UK public auditor to lead local office
Newly appointed Cayman Islands Auditor General Susan Winspear
(CNS): A long serving British civil servant who has been part of the management team at the UK’s National Audit Office has been appointed as Cayman’s new auditor general. The governor’s office revealed that Sue Winspear has been appointed and has accepted the post following the departure last year of Alastair Swarbrick. Winspear is currently an executive leader at Britain’s public audit office and has 30 years of financial and auditing experience.
In her current job, which she will leave later this year to come to Cayman in July, she has responsibility for about 200 directors and audit staff, leading the financial audit, value for money studies, investigations and other assurance work in the government departments of Health, Education and Local Government. She also had responsibility for external relations and communications.
According to a release from the governor’s office, Winspear previously held director general roles in the department for education and the department for communities and local government, reporting to Sir Bob Kerslake, who was at the time permanent secretary and head of the UK’s civil service. For most of her career Ms Winspear has worked in a political environment and has regularly attended the UK Public Accounts Committee, the release said.
The interview panel comprised Governor Helen Kilpatrick; Dan Scott, Regional Managing Partner for Ernst and Young; Karie Bergstrom, Chief Operating Officer at Maples and Calder; and Martin Sinclair, retired Assistant Auditor General at the UK National Audit Office. The governor said she was pleased that the selection process was complete and Winspear had accepted the position.
“The role of auditor general is critical to ensuring government is held to account and for maintaining public confidence. I am confident that Ms Winspear will bring dynamic leadership to the office and will successfully support the Public Accounts Committee. Winspear’s experience and capabilities will be a great asset to the Cayman Islands,” Kilpatrick added.
Winspear said she was looking forward to working on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands.
“It is a privilege to be appointed as auditor general for the Cayman Islands and I look forward to leading the auditor general’s office for the next period and taking it from strength to strength as we play our part in helping to improve public services and financial management,” she said.
Winspear, who is a council member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and a Fellow Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians, was recruited after an open recruitment campaign, officials said.
The job was advertised in the Cayman Islands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. During the first phase of the selection process, six candidates were shortlisted to undertake a practical assessment and psychometric testing. Of this total, four candidates went on to the final interview stage.
Garnet Harrison will continue as the acting auditor general until Winspear takes up her role in July.
Category: Government oversight, Politics
Calling others racist & Bigots from those who built their entire Empire on the very principals of racism and bigotry that’s the British Way is it not???? Very Clever though?
Right on Brother. What have the British ever done for us?
I appreciate them putting a woman in this position. Best of luck to her.
Best Wishes to you Ms. Sinclair – and remember – talk softly – but carry the biggest *ing stick you can with you.
Who ms Sinclair is…?
I wish I was able to afford to bring Dan Duguay, Alistair Swarbrick and Susan together somewhere for an intensive long weekend discussion of tactics which will help her and prepare her for the ordeal ahead. Those two guys were bothered ceaselessly by the people who are supposed to lead us. She even LOOKS like she’s up to the job. Good luck Susan.
Another expat to get bashed ! Poor woman. I would turn in heal and hot foot back home before you are blamed for all the countries woes!
Was she warned that her reports will be ignored by the local political clique and that a Minister rejected queries from those born outside the islands with racist language and the Premier did nothing about it?
Was she told about the large amount of UK Citizens who are working here and believe that they are more entitled than the locals , and that they are not declaring their true earnings to the UK tax authorities? Yet they call us corrupt, its just that they are a little slicker at hiding their activities.
Now, Mr/Ms Ignorant, do tell us, and I really looking forward to your answer, why a UK citizen resident in the Cayman Islands and who spends less than 90 days a year in the UK would have taxable earnings on their Cayman income. Do tell us. Or are you just spouting inflammatory prejudice from a point of total ignorance?
You must be a wannabe yank
Being ignorant is one thing but wearing it like a badge with pride is just too much.
It is ironic that you have almost supported all those criticisms that you claim are made against the locals with your own post!
Awesome dude.
@ 9.37am Why not spell it out, Ozzie had with a Caymanian civil servant (with Cayman Status) and insulted her, which really upset a lot of expats since she was after all still an expat. Why not tell her that had it been a native Caymanian civil servant,that they would have kept quiet. I hope you realize that by failing to acknowledge that she is Caymanian, you are no better than Ozzie and you are also a bigot.
Best of luck, Susan. Obviously you will have done your homework and know what it is you are getting into. Clearly you relish a challenge.but most important of all must have a great sense of humour! God bless you.
