Miranda Thakur-Deen, an entrepreneur helping to build enterprises that drive social change

Aug 28, 2022 News

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“We often hear people speak of finding the right work-family balance and the reality is, balance doesn’t mean 50-50. Balance means ensuring that sufficient time is invested in one area and it does not come at the expense of the other. And us women know this is not easy, especially when you are an entrepreneur,”

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – In the business culture, when someone’s idea for business surpasses the goal of making money and ventures into the realm of helping to create solutions to problems faced by individuals, groups or communities, that person can be referred to as a social entrepreneur.

Guyanese businesswoman, Miranda Thakur-Deen has embodied this concept. For the past 15 years, Mrs. Thakur-Deen has been using her entrepreneurial skills and resources to build enterprises which create educational and economic opportunities for locals, particularly women and children.

The businesswoman shared that her journey to social entrepreneurship started after she left her job in the motor, fire and marine insurance industry over 15 years ago.

Thakur-Deen commenced her entrepreneurial journey in what she refers to as the family business, Atlantic Ventures Inc. – a gold mining company which was established in 2006.  Today, her efforts have grown to cover the areas of marine and sustainable trade.

In this regard, Thakur-Deen is listed as Founder and Executive Director on several Boards including the Atlantic Ventures Inc. Group of Companies: Eco Atlantic International Investment Inc., Marine Traders Atlantic (MTA) Inc., Gas and Energy Inc. as well as the AA Maritime and Offshore Training Institute, Guyana.

In her other capacity, this businesswoman is the Founder of a non-governmental organisation known as the Give Another Chance Foundation (GACF).

Thakur-Deen said that her goal is to build corporations and platforms that will not just benefit her immediate family members.

She said, “I want to live a life that benefits others not just myself and my immediate family members… It’s the legacy I will leave on this journey.”

Quoting famed American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, the businesswoman noted while “It is good to have an end to journey toward, it is the journey that matters in the end.”

On a personal front, Thakur-Deen is married to Amal Deen, her childhood sweetheart. The couple shares a 10- year-old son, Javier Deen, whom his mother told this publication, enjoys the work of the non-profit so much so that he goes to all the events with her.

CONSISTENT EFFORTS         

In her capacity as founder of the GACF, Thakur-Deen has been committed to providing basic health care and education support to underprivileged children in rural and urban communities for the past 10 years.

Thakur-Deen said that the idea for GACF was born out of a need for education support initiatives that she and her siblings had identified while growing up in a little village called Noitgedacht, Wakenaam, in the Essequibo Islands. The family was not always in business and Thakur-Deen remains true to her humble beginnings and is always looking for ways in which she can give back to society.

To this end, she said her family has been consistent in efforts to support the youth of Wakenaam.

In addition, GACF has led social initiatives aimed at helping youths from depressed communities navigate societal ills. One such project is the mentorship programme for young boys from ‘Warlock’ East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, a community plagued by crime and poverty.

All of these efforts, Thakur-Deen says are in keeping with the four pillars of the organisation which are: championing the power of giving another chance, providing access to quality education, offering a ray of hope for a good generation and advocating emotional intelligence for good health and wellbeing.

The latter pillar is where GACF, its staff, and stakeholders have been increasingly focused on promoting, especially in wake of the plethora of social and emotional challenges that arose out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thakur-Deen says the organisation is supported by the family business as well as friends and supporters of the charity. “One hundred percent of all the efforts made to assist us goes into the work we do and ensuring that the children and youth benefit from the work,” she pointed out.

EMPOWERING WOMEN

Through her efforts in maritime, Thakur-Deen aspires to empower women in Guyana and the Caribbean in the maritime industry by integrating women into mainstream maritime activities. True to her word, she has since partnered with the Office of the First Lady of Guyana to offer 100 scholarships to women.

