At its recent annual members’ meeting, Cayman Finance proudly announced that its new elected Chairman would be former Managing Director and Senior Executive Vice President of International Banking at Butterfield Group, Conor O’Dea.

Jude Scott, Cayman Finance CEO, said that he was excited to welcome Mr O’Dea to the team.

“We are excited to add Mr O’Dea’s talent to Cayman Finance and look forward to working with him going forward to protect, promote and grow the Cayman Islands financial services industry,” he said. “His many years of experience and depth of knowledge are sure to be a great asset in helping achieve Cayman Finance’s goals.

Mr O’Dea replaces previous Cayman Finance Chairman, Ian Wight, who held the position for three years.

“Cayman Finance thanks Mr Wight for three successful years,” Mr Scott said. “We have made a tremendous amount of progress and overcome many obstacles with Ian at the helm, and are grateful to him for the time he has given us.”

During the meeting, Mr Scott discussed the busy year that Cayman Finance has had, from introducing new focuses such as reinsurance and FinTech, to dealing with international pressures, to celebrating achievements both local and international.

“I have kept note of the work done by Cayman Finance over the years, and I am honoured and excited to be part of those efforts in the future,” said Mr O’Dea. “I thank the members of Cayman Finance for entrusting me with this role and look forward to working closely with Mr Scott and the rest of the board to advance the best interests of Cayman and its financial services industry.”

Since 1989, Mr O’Dea worked for Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited in various capacities. He ended his executive career with a stint as Managing Director Cayman and President & Chief Operating Officer, BNTB Group.

In April 2016, he retired from executive responsibilities with Butterfield Group and assumed a non-executive role as Director of BNTB Board and Chairman of Butterfield’s Board.

Throughout his career, Mr O’Dea has also served in various associate and government positions, including President at the Cayman Islands Banker’s Association and the Chamber of Commerce.