PACT MAKES STRATEGIC APPOINTMENT

By Staff Writer

In a move that might be just as strategic as the title of the post, Hon. Premier Wayne Panton has announced the appointment of high-profile former Dart VP Pilar Bush as Chief of Strategy.

“I am pleased that Ms Bush has agreed to serve as our Chief of Strategy. She has a sound understanding of the country’s economic, social and environmental needs that, when paired with her ability to facilitate strategy development, collaborating across diverse sectors to deliver high-value results, makes her an excellent fit for this role,” Mr Panton stated in a press release.

As the government’s Chief of Strategy Ms Bush bring to the role an impressive track record of senior positions in both government and the private sector.

Most recently she was Executive Vice President of Marketing, People and Culture at Dart and earlier was Director of Tourism, where she oversaw the country’s tourism recovery and repositioning following Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Prior to her role at the Department of Tourism, she was VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Cayman Airways, and later served on the board as Deputy Chair and Acting Chairman. Ms Bush started her career in the Civil Service as an Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Aviation and Planning.

She is also the founder and managing director of AtWater Consulting, an advisory firm providing strategy, business and communications advice to public, private and non-profit organisations across the Caribbean and North America.

Her new role with the PACT administration will see Ms Bush “effectively serve as Head of the Office of the Premier, attend Caucus meetings and support the work of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries to promote the strategic alignment of the PACT Government’s priorities,” the release outlined.

It explains that a key area of focus will be the incorporation of economic, social and environmental sustainability guidelines into Government strategies, decision making and day-to-day operations.

Elaborating on what is widely seen as a key appointment for the government as it seeks to coordinate its policy agenda across the various ministries, Premier Panton said: “As the elected Government, we recognise the advantages of having an experienced professional assist us - in tandem with Senior Civil Servants - with planning, implementing and delivering on our strategic policy objectives.

“With a Chief of Strategy in place, we can more effectively design the cohesive national strategies required to achieve PACT’s vision for our three Islands, and implement actionable plans to deliver the results we promised in our budget and Strategic Policy Statement.

Under the Constitution, the Premier, in his role as political leader and head of Government, oversees the setting and implementation of the Government’s policies.

Ms Bush will also assist Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries develop and implement plans both within their portfolios, and where inter-Ministerial collaboration is required, to achieve key objectives.

With the Chief of Strategy role filled, the Premier said he now expects the PACT Government to better leverage the unique strengths of each member of the team and benefit from the improved coordination and teamwork.

Ms Bush said she is honoured to take on the role.

“Although the past 15 years were in the private sector, I began my professional journey in the public sector. Therefore, I understand and respect the challenging circumstances under which public servants are required to operate and equally understand the elected officials’ sense of urgency to get things done.”

She brings more than 25 years of professional experience in both public and private sectors, and has been a dedicated volunteer to youth and education causes.

Ms Bush is also known for her work as an advocate for education, youth and families in the Cayman Islands.

As Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters, she was instrumental in the expansion of mentoring programmes that support children and adolescents facing adversity. She is a former director of LIFE (Literacy Is For Everyone) and is currently a director on the R3 Cayman Foundation.

The PACT government's new Chief of Strategy studied undergraduate Economics at the University of Waterloo and obtained an MBA in Aviation and Airline Management from Concordia University. Her professional qualifications include certification in revenue management, marketing, public relations, project management and leading change.

Ms Bush will commence her new role on 31st January.