The Ministry for District Administration and Lands (DAL) has announced the appointment of Nicola Anderson-Wildman, Charles Brown and Neyka Webster to the role of Acting Deputy Chief Officer (ADCO). Using a job rotation technique, the three senior leaders have each been awarded the opportunity to act in the Deputy Chief Officer role for a period of six months.

Head of the Civil Service and Deputy Governor, Hon. Franz Manderson shared, “While only one candidate can fill the role, all three qualified candidates have an opportunity to further develop leadership and management skills that will better position them for prospective senior roles. I am proud to support this very innovative approach to recruitment within our civil service and wish each candidate the best.”

The three Caymanian candidates will be seconded from government posts. Nicola Anderson-Wildman is MDAL’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and has begun her ADCO tenure first. Charles Brown will act in the second rotation and is a Senior Policy Officer with the Ministry of Planning, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure (PAHI). Neyka Webster will close out the rotation schedule, under secondment from the Ministry of Tourism and Transport (T&T) where she is the CFO.

The Acting Deputy Chief Officer role holds responsibility for supporting the Chief Officer in the overall direction, management and administration of the activities within the Ministry by way of monitoring their delivery of outputs, coordinating their strategic and operational planning, providing day-to-day management support, and modelling appropriate leadership behaviours expected of civil service managers, as specified within the CIG’s Core Competency Framework. Additional responsibility includes, coordinating a diverse team of department heads, units and sections under the remit of the Ministry in their delivery of strategic and operational services. The ADCO candidate will be an integral member of the Senior Management Team and deputise for the Chief Officer as required.

The Acting Chief Officer of DAL, Wilbur Welcome added, “I am excited about the opportunity to work with all three candidates. Each candidate brings an extensive and unique portfolio of skills, experience, knowledge and capabilities to the role. This diversity of competencies will undoubtedly provide our Ministry with a competitive advantage that we shall utilize towards enhancing service levels for all our stakeholders. Our team is happy to have them!”

Nicola Anderson-Wildman holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada) and a Certified Public Accountant (Delaware, U.S.A) qualification, with a Postgraduate certificate in Business Administration (merit) from the University of Liverpool and a Level 5 qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). She also holds a double major, Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in Accounting and Economics from UWI, Mona. Mrs. Anderson-Wildman has proven experience with strategic development and senior-level management, particularly, with budgeting and procurement. She has contributed to the strategic development of the Civil Service over the last thirteen plus years. She is a former member of the Performance Improvements Technical Advisory Committee (T.A.C.) and the Steering committee for the New John Gray High School projects. Mrs. Anderson-Wildman brings a combined twenty-plus years’ experience in management from both the private and public sectors.

Mrs. Anderson-Wildman expressed, “I am honoured to work with Minister, ACO and the diverse team of the Ministry, to achieve the CIG’s mission “to make the lives of those we serve better”. I value excellent customer service while fostering communication, and championing innovations to improve delivery of services and operations. Building capability through training and nurturing of team members, setting the pace for talent development, and succession planning, are all some of the goals I aim to collaboratively achieve during my tenure.”

Charles Brown is an Architect, with a Master of Architecture from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami. His professional experience includes a variety of infrastructure projects, including: road projects (from main arterials to small neighbourhood streets), capital projects (such as the South Sound Boardwalk and coastal park enhancement projects). He has participated in the development of a number of policy matters including the National Energy Policy. More recently Mr. Brown has been engaged with a number of digitally focused projects, such as, the National Identification Card project and the enhancement of online services for the Department of Planning and the Department of Vehicles and Drivers’ Licensing. Mr. Brown is also an active member of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU).

Mr. Brown expressed, “I am delighted to address the challenges of the ADCO role. As a Caymanian, I am committed to our country and passionate about serving the people of these islands. I am honored to assist the management team for the Ministry of District Administration and Lands, and I look forward to supporting the portfolio on its journey.”

Neyka Webster is a Certified Public Accountant (New Hampshire State, USA) with a Master of Science (MSc.) in Finance from the Lancaster University, UK. Her undergraduate studies include a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting and Finance from the University of the West of England. Mrs. Webster has worked in the accounting field for the past fifteen years, in the private sector and as a CFO for the Civil Service for the past nine years. Notably, her experience spans providing strategic financial advice to various levels of management, including: budget management, high-level reporting and compliance with various areas of finance and operations, and monitoring and advising on Ministry outputs. She also has an Executive Certificate in Global Leadership from UCCI and Florida International University. In 2020, Neyka Webster was appointed as a member of the Public Procurement Committee by His Excellency, the Governor.

Ms. Wester expressed, “I am excited to have a new avenue through which to contribute my skills and experience to make a difference in the lives of those we serve! I feel honoured to step into the role of acting Deputy Chief Officer and look forward to assisting the Ministry of District Administration and Lands with accomplishing its strategic objectives.”