Kilpatrick to ‘listen & learn’

| 22/07/2013

(CNS): The governor designate said that her priority will be to listen and learn when she arrives in the Cayman Islands to start work in September as the UK’s representative. Although Helen Kilpatrickis the first governor to be posted to Cayman without any previous Foreign Office experience, she said that she believes her experience at the Home Office will be helpful to her and many aspects of the job won't be that new.  A public finance expert and career public servant in the UK, Kilpatrick has never had an overseas posting but, having worked for the Home Office managing budgets for the police, the prisons and local government, she said she believes her experience would translate to her new post.

At a very brief press call at the airport Saturday evening, following her short two day familiarisation visit ahead of her posting, Kilpatrick said that when she arrives to take up the governor’s post, she will be spending her first four to six weeks getting around meeting everybody. She said that she had done a considerable amount of research and work in London but it was nowhere near enough yet and she would need to listen and learn in order to “understand what the major issues are".

Kilpatrick was not appointed to the post but went through an open interview process to secure the job. Despite being a senior number-cruncher in the British civil service and not a member of the diplomatic core, Kilpatrick said she did not think the role would be completely new and not necessarily an enormous career change.

“This job builds on my previous experience in local government, in the Home Office, in policing and prisons … although working in the Foreign Office is new to me, the areas of responsibility I will have here are not new,” she told the press, suggesting that her financial experience would be a great help, as it is an “important aspect of government and an import aspect of business life in Cayman."

Kilpatrick said her first impressions of the Cayman Islands were “absolutely fantastic”, as she described the welcome as friendly and said everyone had been very open with her.
During her brief visit to Cayman from Thursday through to Saturday Kilpatrick met with government ministers, senior civil servants and key officials, as well as the current governor, Duncan Taylor, and had a chance to take a sneak look at Cayman.

Kilpatrick is the first woman to be appointed governor of the Cayman Islands.

Duncan Taylor is departing in August ahead of his new posting to Mexico and Deputy Governor Franz Manderson will be acting governor until Kilpatrick arrives in September.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Who is going to pay for her to "Learn"? 

  2. Anonymous says:

    Welcome Mrs. Kilpatrick! But please learn quickly that this Country's name is "The Cayman Islands", and NOT "The Caymans" as you were heard to say during your brief televison interview!!! Grrrr!!!!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Not having to listen to McKeeva is probably the icing on the cake!

  4. Voter101 says:

    Madam Governor, please listen, we seriously need a Constitutional Revamp!  Please don't do it for UK interest; do it for the People of the Cayman Islands!  Let us have more participatory democracy and political power out of politicians hands. Signed:  Representative of the People.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree that we do, but that is not part of her remit.

    • Anonymous says:

      And a Constitution that will prevent most if not all of corruption. Don't forget that.

      • Anonymous says:

        No Constitution in the world can prevent corruption A corruption free country/island will happen when each and every one of us decide within ourselves that we will not be corrupt.

    • Anonymous says:

      If you elect guys like McKeeva you get what you deserve.

    • Anonymous says:

      You guys are forgetting the addendum to the constitution that basically says the UK will follow it as long as it is in the UK's interest….Madam Governor is here to ensure COMPLIANCE with it not to change it. 

      It says:

       

      Accordingly, the United Kingdom Government would normally use its best endeavours to honour this referendum requirement. However, there may be exceptional circumstances where it would not be possible or appropriate to do so, and for that reason the United Kingdom Government must reserve its position on this matter.

       

      This is just FCO in a skirt, thats all. Differnt day, same sh*t. Don't be fooled by the lipstick.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, the people of the Cayman Islands – especially the majoirity of the adult population who are long term residents and denied the most basic of rights, the right to vote. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Don't worry, you are going to get a serious constitutional revamp in the very near future with gay marriage and LGBT rights very high on the list.

      What do you think Helen Kilpatrick has been doing for the last three years in the Home Office? Chair of the Diversity Committee, no less.

      For heaven's sake can we just not share the facts? I am not taking sides, merely stating the obvious.

    • Anonymous says:

      Be careful what you ask for!