enthusiastic Advisors. Alfredo Vasquez from Vasquez Consulting, an Advisor for Goods R Us, said the Young Enterprise programme was a very positive learning experience for the young adults involved and the big success was that so many businesses have pitched in to make it what it is.
Denis Lafferty, Group MD at Seccone and Speed and Advisor to Class said “Some weeks ago the Students were unaware of what the business world was all about. After 4 or 5 board meetings they were running and being responsible for a business, generating profit. Mr Lafferty said the Young Enterprise Company Programme was all about looking, listening and learning”.
The four companies are now competing against one another to win a place at the regional finals in the UK in June 2009. The successful company from Gibraltar will then compete against other successful companies from the Yorkshire and Humber area. Mike Egar, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise Yorkshire Humber & Gibraltar said at the launch event “there was already a sense of competition not only between the Students but between the Advisors”.
In August 2007 Barclays Wealth provided the generous initial funding that allowed Young Enterprise to be introduced to the Schools and College in Gibraltar. Mr James Gaggero has kindly made a contribution to Young Enterprise from the Gaggero Foundation ensuring the continued success of the programmes in Gibraltar.

Members of the Gibraltar Insurance Institute met at the O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel for the second in a series of business briefings organised by the GII.
The keynote speaker was Mike Oliver, new Head of Insurance Supervision at the FSC who was appointed to his post at the end of August 2008.
“The enthusiasm that the Gibraltar insurance industry has shown to the establishment of the Gibraltar Insurance Institute is remarkable. It is also pleasing that the large membership covers all aspects of our industry; insurers, intermediaries, managers and regulators.”
“In many respects the interests of all four parties to our industry are firmly aligned. We all expect the market to operate in a sound and prudent manner with customers being treated fairly. By supporting its members in developing their technical and managerial skills the Gibraltar insurance industry can only go from strength to strength.” Commented Mike Oliver.
Andy Baker President of the GII went on to say: “These lunches are a key opportunity for our members to meet their colleagues from across the industry, and at the same time receive updates and information on industry issues and trends. To attract nearly half the membership for a lunch at such a busy time of the insurance year, shows how important these events are becoming”
For more information on becoming a member of the GII, or details of it’s training programmes or social events, please contact Andy Baker 200 44295 or email; abaker@argus.gi
The Gibraltar Insurance Institute was set up in September 2008 to promote higher standard of competence and integrity in the practice of insurance in the Gibraltar market through the training, monitoring and facilitation of continual professional development for its members. The GII has 117 members to date and has launched a programme of training, social and business events for 2009 and onwards.

At the end of last year the Chamber held a Dinner at The Gala Casino to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. Turn out was impressive to hear the Governor speak. The Top table included a number of past Presidents including Sol Seruya, Ian Prescott, Joe Holliday, Tony Welsh and Jimmy Rissso.

