Shiva Ramnarine, a seasoned financial executive and Founder of Mobius Consulting Panama, who has dedicated his 30-year career to transforming financial operations and combating what he calls “inert routine hidden corruption” in both corporate and government sectors joins Enterprise Radio.
Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Shiva Ramnarine discuss the following:
- Your departure from your CFO role at TSTT (Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago) was executed under a parachute clause, resulting in termination without cause after all payouts and benefits were satisfied. Was your exit connected to your discoveries of significant corruption within TSTT? Could you detail the specific corrupt practices you identified and explain when you first realized the full extent of these issues?
Follow-up questions to help listeners: - What early warning signs should business leaders watch for that might indicate corruption or wasteful spending in their organizations?
- Building on the corrupt practices you uncovered, you were able to save TSTT approximately $160 million in non-labour-related, unoptimized wastage. Can you walk us through how you approached uncovering these issues in a structured way? What specific strategies or methods did you find most effective in identifying and tackling the wasteful spending?
- It’s now well established that Stuart Young, as Minister of National Security, made the decision to halt substantial payments on TSTT’s surveillance contract in 2018, despite the service still being delivered. In your recollection, was there ever any discussion or pressure to sell that government debt to a related party? Given the opposition’s repeated assertions about conflicts of interest between Stuart Young and his brother Angus Young, who heads NCB Global, did any of this impact your role or decisions during your time at TSTT?
- What specific contract clauses would you recommend to protect government companies from non-payment tactics?
- After exposing these corrupt practices at the Joint Select committee and what you described earlier along with the various cases conflict of interest, you faced significant backlash that ultimately led to your termination. What evidence suggests your firing was politically motivated rather than performance-based, and how did officials respond when you began challenging these entrenched interests?
- How can professionals build networks of ethical allies within and outside their organization as protection?
- Drawing from your experiences at TSTT and your current work with Mobius Consulting, you’re now developing governance and AI-driven solutions to detect corruption patterns. How can technology help identify and prevent the kind of politically-protected corruption that led to your dismissal, and what systems might have protected you?
- What specific data points or patterns should companies monitor to catch potential wasteful spending before it becomes systemic?
Shiva Ramnarine is a seasoned business executive whose career spans over 30 years of exemplary leadership in finance and operations. As the former Chief Financial Officer of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), he spearheaded a groundbreaking transformation initiative that saved the company $360 million in annual costs by eliminating wasteful spending and optimizing operations.
Shiva built his career on strong professional credentials as a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a Certified General Accountant, and a Chartered Professional Accountant. His career includes leadership roles at major organizations including Cable and Wireless, Digicel Trinidad Limited, Caribbean Airlines Limited, Hudson Bay Company, Canadian Tire Corporation, and Nortel.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Shiva has been at the forefront of addressing systemic issues such as hidden corruption in financial operations. In 2022, he founded Mobius Consulting Panama Inc., which develops digital solutions and governance processes designed to uncover and eliminate “inert hidden corruption” – the routine expenditure practices and vendor-driven decisions that result in unoptimized spending.
Shiva is also deeply committed to humanitarian work. He founded the Friends Improving Families Outlook (FIFO) Foundation, an organization that provides monthly food hampers to families living below the poverty line, working through local schools to ensure children can attend school without worrying about hunger.
As a thought leader, his articles on pressing social issues have become influential for professionals, policymakers, and concerned citizens alike. Shiva’s approach to both business and philanthropy demonstrates his unwavering commitment to integrity, excellence, and social responsibility.
Website: https://www.mobius-solutions.com
Social Media Links:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-ramnarine
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/shiva-ramnarine-fb0a
Medium: https://medium.com/@Shiva-Ramnarine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Shiva-Ramnarine
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