(KINGSTON, Jamaica, 2024 November 6): Jamaica’s Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) was returned as Chair of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR), the association of regional regulatory authorities. The OUR, which had just completed a one-year stint in the post, was reappointed at OOCUR’s Conference in Suriname, held on 2024 October 28-30. The OUR will again be represented on the body by its Director-General, Ansord E. Hewitt.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) in the British Virgin Islands was also reappointed Deputy Chair and will be represented by TRC’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Malone.
In addition to the OUR and TRC, the other members of the Executive Council were returned en bloc. They are the Regulated Industries Commission, Trinidad and Tobago; the Telecommunications Commission, Turks & Caicos Islands and the Fair Trading Commission, Barbados. The reappointment by the General Meeting of Members came on the heels of OOCUR’s successful 19th Annual Conference hosted by the Energy Authority of Suriname, OOCUR’s newest member, in Paramaribo, Suriname. It was the first face-to-face conference held since the COVID-19 pandemic, the last one being in Anguilla in 2019.
Dr. Marsha Atherley-Ikechi has also been appointed the new Executive Director of OOCUR, effective 2024 November 1. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Fair Trading Commission in Barbados.
In commenting on the appointments, Mr. Hewitt says, “The retention of the Executive Council represents a vote of confidence in its performance and will allow for the seamless continuation of the development and roll-out of the strategic plan which we started last year as we move to restore the regional regulatory body to its vibrancy and reconnect with critical regional and multilateral partners. We are also pleased to have Dr. Atherley-Ikechi joining the team. She brings a wealth of experience in utility regulation that will no doubt be critical at this juncture. She takes over from Mr. Glenn Khan who served in the position for a year and who started the arduous task of steering the organisation back on course. We are grateful to him.”
Mr. Hewitt highlighted the restoration of the annual conference, the drafting of the five-year strategic plan and heightened engagement with members as signal achievements of his Executive during the past year.
OOCUR is a non-profit organisation established in 2002 July with the specific objectives to assist in the improvement of utility regulation, to foster transparent and stable utility regulation through autonomous and independent regulators in the region, as well as to facilitate understanding of regulatory issues and … -30-
Contact: OUR’s Public Affairs Unit: publicaffairs@our.org.jm– 876-968-6053
