Who’s who in the new Cabinet

Dr Bheri Ramsaran
Minister of Health – Dr Bheri Ramsaran
Age: 52
Education: Medical Faculty of the People’s Friendship University, Moscow, 1987; Post graduate studies at the People’s Friendship University, Moscow
Work experience: Government Medical Officer; Medical Registrar; junior health minister
Marital status: Single
Children: none


Anil Nandlall

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs – Mohabir Anil Nandlall
Age: 38
Education: Mon Repos Primary; Queen’s College; University of Guyana; Hugh Wooding Law School
Work experience: attorney; admitted to the Bar in both Guyana and Trinidad
Academic achievements: has written several research papers that have been published in legal magazines both in Guyana and Trinidad.
Marital status: Married
Children: none

 

Priya Manickchand
Minister of Education – Priya Manickchand
Age: 35
Education: Stella Maris Primary; Queen’s College; University of Guyana; Hugh Wooding Law School
Work experience: attorney; minister of human services and social security
Marital status: Married
Children: one

 

 

Dr Jennifer Westford
Minister of Public Service – Dr Jennifer Westford
Education: Dolphin Primary; Charlestown Secondary; Government of Guyana Scholarship in Medicine in Cuba, 1984 – 90; University of Guyana, Post graduate diploma in International Relations, 2004; Master’s Degree, University of Canterbury, UK, 2006;
Work experience: government medical officer; regional health officer of regions seven and eight
Marital status: Married

 

 

Dr Frank Anthony
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport – Dr Frank Anthony
Education: Masters in Public Health from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel; Medical Degree from the Russian Friendship University, Moscow, Russia
Work experience: executive director of the Health Sector Development Unit; national focal point for the Essential Public Health Functions, Chronic Non Communicable Disease and the Health of the Elderly; epidemiologist;                    government medical officer; secretary of the Presidential Commission on HIV/AIDS
Marital status: Married
Children: two

 

 

Dr Ashni Singh
Minister of Finance – Dr Ashni Singh
Education: Queen’s College; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Accounting and Finance, University of Lancaster; Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Financial Economics, University of London; Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Accounting and Finance, University of Lancaster
Work Experience: postgraduate tutor, University of Lancaster; part-time senior associate lecturer, University of Guyana; pupil teacher, Queen’s College; board member, Guyana Revenue Authority; board member, Cheddi Jagan International Airport; director of budget; deputy auditor general, 1993-2001; senior deputy auditor general, 2001 – 2006

 

 

Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Minister of Agriculture – Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Age: 61
Education: post doctoral fellow, Neurochemistry, NY Institute Developmental Disabilities, 1980 – 1983; PhD, Biochemistry, St John’s University, NY; MSc, Biology, St John’s University; BSc, Microbiology, 1977, Pace University
Work experience: minister of health, 2001 – 2011; member of the Constitutional Commission; member of Public Accounts Committee; member of the Appointments Committee; president, Executive Council, PAHO; board chairman, GPHC; council member, University of Guyana
Marital status: Married
Children: three

 

 

Robert Montgomery Persaud
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment – Robert Montgomery Persaud
Age: 37
Education: Redeemer Primary School; St Joseph’s High School; Diploma in News Agency Journalism, Indian Institute of Mass Communication; BA, University of Guyana; MBA, University of West Indies
Work Experience: Senior Reporter, Catholic Standard; Editor, Mirror; information liaison, Office of the President; Head of GINA; director of Guyana Broadcasting Corporation; programme director/editor Multi Technology Vision Inc; chairman of National Communications Network (NCN); Guyana’s coordinator of the Information Communications Technology Strategy (ICT4D)
Marital status: Married
Children: two

 

 

