Two Promoted

The Chief Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, Honourable George McCarthy OBE, JP has announced the promotion of two serving officers to senior positions in the Portfolio of the Civil Service, following the retirement later this year of the Chief Officer of the Portfolio of the Civil Service, Mr. Colin R. Ross MBE, JP.

Following interviews held recently, Mr. Peter Gough, who is presently Deputy Financial Secretary in the Portfolio of Finance and Economics, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Ross as Chief Officer and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Rodrigues, presently Deputy Chief Officer in the Ministry of Education has been appointed Chief Officer (Designate) to succeed Mr. Gough on his retirement in 2008.

Mr. Gough joined the Civil Service in 1990 as Director of Management Services in the Personnel Department, establishing a Unit which carried out a number of efficiency reviews and organizational studies. In 1993 he was promoted to the post of Director, Budget and Management Unit in the Portfolio of Finance and Economics. During his tenure, in addition to preparing the Government's Budget, he assisted in a number of reform initiatives including Government Inspections, Efficiency Scrutinies, Reinvention, the Financial Management Initiative (FMI) and Personnel and Machinery of Government Reform. In 2004 he was promoted to fill the role of Deputy Financial Secretary where he was responsible for Customs, Economics and Statistics, Internal Audit, Budget Management, Revenue and Government Insurance. He was also given responsibility for governance reform of Statutory Authorities and Government Companies. In addition he served as Chairman of the Central Tenders Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Health Services Authority.

Mrs. Rodrigues, a Cayman Bracker, joined the Civil Service in 1986, and has held a variety of posts within the Service, each with increasing levels of responsibility and challenge. After gaining her teaching qualifications, she served for 10 years within the teaching service, holding a range of positions, including Head of English at both John Gray and George Hicks High Schools. She was subsequently promoted to the position of Senior Inspector, and was part of a small team responsible for establishing the Schools' Inspectorate. She went on to gain certification as a qualified schools' inspector in England. Within four years she was promoted to Chief Inspector of Schools, a position she held for four years until her appointment to the Education Ministry, as Deputy Permanent Secretary, in 2004.

As Chief Inspector of Schools, Mrs. Rodrigues operated effectively in a high profile and challenging position, and established a high achieving and highly motivated team. She also successfully planned and managed a range of complex and high profile projects, such as the revision of the inspection model and the development and implementation of a National Educational Leadership Programme (NELP). As Deputy Permanent Secretary with the Education Ministry, Mrs. Rodrigues led a range of strategic projects in education, including the recovery effort for the education system following Hurricane Ivan, and a review of the Education Law. Most recently she was appointed as project leader for two key strategies of the ongoing education reform as well as a member of the Oversight Committee for the reform process.

In addition to her knowledge and skills in the areas of programme and institutional evaluation, teaching, staff development and training, she also brings to the post considerable experience in policy development, implementation and review, office and personnel management, strategic and action planning and change management. Mrs. Rodrigues holds a BA in English Literature and a Masters of Education in International Management and Policy in Education.

In announcing the two appointments, Mr. McCarthy said, "I am very pleased indeed that the interview panel, chaired by His Excellency the Governor, recognized the wealth of talent and experience brought to the table by Mr. Gough and Mrs. Rodrigues. Both are outstanding, committed civil servants with the necessary strategic vision to continue the human resource reforms initiated so ably by Mr. Ross and now requiring to be carried to the next level with the implementation of the Public Service Management Law and Regulations on 1st January 2007. There is an enormous amount of work ahead in addition to that associated with the implementation of the new legislation. On taking up the position of Chief Secretary and Head of the Civil Service in November 2004, I announced some major reform initiatives for the Civil Service which have, of necessity, had to be delayed by force of circumstances brought about in the wake of Hurricane Ivan and the necessity to put in place the Public Service Management Law and Regulations, itself a major undertaking. One such initiative is the establishment of a Civil Service College which I shall be asking Mr. Gough and Mrs. Rodrigues to move ahead with as soon as they have established themselves within the Portfolio. I look forward greatly to working with Mr. Gough and Mrs. Rodrigues for the betterment of the Civil Service in the years ahead."

It is expected that Mr. Gough and Mrs. Rodrigues will take up their new appointments by 1st June 2006.

For further information contact: Angela Piercy