Martin Sinclair UK audit office “retired”on panel deciding Susan Winspear UK audit office Wow!!!! Good Governance No Conflict there once you are British i guess?????? That is equivalent to Alden voting Kurt to eat turtle meat or Stew beef and leaving something on the plate for Wayne. Only a PPM government running Cayman can this type of foolishness go on?
Dee Brown ,how shortsighted or simply biased you are. I guess it was PPM that picked the last two Auditors General that were so disliked by your buddy McKeeva.
I guess she will find out soon enough how toxic Cayman is. Good luck Miss Susan. My advice is never to read the blogs or listen to Rooster or other local stations. The racism is scary.
I am sure she has seen and heard the racism in the UK? Obviously you haven’t travelled much
Rooster would be closed down in the UK.
8.27 What racism? I’ve lived in the UK and I’ve never seen/heard any sort of racist behaviour. (I’m caymanian)
Never at this level.
To 8.17 I guess she will find out that the bigger portion of this racism is generated by a number ofher countrymen, who bring their arrogance and bigotry here and look down their noses at the locals.
Good luck. She should be aware that local corruption is rampant and the politicians do nothing about it because they are scared of losing votes and that when the local press ran a story about corruption the current administration tried to censor the press by withdrawing all public funds on advertising to send a clear message that anyone who challenged the widespread corruption would lose out economically.
I am sure that she will discover that there is some corruption here as in other locations, and certainly not confined to Caymanians. One look at this weeks top story will give her a clue.
You mean the story in which Jeff Webb, corrupt Caymanian, says he is sorry he was caught?
Which one? The local guy who pulled a gun on cops and is now on the loose with a gun?
To 7.45 am You should have simply said that there is some corruption locally but that it is not confined to locals. In fact with a few exceptions, the majority of the largest crimes have been carried out by expats. What the PPM did was to remind The Compass Editorial Board (the Legges) that freedom of the press does not mean freedom to insult and demean persons that they might not like.(Since the ban has been removed I take it that Board members apologized to Alden).
that is rich given that a certain minister was free to insult and demean a colleague and got away with it.
Really? Pray tell how expats can corrupt the Cayman coffers? It wasn’t an expat who went gambling and got away with it? Can certain politicos and civil servants explain where they got their cash from?
Excellent !! A firery red head is exactly who we need to keep our politicians and senior civil servants in line from wasting tax payers money !!
Madam, please keep you eyes closely on those government credit cards, those governments contracts and issuing of purchase orders.
Interesting! Her pay band in her job in the UK was !55,000 pounds to 159,999 pounds. I hope she finds working here with all the nonsense of MLAs is worth it.
A woman –always a winner in my view. Woman are used to working for their pay rather than postering and glad slapping as so many men are wont to do — and what is more get away with.
She no doubt already has a depth of experience dealing with politicians. I am sure she will be absolutely fine.
Welcome aboard.
I’m so impressed with the calibre of recent appointments to CIG. Another highly qualified person appointed.
I take back all of my criticism about CIG not appointing women. The last few appointments have been women.
Clearly qualified. Bush will hate her.
Hope she’s been told to pack a thick skin!
Good luck Ms Winspear, you were selected by an excellent cross section of decent professionals in our community. Remember that if ever you are bullied by politicians who
Can’t get away with using the public purse as their private piggy bank.
Welcome aboard Susan. You have big boots to fill but I have no doubt that you are up to the job and like your predecessors will take no prisoners. I wish you all the best and like many residents, Caymanian or otherwise, will support you in your endeavours.
Remember Susan! These lodge members and their cohorts truly believe that these 3 islands are their private club in which, we the people are allowed to live but not to have a voice. I hope you have a fiery disposition to go with that fiery hair. Here’s to a hell of a ride for the next 3 years and beyond if you can take it.
Amen anon 8:17am and don’t forget to tell her That they believe the government is their own private bank and employment scheme for their family and cohorts.
To 8.17 I am pretty sure that she knows her people well, and Operation Tempura would certainly have reminded her.I believe those Metropolitan Police Officers and their boat trips etc showed us all. And to top it all off ,the comments from people like yourself must have her worried about the arrogance and disdain that you exhibit towards the local people.
If my comments are seen as arrogance and disdain, then they are directed straight to the very people who treat the rest of Caymanians with the very same quality. The politicians of Cayman have a total disdain, almost to a man and a couple of women, toward the non in crowd. Merchants pillaging, tax and duty breaks for the elite only make the most of Caymanians resentful. Why are we all submitting comments anonymously? We are scared of having our basic rights eroded by the very people who are elected to serve us, not to hold us in servitude.
He’ll probably chase her out of the country if she doesn’t give him back his credit card.