CHAWA WILLIAMS APPOINTED AS DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRETARY

#TurksandCaicos, July 1, 2023 – The Office of Deputy Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands is pleased to announce Ms. Chawa Williams’s appointment to Deputy Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, effective 1 July 2023.

Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Law Degree with Honours from the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom, and a Post Graduate Diploma in the Bar Vocational Course obtained from BPP Law School, London, United Kingdom. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales, and the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2003.

Ms. Williams joined the service in 2003 as a Crown Counsel with the Attorney General’s Chambers. She served in this capacity for approximately seven (7) years and specialized in Immigration, Commercial, and Criminal matters. Ms. Williams played a vital role in providing eligibility issues for British Overseas Territories Citizenship (BOTC) per the British Nationality Act.

Following a short stint away from the Public Service, Ms. Williams returned as a senior member of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Implementation Team as Deputy Value Added Tax Coordinator. This team and post were eventually merged into the Inland Revenue Department, and Ms. Williams was appointed Assistant Revenue Commissioner with direct responsibility over legal matters.

In 2013, Ms. Williams was appointed Collector of Customs, a post she held for the last ten years until this most recent promotion. During her tenure, she led the implementation of a few critical projects including but not limited to:

• Enhanced enforcement activities through the implementation of Regional Clearance System/Sailclear, a yachting tracking system, and the revamp of the Canine Programme
• Enforcement training and upskilling of front-line staff.
• Enhanced border security, including deployment of behavioral detection, led to significant seizures of prohibited and restricted goods, including illegal drugs.
• Implementation of a Governance and Accountability structure.
• Implementation of an Internal Management Assurance Programme and the Customs Department’s 5-year Strategic Plan.
• Integration of Information Technology systems SIGTAS and ASYCUDA World (JOBQUEUE) to allow for accurate and timely reconciliation and provide a complete remote-less clearance process, thereby improving efficiency and the Customer Experience.
• Established a Customs Administrative database to digitize all logs.
• Played an integral part in the most recent proposed legislative reform of the TCI Immigration and Customs Department into a Border Force Agency.
• Ms. Williams also acted as Deputy Permanent Secretary for five (5) months in 2021.

In commenting on her appointment, Ms. Williams stated:

“To my new team within the Ministry of PPID, I am pleased and eager to embrace my new role and appreciate our collective responsibility for the successful and timely implementation of our Ministry’s Key Programme Strategies year after year; this all to further government’s mandate.

I vow to continue to serve the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands with efficiency, integrity, and pride.”

Then Acting Governor and Head of the Public Service, Her Excellency Anya Williams, in extending congratulatory remarks to Ms. Williams, stated:

“It is with great pleasure that I officially congratulate Ms. Chawa Williams on her appointment as one of the two new Deputy Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development.