The Jewish calendar is primarily lunar based: the Passover and other religious festivals are governed by lunar phases. There are, however, a small number of solar cycles within the Jewish calendar which ensure that the lunar cycles are properly balanced to enable the accurate calculation of a solar year. Among these balancing cycles there is one, which relates to the tilt of the earth realigning every 28 years, so that at the end of the cycle sunrise occurs on a Wednesday in early April at the same precise latitude. The end of this 28-year cycle, which is celebrated with a prayer known in Hebrew as “Birkat Hahama” (The Blessing of the sun).
Jewish history, as related in the Bible, stretches back nearly 6000 years. In this time there have been more than two hundred of these solar cycles but there have only been two occasions when the 28-year cycle coincides with the eve of Passover. Both of these occasions have had a special significance because they occurred in the year of the two great deliverances of the Jewish people and the events are recorded in the Bible. The first of these is better known as the Exodus.
The story of Exodus, as related in the Bible, is an account of the escape from Egypt of the Jewish people. Exodus is also the story of Moses, a man of God, who came to lead the Jewish people to freedom.
The Bible recounts how the children of the Jews were slaughtered by Pharaoh’s soldiers to defeat a prophecy which foretold the birth of a great leader. The infant Moses escaped the Pharaoh’s assassins. He floated down the Nile in a reed cot. The cot was found by the daughter of the Pharaoh who took pity on the boy and raised him as her own. In time Moses became the leader of the Jewish people. He sought in vain to obtain the Pharaoh’s consent to the release of the Jewish people from slavery and captivity. Exodus relates how the Pharaoh was eventually humbled when confronted by a succession of plagues all of which were prophesied by Moses and were intended as a punishment from God.
The plagues started with all the fresh water turning to blood. This was followed by an invasion of frogs. One by one the plagues unfolded as Moses had warned until the tenth plague, which was the death of all Egyptian first-born males. Not until the night of the fulfilment of the prophecy did the Pharaoh, in fear of his own life, finally succumb and grant the Jews their freedom.
The Jews left Egypt only to be pursued a short while later by the Pharaoh’s army. The Bible tells of the Jews reaching the shores of the Red Sea, cornered and defenceless with the Pharoah’s mighty army close on their heels. Moses appealed to God and the sea parted allowing the Jews to walk across to safety. The Egyptian army, which followed in their wake, was destroyed as the seas closed over them.
The second deliverance, which also occurred in a year when the solar cycle ended on the eve of Passover, was Purim. This took place about almost 800 hundred years after the Exodus, approximately 500 BC.
Purim is the story of Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman who was taken to Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to form part of a parade of maidens from which he would choose his queen. Esther was the one chosen. Her Jewish identity however was kept secret. Esther became established in the Persian court but all around her was intrigue and a growing sense of menace which threatened the King’s Jewish subjects. Ahasuerus had allowed his principal adviser Haman free rein with the running of the kingdom. Haman planned to exterminate the Jewish people, but on the eve of their destruction Queen Esther managed to turn the tables on Haman by appealing directly to King Ahasuerus. Her action exposed her to great risk and her bravery is celebrated in Purim.
The current 28-year solar cycle of Birkat Hahama will end on the 8th April 2009, which also coincides with the eve of Passover. This therefore presages what may be a momentous year for the Jewish people. We will have to wait and see, but eventful or otherwise Gibraltar will proudly celebrate both the astonishing wealth of history incorporated in the Jewish tradition and the enduring and harmonious coexistence between Jews, Christians, Muslims and Hindus alike.

The rapidly expanding financial centre of Gibraltar is now set to host its first International Boat Show on Easter weekend, 9 – 12 April 2009. The super-chic venue of Ocean Village, Gibraltar’s biggest residential and leisure complex, is the ideal location for a prestigious addition to the yachting calendar – and not before time. With established Boat Shows in Madrid, Barcelona and Palma, it’s time for this gateway to Morocco and southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula to take centre stage…

John Wood, part of the Boat Show team, comments, “A Boat Show is more a necessity than a luxury for Gibraltar due to its proximity to some of the finest cruising waters and marinas in southern Europe. Already with the support of leading yacht manufacturers from Pershing to Sunseeker, this year’s Gibraltar International Boat Show will provide the perfect opportunity for visitors to start the season afloat on the latest ready-to-buy models being delivered to the Mediterranean.”
As an inaugural year, the scene has been set accordingly. Entrance is free for the general public to ensure maximum footfall and exhibitors will find Gibraltar International Boat Show’s pricing to be highly favourable in comparison to more established nautical events. Advisers will be on-hand to explain the benefits of registering a boat in Gibraltar which is enticing not only for Gibraltarians but for residents of Spain and beyond.
John continues, “Easter weekend should bring bright sunshine and plenty of free time to explore both the Boat Show and Gibraltar’s other well-documented historic attractions from the great siege tunnels to the iconic Barbary Apes occupying the Upper Rock. Thanks to the unwavering backing of Gibraltar’s Government and Tourist Board we have every faith that this year’s event will be a springboard for many successful Gibraltar International Boat Shows to come.”
Gibraltar’s 200-berth Marina Bay opened back in 1980 but since Ocean Village’s buy-out in 2006 it has been transformed into a modern facility flanked by waterfront al-fresco eateries, swanky shops and a super-sized casino and nightclub set on a reclaimed island. Able to accommodate even the largest super yachts, this harbour is the starting point for many events including the Blue Water Round the World Rally and Rally Antigua. As a territory Gibraltar also receives almost 250 calls from cruise ships throughout the year.

