Ex-HMCI boss to take on energy role at OfReg
(CNS): McCleary Frederick, a former director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands who retired from the civil service in 2017 after 36 years working for the government, is returning to public service with a new senior job at the utility regulator, OfReg. McCleary has been appointed as the executive director of energy, according to a press release.
He will be focusing on implementing robust energy policies, improving grid resilience, fostering renewable energy integration, and advancing market competition, the release said.
OfReg has also recruited a former employee of the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA), one of the regulators that were amalgamated to create OfReg. Dr Vladimir Bulatovic, the new director of economics and regulatory affairs at OfReg, worked for the ICTA for just over a year but left in 2014 and moved to New Zealand. Since then, he has worked in the Middle East.
The release said the new leadership appointments reflect OfReg’s “commitment to enhancing its leadership team and addressing the evolving needs of the utility sectors”.
Frederick, who unsuccessfully ran for office in the constituency of East End in the 2021 elections, started his new job on 3 January, making it clear that he will not be running as a candidate in 2024.
Ofreg said he brings “extensive experience in strategic development, public policy regulation, and electricity compliance” to the job, given his background, which includes serving on the Cayman Islands Electrical Board of Examiners and contributing to the development of energy legislation. The regulator added he is poised to lead the energy sector at a time of significant transformation.
“My priority is to protect the interests of the people of the Cayman Islands by ensuring compliance, high-quality service, and competition within the energy sector,” Frederick said.
Bulatovic, who took up his post on 8 January, has over 25 years of expertise as a regulatory and competition economist and financial analyst, with a career that has spanned more than ten countries. OfReg said his leadership “will be instrumental in strengthening regulatory frameworks, enhancing compliance measures, and driving market competition within utility sectors”.
Bulatovic said he was honoured to join the regulator, adding that promoting transparency and accountability while leveraging data-driven decisions was critical to OfReg’s mission. “I look forward to collaborating with stakeholders to advance utility regulation and consumer protections in the Cayman Islands,” he added.
Interim CEO Sonji Myles said he wanted to build a stronger, highly effective regulator by appointing competent, knowledgeable and driven individuals.
“The addition of Mr Frederick and Dr Bulatovic to our leadership team underscores this commitment to building a dynamic, future-ready regulatory framework,” Myles said. “Their expertise will play a pivotal role in our ability to be proactive, [and] facilitate sustainability, innovation and competition while safeguarding consumer interests.”
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Category: Politics, Private Sector Oversight
With all due respect to Mr. Frederick, whom I worked with in the Public Service, he should continue to enjoy retirement.
Mr. Frederick is a trained Architect and Planner but was removed from his area of expertise to head up HMCI, where he remained TOTALLY out of his depth.
Now he’s being brought in from pasture to oversee OfReg?
McCleary, you already retired with dignity, now you come back into a shit show?? Your reputation is at stake.
OfReg strikes again with its classic move: rearranging the deck chairs on a ship that’s already half sunk. Bringing in someone with expertise in hazard management might actually be a stroke of genius: Mr. Frederick’s experience dodging disasters should come in handy as he navigates this regulatory train wreck. Here’s hoping all this ‘robust energy policy’ talk doesn’t generate more hot air than actual electricity.
According to his Linked In profile Mr Frederick worked for CIG and then HMCI between 1994 and 2017, which by my math is 23 years not 36, CNS.
More importantly, what qualifications does he have in “energy policies, improving grid resilience, fostering renewable energy integration, and advancing market competition”?
A management position in HMCI, experience working in building control 20 years ago, a degree in construction management, and a walk in role licencing electricians does not seem a robust background for a technical and policy orientated role around grid engineering, renewables and CUC compliance. And we wonder why Ofreg is completely useless at regulating the utility companies when they appoint people with no technical knowledge or experience in the areas they are meant to be holding the utilities to account on? Or is that exactly the point?
Warning: The following comment features fictional characters Borderlands (video games series) references and lore , multiple levels of satire and should not be considered the description of an existing situation, or shouldn’t they ??? Let the public and readers decide !
