Ministerial Statement by the Minister of Tourism, Transport and Municipalities, Sen. the Hon. Michael Fahy JP
Madam President, you may recall recently that there were questions raised in another place about the status of the search for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA). As Minister with responsibility for the BTA, I wanted to provide the Senate and those listening via radio, the status of this search as of today.
Senate is reminded that the BTA is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for the island with a mandate to drive demand and desire for Bermuda globally as a world-class destination for leisure vacations, business travel and tourism investment.
Madam President, in accordance with Section 6, of the Bermuda Tourism Authority Act 2013, the Board shall, after consultation with the Minister, appoint a Chief Executive Officer. Among the many qualifications of this candidate, they shall hold suitable qualifications and experience in management, finance and the travel and tourism sectors.
For the past few years, Mr. Bill Hanbury has been at the helm as the CEO of the BTA and has provided solid leadership – as well as made tremendous progress in promoting Bermuda as a tourism destination to get us back on the minds of travellers.
Madam President, you will recall Mr. Hanbury’s contract was for a three year term which effectively comes to an end in December of this year. As such, the Board of the BTA is taking the necessary steps to secure his successor.
To that end, Madam President, the BTA has hired the Bermudian firm, Performance Solutions Limited, to manage the search for a new CEO.
Performance Solutions has 16 years of experience in the Bermuda market as a boutique, full-service human resources consulting firm. It has successfully partnered with local and international companies to support talent acquisition needs across all levels and across a multitude of sectors, including hospitality and tourism.
Performance Solutions is committed to working on behalf of the Board to ensure a fair and transparent search process which I will outline below. An Executive Committee of the Board of Directors has been formed to lead the search process, and the final decision on a CEO candidate will rest with the entire Board.
It should be noted Madam President, that the timelines I will provide are approximate and may need to be adjusted as the search progresses. With that background, I would like to walk Colleagues through Performance Solutions' three phased process;
Phase I
- Kick-off meeting with BTA Selection Committee to discuss process and project plan
- Meetings with key internal and external stakeholders to include BTA CEO, C- Suite and Directors, BTA Board Members, Bermuda Hotel Association, Bermuda Business Development Agency, and Government
- Prepare job advertisement and finalize with BTA Selection Committee
- Advertise beginning July 18 across print and online platforms (including the Bermuda Job Board) and begin targeted outreach
- Interested persons will have until August 8th 2016 to apply
- Begin receiving applications from candidates
Phase II
- Begin initial candidate screening process. Provide BTA Selection Committee with an overview of all candidates
- First-round internal and external candidate interviews to be completed by Performance Solutions. Present initial candidate assessments to the BTA Selection Committee for consideration
- Develop candidate shortlist in conjunction with BTA Selection Committee
- Arrange interviews with BTA Selection Committee and short listed candidates.
Phase III
- Administer leadership assessment to short listed candidates
- Commence background checks on short listed candidates
- Provide BTA Selection Committee with detailed overview of final candidates
- Arrange interviews with the full BTA Board to meet with final candidates
- Complete background check on BTA Board selected candidate
- Extend offer and finalize contract
- Assist with orientation and onboarding for new hire
- Provide 30, 60, 90 day transition support to BTA and new CEO
Madam President, based on this information it is envisaged that the CEO search process should conclude this summer with the intention of identifying a final CEO candidate by October 1. As mentioned previously, the period of transition will transpire after that date between the existing CEO (Mr. Hanbury) and the new CEO and it is hoped that the new CEO will be permanently in place by January 1, 2017.
Thank you, Madam President