#Miami, FL, May 8th, 2021 – C&W Communications (C&W), operator of Flow and BTC in the Caribbean, today announced the appointment of Susanna O’Sullivan as Vice President, North Caribbean, which includes Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos, and St. Kitts and Nevis. Ms. O’Sullivan will also join C&W’s Executive Leadership Team succeeding Garfield “Garry” Sinclair who served in the position for the last two years.
The appointment is part of an organizational shift that also includes new roles for C&W in the Dutch Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, and the South Caribbean. Of the four new positions, two will now be held by women.
Ms. O’Sullivan is an accomplished executive who started her journey with C&W in 2011 as Regional Operations Manager (B2B), then worked her way through various positions including Regional Technical Operations Manager and Senior Director, IT for C&W. In February 2020, she became the first woman in C&W to hold the title of Senior Director of Technical Operations in charge of network transformation and customer experience for both the Jamaica and Cayman Islands markets.
Inge Smidts, CEO of C&W, said, “I am delighted to appoint Susanna into this key role. She is a true testament to the wealth of talent we have within our organization and I am confident that she will bring great value to the role based on her experience and qualifications. I look forward to seeing her work with our North Caribbean team to create memorable experiences for our customers and to deliver on our business performance goals. Additionally, as we champion greater inclusion and diversity in the workplace, we are mindful of the need for more balance and female representation in our industry, and so we are committed to appointing qualified women into leadership positions.”
Ms. O’Sullivan expressed her excitement at landing the new role, commenting, “I have some big shoes to fill. Garry has been an excellent leader over the last few years for the Northern Caribbean and he has delivered exceptional results, earning the respect of his peers across the region. I know that I have Inge and Garry’s unwavering support, and the support of the other country managers and colleagues across the region, as we all work diligently to delight our customers and keep our communities connected. I am grateful to work for a company where we all have the opportunity to learn, grow, develop, and continue to take on positions with increased responsibility.”
Garry Sinclair will transition into retirement later in the year.
Smidts continued, “I don’t have enough words to express how thankful I am to Garry for all the work he has done, in Jamaica, across the Caribbean, and most recently in the North Caribbean and the Bahamas. The entire leadership team at C&W offers him our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks, and we wish him all the best as he eases into a well-deserved retirement.”
Speaking on Ms. O’Sullivan’s appointment, Mr. Sinclair said, “It is a pleasure to pass the leadership baton to her. We have an excellent team across the North Caribbean who are driven to succeed in their respective markets and are passionate about delighting our customers. Susanna has my full support as she transitions into her new role, and I have every confidence that she will bring a fresh approach to help take this team to even higher heights.”
Mr. Sinclair has had a stellar career at C&W, including seven years as the Country Manager of Flow Jamaica. He also served as President of Flow’s Caribbean Business, where he was responsible for driving the performance of fifteen Caribbean markets. Most recently, Mr. Sinclair was appointed as Vice President, North Caribbean, and CEO of C&W’s operations in the Bahamas, BTC. He helped steer BTC through a period of significant transformation including navigating the crisis and aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, before turning over the reins to Bahamian, André Foster, earlier this year.
Defence Headquarters, 17 MAR. ’24: A joint operation between the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) led to the apprehension of 50 Haitian migrants approximately 5 nautical miles west of Bell Island on Saturday, March 16th.
The operation was initiated following the initial sighting of a sailing vessel, believed to be of Haitian origin, 8 miles southwest of Staniel Cay in the Exumas. RBDF swiftly deployed air and surface assets stationed at Matthew Town Inagua, supported by Police officials in Staniel Cay who verified the sighting. The migrants were intercepted by RBDF personnel stationed at the Land and Sea Park, Wardrick Wells Exuma, and subsequently handed over to the safe boat crew. They are currently under apprehension pending further investigation, with the imminent arrival of HMBS Rolly Gray.
In response to the ongoing instability in Haiti, Commodore Raymond King has announced the implementation of a strategic blockade in the southern Bahamas. This initiative includes the deployment of six surface vessels, one aircraft, and 120 highly skilled RBDF personnel. Patrol operations will be concentrated in critical areas such as the northern coast of Haiti, the Old Bahama Channel, and the Windward Passage, with the aim of deterring unauthorized entry attempts and preserving maritime security in the region.
The effectiveness of these decisive measures is evident, with recent apprehensions totaling 247 individuals by the RBDF. Commodore Raymond E. King emphasizes the commitment to bolstering maritime security through collaborative efforts with regional partners and local law enforcement agencies.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s borders and territorial integrity, working collaboratively with regional partners.
(For further information please contact the RBDF Public Relations Department or visit our website: www.rbdf.gov.bs, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and view our Youtube channel)
A wildfire in Guyana claimed the life of a 93 year old man on Tuesday March 12th and Guyanese people are now being urged to take precautions against these unpredictable phenomena.
The Guyana Fire Service reported that the fire seemingly started on an open farmland near the Parakies Village Community (the main road) located in the North West District, where the victim, Alexander Josephine, resided.
Josephine was caught in the fire while working on his farm. Reports say he left home early at around 9 am to tend to his farm and later at about 1 pm, his family unfortunately received news he was injured during the fire and sadly died from his injuries.
Emergency officials arrived at the scene to find him lifeless and covered in burns. He was pronounced deceased after being transported to the Kumaka District Hospital.
A post-mortem examination will be performed on the deceased and an investigation into the causes of the fire is being conducted.
The fire service, in providing tips to Guyanese on how to defend against forest fires, advised that they dig trenches around their homes to direct the fires elsewhere, specifically chosen areas where it can be burned out. And, people are told to not burn garbage or grass outdoors as this is a recipe for wildfires.
They also recommend that people stay alert and have evacuation plans in place in case they fall victim to these fires at home.
Additionally, the fire service informs that wildfires are common during the dry season and that they have been fighting wildfires and large grass fires over the past two months.
Wildfires have become a major issue globally.last year, 2023, Maui Hawaii suffered what was dubbed, one of the worst wildfires in the US since 1871. Many people lost their lives; loved ones, family and friends, and many were displaced as their homes were destroyed.
The World Resources Institute in an August 2023 article says recent data reveals that wildfires are becoming more widespread, worsened by climate change, “burning nearly twice as much tree cover today as they did 20 years ago.”
The National Security Ministry is looking to expand the national closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance programme ‘JamaicaEye’.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, made the disclosure at the Standing Finance Committee meeting at Gordon House on Thursday (March 7).
JamaicaEye falls under Plan Secure Jamaica, which is geared towards creating a safe, secure, cohesive and just society, thereby providing an environment for increased and sustained growth and prosperity.
“JamaicaEye… we are expanding, but it has some challenges with the private sector. The security issue is that most of our connection, especially in the residential areas, are what we call the variable internet protocol (IP), and it is difficult to connect variable IP to the central system,” he pointed out.
Dr. Chang said that while it a cheaper system to use “and companies have used that in all the residential communities, it is posing as a challenge”.
“We are having discussion to see how we can overcome that, and the technical teams involved are looking at how we can… get that part of the programme going. In the meantime, we are expanding across the country, and we also ensure that the legal side of it is clear to the residents,” he indicated.
Jamaicans interested in connecting to JamaicaEye can register online at https://jamaicaeye.gov.jm/.
To participate, persons should have camera systems that are outside the home or business and face a public space; that can be connected to the Internet; have an IP-based system, preferably, although persons with older cameras will not be excluded; and have a resolution of two megapixels or higher.