Valmiki Kempadoo Biography Founder, Kittitian Hill
Childhood
• Kempadoo was born in Trinidad on 31st July 1963 and was raised in Barbados, the UK, Jamaica and Guyana
• Part of a large and creative family, Kempadoo’s father was an author and journalist and later worked with NGO movements around the world specialising in rural development and intercultural relations
• Kempadoo’s heritage is a reflection of the Caribbean cultural melting pot, with East Indian, African, European and South American Indian ancestors
Self-Described
• A social entrepreneur with a passion for sustainability
Horticulturist and Environmentalist
• As an organic farmer at a young age, Kempadoo spent time growing many unusual tropical vegetables
• During this he developed a keen interest in botany and carried out extensive research in tropical horticulture, including turf grasses and tropical fruits
• This led to Kempadoo assisting with ecological research in the tropical rain forests of South America
Social Reformer
• Kempadoo fought for social justice and a more representative government in Guyana with the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA)
• Kempadoo co-founded and became Chairman of Citizen Alliance (CA) 2002, a small political party formed in Trinidad and Tobago
• Co-founded Congress of the People (COP) a Trinidad based party based on fair and just governance, which is currently a part of the coalition government. During this time Kempadoo managed two general elections, as as Deputy and Campaign Manager in 2007 and 2010
Entrepreneur
- In 1984 Kempadoo began a career in horticulture, working for Undercover Ltd. as Nursery Manager
- During 1987 Kempadoo purchased Undercover Ltd. a large vegetable greenhouse farm based in Trinidad and expanded it into an ornamental plant nursery
- In 1996 Terra Forma Construction was formed. This business focused on design and construction for resorts and sports facilities
- In 2004 Kempadoo co-founded Gayelle, TV, the only television station in the Caribbean to broadcast 100% local content. Gayelle was responsible for training over 100 people in TV and film making during the first five years of operation
. Kempadoo founded Terra Forma Developments in 2005, a regional Development company committed to:
- Developing public and private partnership models that allow regional governments to achieve some of their development objectives through the utilisation of regional private sector finance and expertise
- Demonstrating that world-class Caribbean projects can be consistently developed through vision, finance and expertise from regional contacts
- Ensuring maximum participation of local and regional skills, services and materials
- Recognising the importance of protecting and nurturing the physical and cultural environment of the region whilst being sensitive to the needs of developing nations
- Promoting Caribbean integration by the development of regional networks and promoting a deeper understanding of each island’s unique culture
Property Developer
• Kempadoo developed Cricket stadium facilities for a number of the ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup venues. These facilities include Warner Park, the National Cricket and Football stadium of St. Kitts and Nevis
• Kempadoo’s property experience includes affordable housing in Trinidad which he developed with the Government
• Kempadoo is also involved in a number of hotel resort projects throughout the Caribbean
Leader in Sustainability
• From a young age, Kempadoo had a passion for sustainability and researched and constructed functional windmills and biogas digesters at the age of 17
• December 2009 saw Kempadoo attend the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference COP 15 as part of the St. Kitts and Nevis delegation
• Kempadoo is a recognised leader in applying sustainability to developing within the Caribbean region. He often advises regional governments and the private sector on broader sustainability issues
Kittitian Hill
• In 2004 Kempadoo founded Belmont Resorts Ltd with regional private sector partners, which is the development company for Kittitian Hill. In 2007 his dream became reality, when he wrote the founding philosophy for Kittitian Hill
• This led Kempadoo to purchase the land of Kittitian Hill which was former sugar cane and hillside land, from the Government of St. Kitts
• In 2010 Kempadoo made Kittitian Hill a public private partnership, by removing ownership of private sector partners by the Sugar Diversification Investment Foundation (SIDF), and brought in Patrick Liotard-Vogt as an outside investor in 2013
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