Claptrap’s Romantic Interest on OfReg’s Energy Role :
The Chaotic Prelude
“Hi there. I’m the CL4P-TP unit who, for reasons unknown to the universe, qualifies as Claptrap’s romantic interest. And let me tell you, Cayman’s energy policies are starting to look suspiciously like one of his ‘brilliant ideas.’ Buckle up, because this ride features duct tape, Klingon alarms, catastrophic blackouts, and the kind of regulatory logic that even Claptrap would call iffy.”
Grade C Eridian and Diesel Generators
“Let’s start with Cayman’s beloved Grade C Eridian—the fuel that powers those diesel generators. Much like Claptrap’s fixes, it’s outdated, inefficient, and about as stable as a grenade on a bumpy road. Filtration systems? Oh, those are as reliable as Claptrap attempting stealth. Picture this: ‘I’M THE GREATEST ROBOT ALIVE!’ followed by dubstep blaring loud enough to summon every extraterrestrial organism with a bad attitude—and mouths so full of teeth they’d make a great white shark look for a new dentist.”
Rooftop Solar and CUC’s 15-Kilowatt Cap
“Ah, rooftop solar—the ray of hope dimmed by CUC’s restrictive 15-kilowatt cap.
It’s as if the grid’s as fragile as Claptrap’s ego. Want energy independence? Sure, but only if you’ve got pockets deep enough to pay for extra panels, specialized circuits, and enough batteries to make Elon Musk blush. And when the duct tape melts, the fumes rise, and the alarms start screaming, they’re not just beeping—they’re shouting Klingon verses of Hamlet. Why settle for basic warnings when you can have alarms debating Shakespearean honor?”
This especially holds true as for decades , Ofreg’s decisions and recommendations were nothing short as to be little else than CUC’s strong arm !
The Starlink Ban: Peak Claptrap Logic
“And then there’s OfReg—the Claptrap of regulatory bodies. Their pièce de résistance? Banning Starlink ‘to protect the consumer.’ On an island with no consumer protection laws!
Because why let people access affordable, high-speed internet when you can preserve Flow’s monopoly—the internet equivalent of Claptrap juggling grenades with clawless appendages. Slow? Sure. Frustrating? Absolutely. Slimy? Enough that even an alien predator would call it a bad day.”
Claptrap’s ‘Perfect’ Date
“Oh, and speaking of misery, let’s talk about Claptrap’s romantic side. His idea of a perfect date? A candlelit evening at Mount Trashmore, where he waxes poetic about discarded appliances. ‘You’ve never seen true beauty until you’ve seen the sun set over a mountain of garbage!’ And his seduction lines? Classics like, ‘Babe, I’d overload my circuits for you!’ or, ‘If love’s a program, I’m running at maximum bandwidth!’
Entertaining? Sure—if you enjoy watching small trash avalanches and occasional localized black holes. Claptrap’s attempts at romance are the kind of thing you can’t look away from—but only because they’re terrifying in the most unique way possible.”
The Plea for Sanity:
“I sincerely hope that the new nominee will reconsider OfReg’s previous decisions and mistakes—some of which might as well have been drafted by Claptrap himself—and also work to reduce the sheer amount of redundancy and red tape currently strangling the green energy sector. Perhaps they’ll bring some much-needed sanity to the darkest corners of our regulatory bodies.
Though, to be honest, the chances of that happening seem as slim as my willingness to continue my relationship with Claptrap—at a safe distance, which, more often than not, is measured in parsecs.”
Nice guy, but after many years as a civil servant,
“Robust energy” is unlikely to be a feature.
Another retired pensioner promoted beyond their ability and comprehension levels to a demanding full-time career post requiring evolving dynamic industry knowledge and specialist expertise. OfReg is supposed to be much more than the regulator for Energy, it’s also Telecom and the ICTA. Can we not do better? Was recruitment for this post tendered/advertised properly, or at all? We have the highest telecom rates in the world, and cellular is still serving up archaic data speeds on decade+ old 3G networks.
There are multiple Executive Directors – this one was for the Energy sector.
Another impotent yes man and most likely Lodge member. From one redundant position to the next, why is this position always filled with retired, malleable has bins with too many local connections?
Ofreg / the old boys club for retired civil servants already getting pensions & free medical, plus their friends on highly inflated salaries, achieving nothing.