Bermuda Hospitals Board Appoints Acting CEO

Updates Community on Recruitment Process

The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announced it has appointed Venetta Symonds to the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2006. Current CEO Joan Dillas-Wright will retire on March 31, 2006 after thirty years of distinguished service at BHB. A Board-appointed CEO recruitment and selection committee has recently engaged locally-based international firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assist in the selection of a permanent CEO. Mrs. Symonds’ appointment will be in effect until a permanent CEO is found.

Venetta Symonds has been a BHB employee for 26 years, and has served as Organizational Review Officer since July 2004. In this role, Mrs. Symonds oversees an organization-wide operational improvement process aimed at enabling staff to identify and implement strategies to improve performance. With a strong background in Diagnostic Imaging, Mrs. Symonds was the Director of Support Services prior to her most recent role. Mrs. Symonds holds a Bachelor’s degree in Radiologic Technology from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Arts degree in Human Resource Development from Webster University.

“I would like to thank Venetta Symonds for accepting this role until we find a permanent CEO,” said Anthony Richardson, BHB Chairman. “With her sound knowledge of hospital operations and processes, Mrs. Symonds will be an invaluable asset to us during this transitional period. We are very grateful to Mrs. Dillas-Wright for extending her initial retirement date to ensure a smooth transition, and are also appreciative of BHB’s management team for their commitment to provide continued sound leadership and support to Mrs. Symonds throughout this period.”

BHB began recruiting for a CEO in the spring of 2005, with advertisements appearing in local newspapers and international media in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and the United States. Although numerous applications were received and interviews conducted, the recruitment process was not finalized successfully. Since then, a new Board-appointed committee has re-evaluated its recruitment strategy and engaged PWC to assist in the search for a permanent CEO.

Mrs. Symonds notes, “This is an exciting professional opportunity for me. I look forward to working with the management team and all BHB staff in this capacity until a permanent CEO is identified.”

The permanent CEO will be joining BHB at a critical time as the hospitals focus on constant improvement in patient care; recruiting and retaining skilled workers amid a global shortage; succeeding in an increasingly competitive healthcare market; and moving forward with the estate master plan for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

BHB will provide updates as appropriate regarding the selection of a permanent CEO.

Photo: Venetta Symonds, Acting CEO (effective April 1, 2006)

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