By the standards of the wider European Union, Gibraltar has been relatively slow to realise the benefits of a liberalised telecommunications industry.  Given Gibraltar’s size, Government interest in the incumbent provider (typical legacy of earlier privatisation of utilities) and international political dimension of issues related to Spain (e.g. long-running, now resolved dispute over the 350 dialing prefix), it was perhaps inevitable that change, done right, would take time.
Gibtelecom’s earlier monopoly in the sector now faces competition from Sapphire Networks who have maintained a relatively low profile until recently.  Sapphire have looked to challenge the marketing-driven ‘over-promise’ and ‘under-delivery’ culture which characterises so many technology startups. Core to Sapphire’s philosophy is their approach to service delivery – over-engineered solutions designed to exceed customer expectations are ‘the norm’.
Since their formation in 2005, following the acquisition of Gibraltar’s first internet service provider GibNet, the Sapphire team (locals Lawrence Isola and Tony Welsh sit on the board) have been focused on the significant planning and investment required to deliver a wholly-owned and operated, next generation network to challenge anything available in Gibraltar.
This resulted in a fibre-optic cable ‘ring’ around the Rock which features no single point of failure.  Sapphire’s own network extends into Spain where they are a fully licensed telecoms operator (two firsts for Gibraltar) – two fibre links (one owned by Sapphire, the other by Telefonica) and an additional Sapphire wireless circuit link to their ‘point of presence’ (POP) in La Linea, the use of different technologies enhancing resilience even further.
From La Linea, Sapphire partner with leading telecoms operators Telefonica and ONO, each providing dual resilient circuits to Sapphire’s POP in Madrid, from where they can connect to wherever is required.  With the southern region of Spain traditionally the weakest link in the international telecommun-ications chain to Gibraltar, this was an essential and inspired piece of network design.
Avoiding any dependence on Gibtelecom has allowed Sapphire to develop its own internet and leased line products, services and pricing, unlike operators who depend on third parties. This also allowed Sapphire to improve on previous standards of resilience and take full control and responsibility for important aspects of service quality such as latency (effectively, the time taken for data to reach its destination), key to customers involved in internet gaming, banking and all businesses generally who are trading on international financial markets.
Sapphire’s whole proposition was heavily influenced by the exacting demands of Gibraltar’s online gaming industry, unsurprisingly the main beneficiary of Sapphire’s enterprise services and 100% network uptime since implementation.  It has been imperative for the continuing development of the jurisdiction that Gibraltar is able to offer a serious alternative to Gibtelecom, in the interest of competition as well as to mitigate operational and supplier risks.  Their efforts in this regard have received widespread support from the Gibraltar Government and GRA (Gibraltar Regulatory Authority – responsible for regulating telecommunications as well as gaming) and Sapphire have been successful in signing up significant business from the gaming sector, where contract periods of up to seven years were not unusual prior to their arrival.
Sapphire recruited resources from leading companies around the world to design and manage their systems and they have achieved a high ratio of technical to other (administrative, etc.) staff.  They have invested in the latest hardware from the likes of Cisco and Juniper Networks, and partnered with leading-edge DDoS (denial of service) protection from Toplayer, a key requisite for global web-based businesses.
Whether as a primary telecoms supplier or as a backup, customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with excellent comparative statistics on service performance and even references exchanged between competitors.  Sapphire now have a track record to support the theoretical potential of their network and they have demonstrated they can deliver for Gibraltar business so you should expect to hear much more from Sapphire in 2009.