Eden Services (St. Kitts & Nevis) Ltd

G.A.Dwyer Astaphan, B.A.(Sir George Williams University, Montreal), Attorney-at Law (Inns of Court School of Law and a member of the Inner Temple, London), Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, Member of Parliament, former Government Minister(1995-2008). He has represented the largest constituency in the Federation of St.Kitts & Nevis, namely, St. Christopher 2, Central Basseterre, since July 3^rd, 1995, having unseated the then Prime Minister.

Mr Astaphan has served as a Government Minister with responsibility for 11 portfolios over the years: Tourism (being the longest-serving Tourism Minister on CARICOM during his second term in office between 2000-2004), Culture, Environment, Information, Telecommunications, Commerce, Consumer Affairs, Justice, Immigration, Labour and National Security. Under his watch a number of significant achievements were recorded for the Federation, for example,the Marriott Hotel was built; Port Zante was opened up and mobilized as one of the region’s top tourist shopping and commercial sites; cruise ship passenger arrivals more than doubled; direct scheduled airlift was secured from the USA and  scheduled charter lift from the United Kingdom; the St.Kitts Scenic Railway was introduced; the St.Kitts International Triathlon and the St.Kitts Annual Music Festival were established; CARIFESTA was secured for St.Kitts & Nevis; Brimstone Hill Fortress became a World Heritage Site; the economy experienced steady growth(despite the ravages of hurricanes between 1995 and 1999); the number of local and foreign entrepreneurs in the economy increased significantly; consumer protection legislation was passed and price control measures in a specified range of food basket items were initiated; the liberalization of telecommunications in St.Kitts & Nevis and the entire OECS was achieved( with two other ministers also directly and integrally involved, one before him and the other after); a number of social prevention and also enforcement measures( including infrastructure, equipment and human resource development and succession planning)  were initiated and implemented in the fight against crime; and minimum wage increases were initiated twice, in 2004 and 2008.

Mr. Astaphan has served as President of the St.Kitts Cricket Association (1988-1992), The Leeward Islands Cricket Association(1990-1994) and as a Representative to the West Indies Cricket Board of Control(WICBC, as it then was named, 1990-1994). He has also served as President of the St.Kitts & Nevis Boxing Association, as a Member of the Disciplinary Committees of both the St.Kitts Basketball Association and the St.Kitts Netball Association, and he has been a coach/trainer of the St.Kitts Cricket team and Manager of the St. Kitts Football team.

Mr. Astaphan also separately provides legal services, and in this regard he is associated with attorneys and other professionals throughout the Caribbean in order to facilitate the needs of clients who may require services in one or more Caribbean territories.

Mr. Austin Vincent ‘Gary’ Da Silva, widely regarded as the dean of the insurance industry in St.Kitts & Nevis, an industry in which he has worked since 1967. Mr.Da Silva has successfully completed numerous training programs in St.Kitts & Nevis and abroad in finance, management, insurance and other business-related areas.

Within 6 years of gaining employment with British American Insurance Company Ltd in 1967, he became its General Manager in St.Kitts. From 1976-1984 he served as Manager, Life Division, at National Caribbean Insurance Company Ltd. From 1984-2000 he served as Manager of St.Kitts Nevis Insurance Company Ltd(SNIC), building that company from the ground. From 1998-2008 he also served as Managing Director of two Anguilla companies, namely, East Caribbean Reinsurance Company Ltd(ECRC) and Malliouhana Anico Insurance Company Ltd(MAICO).

In 2000 he was appointed as an Executive Director of TDC Group of Companies, the largest trading company in the Federation of St.Kitts & Nevis, a position which he held until his recent retirement.Under the direction of its first General Manager, Austin "Gary" Da Silva, SNIC has grown tremendously over the last seventeen (17) years. From an office with just two employees, SNIC Gary built SNIC to 13 employees in St. Kitts  and 3 in the Nevis branch office.

He has  served also as Vice President of the Chamber of Industry & Commerce, as a director of the Eastern Caribbean Home Mortgage Bank(ECHMB),a director of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean(IAC), President of the St.Kitts Rotary Club, President of the George Moody Stuart School, Member of the Council of Management for the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society, and he is the Honorary Consul for Spain to St.Kitts & Nevis.

Kris S.A.C. Astaphan, B.Sc., MBA, JD, is a former tax attorney with one of Canada’s larger law firms, specializing in Corporate Re-Organizations, Trans-border Transactions, M&A and Financing. Mr. Astaphan held various senior executive positions in an  investment firm in Canada, from 1993 to 2005. He built a broker-dealer from $100 million in assets under administration to $4 billion plus in 7 years (in 2000, that firm was ranked No 1 in Canada under his stewardship) – 1993 to 2001.

In the past, Mr. Astaphan has crafted, managed and implemented the acquisition of controlling interest in largest financial institution in Jamaica, then, as Deputy Chairman, was instrumental in turning it around with profits increasing from US$6 million to US $70 million from 2002 to 2005.     He was Chairman of an offshore “Schedule B” bank in Caymans.    Initiated entry of his former company into the Trinidad market. As well, he was responsible for the strategic development of and was  CEO of the AIC Caribbean Private Equity Fund – 2004/5. 

At present, he is a significant investor in world-class catalyst company in Canada.
Mr Astaphan has held many significant directorships over the years.