New Head for Governor’s Office

The new Head of the Governor’s Office is a seasoned diplomat with nearly three decades of experience working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office around the world.

Matthew Forbes, who has served in senior positions in Africa and Asia, also brings experience in crisis response and internal audit to his new role managing the operations of the Crown’s representative in the Cayman Islands.

The Governor presides over meetings of Cabinet, and is responsible for the civil service, defence and international relations. Other responsibilities include semi-consular duties for British citizens in the Cayman Islands.

Past postings for her new head of office include four years spent as the Deputy Consul General in Shanghai and a stint as the British High Commissioner to Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles.

Mr. Forbes received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2007, for services to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he began work some two decades earlier.

A licensed pilot and certified diver, he is married with four children.

His predecessor, the former head of the Governor’s Office Gary Benham, has taken up a new posting in London.

Photo caption: Photo by Bina Mani, GIS

Matthew Forbes, OBE, is the new head of the Governor’s Office.