As for her education and training, Thakur-Deen is pursuing a Masters in Oil and Gas Management as a final year student; her thesis is on: Entrepreneurial Implications and Implementations: The Case of Guyana’s Oil and Gas Industry Local Content Policy Development.  Mrs. Thakur-Deen also has a Master’s Certificate in Business Administration (MCBA) Master’s Certificate in Oil and Gas Management from Chartered Institute University as well as a Master’s Certificate in Insurance Service Management (MCISM).

She explained her main focus now is empowering the next generation of women leaders.

She noted that Guyana’s burgeoning oil and gas sector ushered in a myriad of opportunities at a time when political uncertainty put a damper on the business climate.

While very few entrepreneurs were willing to take big risks and the opportunities almost always appeared to have favoured men in business, with little to no guarantee of positive returns, Thakur-Deen invested both her confidence and capital, hoping to achieve more than just profits. Her aim is to cement a place for women entrepreneurs in the world’s newest petro-state.

Against the odds, she turned her attention to the maritime and offshore industry – a field historically dominated by men – to establish the country’s first internationally-recognised maritime school – AA Maritime and Offshore training institute.

“It has always been important for me to think and act unconventionally. As a child, I was encouraged to take on challenges and to find creative solutions and that is still what I am doing 40 years later,” she shares.

She continued, “These sectors have a handful of women who are directly employed and the numbers are much lower when you examine how many of the businesses in these sectors are women-owned,” she pointed out.

100 SCHOLARSHIPS

Speaking to the 100 scholarships which were offered through the Office of the First Lady, Thakur-Deen said that these will benefit Indigenous women from Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine over a four-year period. It is intended to provide technical training to support Guyana’s rapidly expanding oil and gas sector.

Last February, First Lady Arya Ali cemented the deal by signing an agreement with Mrs. Thakur-Deen and Asif Hamid, Executive Directors of the School, in the presence of a number of other stakeholders including the Centre for Local Business Development and Lloyd’s Register.

This agreement follows plans by the government, which has been moving aggressively, to equip Guyanese to benefit from the opportunities being made available in the oil and gas sector.

Mrs. Ali lauded the school’s commitment to ensuring that it gives back to the people of Guyana.

The AA Maritime and Offshore Training School currently has lecturers that are internationally certified industry experts with backgrounds in the oil and gas industry.

The Institution comprises 20 classrooms with Digital and In-House Libraries, Augmented Reality Simulators and technical workshop facilities. It also intends to begin issuing certification for TVET Welding & Fabrication courses which will be certified by the American Welding Society (AWS).

The Maritime Institution is expected to provide unique training programmes which focus on teaching practical skills to both local and international students through a blended approach. The School’s courses are accredited by Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ).

NEXT GENERATION

With a goal to support the next generation of women entrepreneurs, Mrs. Thakur-Deen strives to make a meaningful impact outside of work. Currently, she mentors five young female entrepreneurs and has dedicated her time to philanthropic work through GACF.

As a woman and leader, Thakur-Deen appreciates the importance of being responsible, taking ownership and delivering.

She said, “It is all about demonstrating these qualities every day. Turn up, accept the challenge, and demonstrate strength of character. I hope that I have been doing that because it is important for women to cement their place in this male-dominated society.”

More than just being a role model, Thakur-Deen has had to fulfill her obligations as a mother and wife – struggling at times to strike a balance between work and family.

“We often hear people speak of finding the right work-family balance and the reality is, balance doesn’t mean 50-50. Balance means ensuring that sufficient time is invested in one area and it does not come at the expense of the other. And us women know this is not easy, especially when you are an entrepreneur,” she disclosed.

She, however, credits much of her success to God and her two teams – her staff and family – both of which she said are instrumental in ensuring she is successful in what she does.

And the success continues to follow her.

Just last month, she was appointed a senator by the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) and will represent Guyana later this year on the global stage.

“All of these things fall into place when you acknowledge God in everything, relentlessly pursue your dreams, and remain humble,” she shared.

 

 

 

 

 

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