Ex-UK civil servant takes over local computer services
Simon Spiers
(CNS): The Home Affairs Ministry has hired a new director of the Computer Services Department. Simon Spiers, who recently took up the job, has worked in the UK civil service and private sector, officials said Tuesday, when they revealed the new appointment. According to a release from government, he is a former chief information officer with experience in public service environments as well as financial services, logistics, and the leisure industry. As the director of CSD, he will be heading a department that has become increasingly essential to the efficient delivery of government services.
Wesley Howell, Chief Officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “Simon has tremendous leadership experience, and he fully understands the mechanics by which CSD contributes to Cayman’s competitiveness as a jurisdiction.”
There was no indication in the government release if the post had been filled via a competitive recruitment process or if there were any local applicants for the job.
The CSD provides information technology services for many critical public service operations. Spiers will be expected to target resources to better manage customer relationships, strengthen organisational governance, and streamline key business processes. He will also be responsible for the development and deployment of a robust succession plan to ensure that personnel are equipped with relevant core competencies and specialist skills in order to effectively respond to evolving security risks and customer service standards.
“Information is the beating heart of government, and efficient use of information by knowledgeable civil servants is the hallmark of an effective secretariat and well supported executive,” said Spiers in the short government release.
Category: Jobs, Local News
Simon is in for one helluva shock. He’ll see all the problems, propose solutions and get frustrated at the lack of support. He won’t last a year if he is as high-powered as I hope he is.
Good luck anyway. You can always ask Eric Bush for advice.
As mentioned below, any Caymanian qualified to do this position is probably in the private sector and would have no desire to take this position. Looking from the outside the whole IT of government is a mess and is probably stuck in the 90s, I don’t want to imagine it on the inside. And then you have to answer to politicians and follow their instructions…no thanks. But, good luck Mr. Spiers!
I am a very senior civil servant, 8:57. Your analysis of the Computer Services Department situation is 99% correct. It would have been 100% if you had mentioned that it is always chronically underfunded and so always playing “catch up” to what was best practice five years previously.
Sure hope he modernises the Drivers Licensing office it is pathetic Drivers should be ablev to renew driver sublicenses online and have it mailed to them.This draconian style of applying online then required to go stand in line ad DRL office just to get a silly Passwordbis ignorant, backward, and unprofessional they must do better.
Did the police ever recover their vital records that the CSD managed to obliterate?.
It doesn’t matter how much a Caymanian is educated. its the caymanian employer that is not giving them a chance so can’t blame the expat when the problem is with our own. to @9:11 there are many qualified caymanians that could take this post, but why should they apply when clearly the government isn’t looking to take them on? CIG should be the last employer paying for work permits and I am almost sure that no caymanian will be hired to take over once this permit expires. its every department my dear….so tell me why apply when the answer is clear regardless of how educated you are?
I guess we’ll never know. As long as these qualified Caymanians that you speak of refuse to apply, they will continue not to be hired. Not applying is almost always a dal breaker.
Wesley tell the country about the mess Eric Bush left you to cleanup
Do you mean the other way the mess Eric inherited
If this ain’t a reason not to relect the PPM What is?????
And what did the PPM have to do with this? I am lost. Are you saying the PPM should break the rules and interfere in civil service hiring decisions. ?
Please say no.
they do it all the time
One of the PPM Executive members lost her job at a bank and was hired immediately by Government as a consultant
agreed with 7:46
I saw the adverts for this job a few months ago.
I’m so impressed with this hire. Another fantastic appointment in the Civil Service.
I no longer a negative poster on our new Civil Service.
Where are the hundreds of qualified Caymanians.
No there are NOT hundreds of qualified Caymanians who are capable of doing this job. The last postholder was very qualified and was a very decent Caymanian but he could not run a computer services department that fulfilled government’s and the public’s needs in the 21st century. The only Caymanian who could have taken over is Wes Howell but he has gone on to better things…as truly able and productive Caymanians do.
I know many many Caymanians who could do this job. Come better than that
Anonymous poster 2: respectfully, I think anonymous poster 1 was pulling your leg.. 🙂
So was’nt Howell the Deputy for well over a decade running the day to day operations.
I’m not sure anyone really wanted that job. Underfunded for decades and you have answer to 20 different knee jerking politicians and civil servants. Sounds like a wonderful career choice.
Also,
Applications for work permits and Cayman status and all immigration applications need to be accessed online.Time to modernize all govt services including renewing passports. and paying for US waivers to print online hoping no counterfeit takes place. Also time for a US Embassy in Cayman.this nonsense travelling to high crime 3rd world countries to visit an US Embassy is stupid inconvenient draconian and not comprehensive!