Robeson Benn
Minister of Works – Robeson Benn
Age: 58
Education: Kwakwani; Graham’s Hall; Cummings Lodge; Queen’s College; Uniiversity of Bergakademie, Freiberg, Germany; University of New Brunswick, Canada; BSc, Geology
Work Experience: Geological Surveys Department, field assistant; Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, senior field assistant; Guyana Mineral Resources Agency, Petroleum Unit, geologist; Guyana Mining Enterprise, specialist geologist; Linden Mining Enterprise, chief geologist; manager, Product quality and research; general Manger, Mines and Product Quality; commissioner, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
Marital Status: Married
Children: two

 

 

Jennifer Webster
Minister of Human Services and Social Security – Jennifer Webster
Age: 49
Education: St Gabriel’s; Queen’s College; BSc, Accountancy, University of Guyana; UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados; Queen’s University of Canada, Degree in Economics;
Work experience: professional accountant; permanent secretary, Office of the President; several senior positions in the Public Service; board member, NCN;
board member, Bank of Guyana; minister within the Ministry of Finance
Children: one

 


Samuel Hinds

Prime Minister – Samuel Hinds
Age: 67
Education: Queen’s College; University of New Brunswick (UNB) Canada,  BSc in Chemical Engineering;
Work Experience: Linmine as process engineer, process superintendent, divisional superintendent production quality, general superintendent of the Research and Development Division; president from March to December 1997
Marital status: Married
Children: three

 


Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

Minister of Foreign Affairs – Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
Age: 38
Education: Santa Rosa Primary School; city private institution; business administration, Canada; BA, University of Guyana
Work experience: manager of the Amerindian Projects Programme of SIMAP; Guyana Lands and Surveys Project, socio-economist
Marital status: Married
Children: two


Mohamed Irfaan Ali

Minister of Housing and Water – Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Age: 31
Education:  St Stanislaus College
Work experience: economic planner; chaired one of the Project Steering Committees on the Low Income Settlement Committee; national programme coordinator of local Caribbean Development Bank funded programmes

Clement Rohee
Minister of Home Affairs – Clement Rohee
Age: 61
Education: Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church – Preliminary Certificate of Education – College of Preceptors; National Evening College, Guyana –       General Certificate of Education; Accabre College of Social Sciences, Guyana; Institute of Social Sciences, Moscow
Work Experience: 1977-1979, board member, University of Guyana; 1979 -1983, permanent representative on the Editorial Board- Problems of Peace and Socialism- Prague, Czechoslovakia; 1979 to present, director, Guyana Import Export Limited (GIMPEX); 1992-2001, minister of Foreign Affairs; 2001-2006, minister of Foreign Trade & International Cooperation
Marital status: Married
Children: two

 

Ali Baksh
Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture – Ali Baksh
Work experience: Chairman of Region Two

 

 

Juan Anthony Edghill
Minister within the Ministry of Finance – Juan Anthony Edghill
Work experience: chairman, Ethnic Relations Commission; chairman of the Guyana Post Office Corporation
Marital status: Married
Children: four

 

Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul
Minister of Labour – Dr Nanda Kishore Gopaul
Work experience: deputy head of the Presidential Secretariat; chairman, New Building Society; chairman of GuySuCo Board

 

Ganga Persaud
Minister of Local Government & Regional Development – Ganga Persaud
Work Experience: permanent secretary, Ministry of Local Government; chairman, Public Service Commission; member of Judicial Service Commission

 

Norman Whittaker
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government & Regional Development – Norman Whittaker
Age: 60
Education:  Diploma in Public Management from the University of Guyana; ACIS Intermediate; ACIS Final
Work Experience: teacher, Northwest Secondary School from 1978 to 1991; acting headmaster; head of the Business Department; regional chairman of Region One from 1998 to February 2006; advisor to Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai
Marital status: Married
Children: four

 

Pauline Sukhai
Minister of Amerindian Affairs – Pauline Sukhai
Education: degree in Economics; post graduate degree in Development Studies
Work experience: parliamentary secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; economist at SIMAP; socio economist at Guyana Lands and Surveys Project
Marital status: married