Leadership nominees revealed

(CNS): The five finalists for the Young Caymanian Leadership Awards 2009 have been announced and include a wide cross section of local talent. Marilyn Connolly, (left) Raquel Solomon, Chris Duggan, Sean Parchment and Elroy Bryan (right) form this year’s line up for a title that is in its tenth year and which has become a significant local accolade.

The winner of the Young Caymanian Leadership Award 2009 will be announced at the Gala Awards night on Saturday, 21 February at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman which will be broadcast live on Cayman 27. The annual event will be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the YCLA, which was launched in 1999.

“We are so proud to be celebrating a decade of promoting leadership and excellence in our community”, said Melissa Wolfe of the Young Caymanian Leaders Foundation.  “Each year we are challenged with delivering a spectacular event and have successfully done so with the help of both Television Centre and Celebrations”

Olivaire Watler was the first recipient of the award in 2000 followed by Dax Foster in 2001, since then Sara Collins, Steve Blair and Cindy Scotland are just some of the names that have been awarded the title.

This year’s list nominees of will not present an easy choice for the YCLA board who must choose between an impressive group.

Marilyn Conolly is Managing Director of her consulting company, Innotiva and she has served as a senior policy advisor to six government ministers and five chief officers.  Currently, she is working with the Commonwealth Foundation. Her work in the community is broad as she has been involved with and chaired numerous committees and organisations. She has worked with the Vision 2008 ‘Family’ Roundtable, the CI Crisis Centre Board of Directors, Rotary Sunrise, United World Colleges her local Neighbourhood Watch, and the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee she is currently the  Vice-Chair of the Estella Scott-Roberts Foundation. Marilyn was described by her nominees as a born leader with high moral and ethical standards.

Chris Duggan is Head of Butterfield Bank’s Private Banking Division and is a Sergeant in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Force Special Constabulary. He is Chairman of the St. Ignatius Catholic School Board of Governors and the Grand Cayman Labour Tribunal board, a member of Cayman HospiceCare, and he is also a  Notary Public. His nominee described Chris as a visionary in the making and a lifelong learner.

Sean Parchment is a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and is one of approximately sixty people in the Cayman Islands licensed as a Public Accountant under the Public Accountants Law. He is a director with the Children and Youth Services (CAYS) Foundation and chairman of PwC’s Corporate Responsibility Committee as well as a serving as a member of the Trade and Business License Board. Sean was described by his nominees an important role model with integrity.

Raquel Solomon is the Training Manager for Fosters Food Fair and is active in a number of community initiatives including the Cayman AIDS Foundation, the National Youth Policy Task Force Member, Rotary Club,  Mentoring Cayman, the Labour Appeals Tribunal Young Parents Programme as well  as being a guest lecturer, and volunteer reader/mentor at Leading Edge High School. Raquel’s’ nominees described her as a natural leader and people gravitate to her like bees to honey.

Elroy Bryan is a senior teacher/ PE Teacher at the Lighthouse School and is responsible for assisting senior management with the overall running of the island’s special needs school. His involvement in the community includesCayman Islands National Little League Program, Coach for Special Olympics and a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Elroy was described by his nominee as having a very loving and compassionate approach to encouraging others and this motivates everyone he comes in contact with.