Customs officers move up the ladder
Collector of Customs Charles Clifford
(CNS Local Life): The Customs Department has promoted seven officers in keeping with its policy on succession planning, and following a competitive selection process. The newly promoted officers are Lisa Kelly, Tina Campbell and Vivine Mohanty, who are now assistant collectors of customs; and Vienie Vernon, Crystal McField-Baldwin, Don Parsons and Prisilla Berry, who have all been promoted to senior customs officers, with Berry’s new title effective 1 April 2017.
These appointments come on the heels of Kevin Walton and Jeff Jackson being promoted to deputy collectors. The assistant collector position attracted 14 applicants with 17 people applying to be senior customs officers.
The promotions bring the total number of assistant collectors to eight and senior customs officers to 21 out of a total staff of 164.
Collector of Customs Charles Clifford said of the promotions: “We are very proud of the fact that we were able to fill all of these vacancies internally and are confident in the leadership and management abilities of these officers.
“Our succession plan is characterised as a living and fluid strategy that must be adjusted and expanded in tandem with the growth and modernisation of our organisation. As I have said before, succession planning is never about one person or one post but must involve the entire organisation and must have as its central objective the production of a cadre of leaders to ensure the sustainability of the organisation.”
(L-R) Promoted officers Tina Campbell, Vienie Vernon, Prisilla Berry, Don Parsons, Lisa Kelly, Vivine Mohanty and Crystal McField-Baldwin
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson congratulated the promoted officers. “Succession planning which is very dear to my heart serves a critical role in the career advancement of staff in any department. I am delighted at the opportunities provided at the Customs Department to ensure staff retain job satisfaction and get actively engaged in self-improvement and career advancement.”
Financial Secretary and Chief Officer in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Kenneth Jefferson also lauded the achievements of the officers. He urged customs staff members to improve their educational and other qualifications so that they could better their chances at career advancement.
“Be focused and open to ideas and your good work will not only take you forward in your career but, in addition, also improve the working of the entire department,” Jefferson said.
Category: Civil Service
