Former Health Minister Dr Richard Van West-Charles is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI).
This was announced today in a GWI release. Van West-Charles replaces former Minister of Water and Education Shaik Baksh who was sent on accumulated leave by the Chairman of the old GWI board after the new APNU+AFC government took office.
The new GWI Board of Directors consists of the following appointees:
Nigel Hinds Chairperson
Charles Ceres Member
Emil McGarrell Member
David Dewar Member
Christina Bissessar Member
Savitri Singh Sharma Member
Ryan Belgrave Member
Patricia Chase-Green Member
Samantha Fedee Member
As with recent appointments, the new board shows greater gender and ethnic balance. Earlier appointments had been strongly criticised for not having balance.
The GWI release said that the new Chairman Nigel Hinds, CPA, possesses vast experience in Guyana’s Financial Sector as the founder and Chief Executive of Nigel Hinds Financial Services.
Van West-Charles, MD, MPH, former Minister within the Health, Housing, Water and Environment Sectors, has been appointed Chief Executive from October 1, 2015. GWI said that Van West-Charles has a variety of experience in the area of public health including being responsible for Research and Bioethics. He is the former Academic Dean of St. Helen University Medical School and Health Sciences, St. Lucia, Special Advisor Partnerships with the International Financial Institutions at the World Health Organization (WHO), Area Manager for Information and Knowledge Management, PAHO/WHO as well as PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica; Cayman Islands and Bermuda among other distinguished appointments, the release added.
Addressing the GWI Corporate Management Team on Friday October 2, the release said that the Chief Executive stated that access to safe, potable water is a priority on his list of areas for attention. “Without a healthy society we cannot achieve the Guyana we are hoping to build,’ stated the CE, ‘paramount to maintaining good public health is access to safe water. Hence, this area along with water quality and GWI’s financial viability are key issues I will be addressing immediately”, he was quoted as saying.
The post of GWI CEO was not advertised and the press release today did not address this. Van West-Charles has had close ties with the AFC and APNU and was Health Minister in the PNC administration. The PNC is the major component of APNU. Critics will see his appointment as yet another for persons affiliated to the two main groupings constituting the APNU+AFC government without opening up the position to the wider public.
