OfReg thanks former Chair Mr. Rudy Ebanks and adds members to Board of Directors
Rudy Ebanks
Mr. Rudy Ebanks has stepped down as Chair of OfReg’s Board of Directors for personal reasons. Fellow Board member, Mr. Frank Balderamos, who had been acting as Interim Chairman said, “On behalf of the current Board members who served with Rudy, I would like to acknowledge his tireless work and commitment during his tenure as a Board member, and especially his service as Board Chair.”
Mr. Ebanks brought over 36 years of technical and regulatory experience in senior positions in the telecommunications sector to the OfReg Board, on which he served for over five years, with his initial appointment being made on October 24th, 2017. He was later appointed to the Chair position on September 17th, 2021.
Mr. Balderamos continued, “Throughout his time on the Board, Rudy’s unwavering spirit and positive attitude inspired the Board daily as we carried out the important work of OfReg. Rudy was committed to protecting Cayman’s critical national infrastructure assets and ensuring the well-being of consumers. He also took on the role of mentor to the board members and senior staff and was always willing to teach and pass on some of the wisdom he gained from a lifetime of deep experience in the ICT sector, and service to the Cayman Islands. We thank him for his invaluable service and wish him well for the future.”
Minister Jay Ebanks also expressed his gratitude to the outgoing Chairman Mr Rudy Ebanks, “On behalf of the Cabinet and the Ministry, I would like to extend our thanks and best wishes to Mr. Ebanks for his service to OfReg and the country.”
Mr. Ebanks resignation coincides with the appointment of five new Board members and a new Chair, Mr. Samuel Jackson, Jr, which was announced by government in the gazette publication released on Friday, June 9th.
Minister Ebanks added, “The remit of my ministry includes infrastructure. One can hardly imagine infrastructure more critical to Cayman than those of electricity, water, fuels and telecommunications. In recognising how important these sectors are to our economy, it was imperative that we ensure the OfReg Board was fully constituted with the widest possible set of experience to provide guidance and leadership for OfReg.”
Speaking on the addition of new Board members, OfReg Interim CEO, Mr. Peter Gough, said, “The OfReg Board structure has been updated to reflect and meet the demands of the growing amount of work that we need to deliver in our remit as the utilities regulator.
“I am very pleased to welcome Mr. Jackson and the other new members to our Board and I look forward to working closely with them and the rest of the Board. I would also like to add my personal thanks to Mr. Rudy Ebanks for his service and contribution to OfReg during his tenure.”
The other Board appointments announced are as follows:
Mr. Colin Berryman, Director
Mr. Gavin Baxendale, Director
Mr. Wrendon Timothy, Director
Mr. Mike Gibbs, Director
Ms. Stacy Ann Kelly, Director
These new members join existing Board Members Mr. Frank Balderamos Jr. (Deputy Chair), and Directors Ms. Bonnie Anglin, Ms. Natasha Bodden and Mr. Osbert Francis.
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ABOUT OFREG
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (‘OfReg’ or the ‘Office’) is the independent regulator established by section 4 of the Utility Regulation and Competition Act (as revised) (the ‘URC Act’) for the electricity, information, and communications technology, water, wastewater, and fuel sectors in the Cayman Islands.
OfReg provides the opportunity for consistency and collaboration in regulation across the energy, fuel, ICT, and water sectors; better utilisation of skills and resources resulting in more efficient and effective regulatory processes; encouraging competition where appropriate and feasible; championing sustainability and innovation across markets, contributing to the economic and social goals of the Cayman Islands.
