Ex-Dart exec gets top job in premier’s office

(CNS): Pilar Bush has been appointed by Premier Wayne Panton as chief of strategy, heading up his office in a new political post that will see the former Dart executive pull together government strategic policy. Bush will attend Caucus meetings and support the work of all ministers and parliamentary secretaries to promote the strategic alignment of the PACT Government’s priorities.

She will be tasked with sustainability, forming part of the economic, social and environmental strategies, decision-making, and day-to-day operations.

In a press release about her appointment, the premier said noted the advantage of having an experienced professional help PACT, alongside senior civil servants, with planning, implementing and delivering the policy objectives.

‘With a chief of strategy in place, we can more effectively design the cohesive national strategies required to achieve PACT’s vision for our three Islands, and implement actionable plans to deliver the results we promised in our budget and Strategic Policy Statement,” said Panton.

“I am pleased that Ms Bush has agreed to serve as our chief of strategy. She has a sound understanding of the country’s economic, social and environmental needs that, when paired with her ability to facilitate strategy development, collaborating across diverse sectors to deliver high-value results, makes her an excellent fit for this role,” he said.

In a press release from the premier’s office, officials said Bush will assist ministers and parliamentary secretaries to develop and implement plans within their portfolios, and where inter-ministerial collaboration is required, to achieve key objectives.

With the addition of this new post, the premier expects the PACT Government to better leverage the unique strengths of each member of the team and benefit from the improved coordination and teamwork, officials said.

Bush, who has been in the private sector for the last 15 years, said she was honoured to have been asked to take on this job.

“I began my professional journey in the public sector,” she said. “I understand and respect the challenging circumstances under which public servants are required to operate and equally understand the elected officials’ sense of urgency to get things done.”

Bush started as a civil servant in the Department of Tourism and rose to be its director, a role she is well known for after overseeing the country’s tourism recovery and repositioning following Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

A qualified and competent professional, Bush is likely to bring a welcome shake-up to the government, which has been criticised for the evident policy clashes across ministries, especially between the premier’s own climate resilience and sustainability portfolio with the planning ministry.