The International Companies Division of the Chamber of Commerce in Bermuda has appealed for more international businesses on the Island to join the association.

The plea was made by chairman David Ezekiel at the annual general meeting of the association on Monday.

He said: "There are 182 members of the ICD, and 355 physical presence international companies in Bermuda. That leaves 173 companies that are not members.'' Mr. Ezekiel said that the information gathered by the division and participation in Government legislation made the organisation an important one for businesses on the Island.

"We need the involvement. Not least of all we need the money.'' He quipped: "We can live without the involvement if we have the money.'' On a more serious note in the annual report of the ICD, Mr. Ezekiel reiterated the importance of the association in his Chairman's Message.

"Most of our efforts have been directed at preserving the business environment for our members through contact with the various government departments and ministries and the close dialogue we have developed with them has certainly worked well for all of us.

"This year has seen us working on a range of issues from pensions, investment regulations, OECD, The Bermuda Careers Centre, to Budget items and most recently work permits and immigration.'' Mr. Ezekiel, who accepted to be chairman of the ICD for a further year at the meeting, added that the division had worked closely with BIBA and other organisations in devolving its strategies. He said that the main challenge facing the group was how to inform all its members about what these strategies are and proposed a two step process.

"The first is the actual communication by circular, fax or e-mail to the various member offices and the second, and more difficult step is to find a way to spread that communication to, at a minimum, senior management within each office.

"This will give us the sort of "buy-in'' we need in order to establish ICD's role as the representative body for the sector. We should continue our efforts in this are even though it means placing increasing demands on an already stretched volunteer group.''