PHILIPSBURG:--- Arthur Bute, long standing SER member of the Netherlands Antilles and Sint Maarten was elected chairman of the Social Economic Council by his fellow board members in their meeting of February 20th.
Arthur Bute is a SER member nominated by the Chamber of Commerce, which he chaired in 2012. He was a member of the Netherlands Antilles' SER from 2007 to 2010, and has been a member of the Sint Maarten SER from its inception. Mr. Bute's career spans several decades in both the public and private sectors, with professional experience on various Caribbean islands working for an internationally operating company, as well as a wealth of experience in board positions of social organizations.
Upon receiving the chairman's gavel, Mr. Bute expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the work done by outgoing chairman René Richardson, who led the SER through its first years into the established organization it is today. The new chairman also thanked his fellow SER members for the confidence they have shown in him, and vowed to continue the achievements realized so far in harmonious cooperation between business community, labour unions and independent experts.
Mr. Bute takes over the position vacated by Mr. René A. Richardson, who bid farewell to the SER as a result of the legal requirement of SER members to be dismissed upon reaching the age of seventy. In May of 2014 the three-year tenure of the present SER board comes to an end and a new nine member council will be installed. From their midst a chairperson will be elected for the new cycle.
Information on the SER organization and its activities is available on www.sersxm.org.