Luxury Car Brand HR Chief to Deliver UB Commencement Address

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A University of The Bahamas alumnus who serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for Mercedes Benz (North America) will deliver the University of The Bahamas (UB) Spring 2023 Commencement Address to hundreds of graduates in May 2023.

Lars Minns, a 1995 graduate, will share insights gained from his experiences and life lessons in a message intended to both inform and inspire grads to be resilient. UB’s Commencement Ceremony, the final event in a week of graduation activities for New Providence, is scheduled to be held on 25^thMay 2023 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

More than 500 graduands across nine schools and five colleges are members of the 2023 Commencement Class, having completed their programmes in Summer and Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 at the Oakes Field Campus and UB-North in Grand Bahama.

As the commencement address, Minns’ message serves an important purpose in connecting the aspirations and trajectory of graduates with the needs of society, particularly one that is still grappling with lingering challenges caused by crises and where there are myriad new opportunities.

As CHRO for Mercedes-Benz, North America, Minns is responsible for the luxury brand’s human resources in the United States and Canada. He joined the organization in March 2015 and currently leads the design, implementation, and execution of HR strategies that directly align with the company’s strategic objectives for sales, marketing, and distribution. Under his leadership, the organization is undergoing one of the largest transformations in the automotive industry in its pursuit to be the most desired electric luxury vehicle and automotive brand in North America.

Minns is a member of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank’s Human Capital Advisory Council; the Society HR Management’s Executive Council; Leadership Atlanta; and serves on the Board of Trustees for Mount Vernon Presbyterian School.

He earned an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from the former College of The Bahamas in 1995, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree from Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, in 1998.

The Spring 2023 Commencement theme is “Building Resilience Within Ourselves”. Events in New Providence begin on Monday 22^ndMay at 7 p.m. with the Baccalaureate Service at Trinity Methodist Church, followed by the Teachers Commissioning Ceremony on Tuesday, 23^rdMay at 10 a.m. at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium. On Wednesday 24^thMay at 10:00 a.m. the Nurses Pinning Ceremony and the Awards Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. respectively at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium.

This year’s commencement events are official events of The Bahamas’ 50^thAnniversary of Independence Celebrations.