WASA acting CEO to be axed

KAY-MARIE FLETCHER

Senior Reporter

[email protected]

The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Kelvin Romain, is among several executive members to be replaced in the coming weeks.

This was confirmed by Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales yesterday, as he said WASA’s transformation process is moving full steam ahead. Gonzales also revealed that Romain’s replacement will not be a national of T&T.

Speaking to Guardian Media at the Ministry of Public Utilities (MPU) head office in Port-of- Spain, Gonzales said the authority needed someone with a proven track record of transforming a water utility company, but not many people in T&T have that experience.

A total of nine new managers have been hired at WASA thus far and will come on board soon. He also assured all non-managerial workers that there would not be any more job cuts at the lower level just yet.

Gonzales said, “We are focusing right now on the leadership structure because all the reports would have indicated that it is too cumbersome. It is too large, and that is impeding the work of the authority, so the focus on this part of the transformation is restructuring the leadership of the organisation.

“The positions were being advertised within WASA, locally, regionally, and internationally. All of the persons who would have applied for jobs competed with very experienced people, because remember, it is a transformation, and very few people have experience in transforming and engaging in that wide-scale transformation of a water utility company.”

Gonzales also said that in addition to the nine new managers, WASA will soon be seeking to employ 34 deputy managers, which will include internal promotions.

At present, in addition to Romain, WASA’s executives include acting director, Customer Care Natasha Andrews; acting director, Operations Shaira Ali; acting director, Corporate Services Allison Elcock; acting director, Human Resources Marielle Hilaire; acting director, Finance Giselle Spence; acting head wastewater projects Daren Gazee; and acting head water projects Shawn Salandy.