A financial services specialist has been appointed as the chairman of the board for senior citizens advocacy and support charity Age Concern.

Tanya Bule is head of wealth and personal banking at HSBC Bermuda and has experience in financial management and sustainability.

The charity has also promoted Mercedes Pringle-DeSilva to the position of interim executive director, replacing Claudette Fleming, who announced her retirement from the charity earlier this year.

Ms Bule was an independent financial services consultant in the Middle East, a consultant in the technology sector, as well as sales and leasing specialist within the telecoms industry.

Ms Bule said: “When I returned home to Bermuda in 2015, I was struck by the work that Age Concern was doing within the community to provide support and an active voice to the ageing population of Bermuda.

“I am keen to ensure that as Bermuda evolves its approach to ageing in Bermuda that Age Concern is at the table advocating and supporting our community to achieve positive outcomes”

Ms Bule is replacing former chairman Linda Smith who served as chairman for 12 years and played a significant role in successfully shepherding Age Concern through years of financial difficulties as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Smith will remain with Age Concern as a standard board member.

Ms Pringle-Desilva holds a bachelor of honours in psychology from Queen’s University in Ontario and first joined Age Concern in 2019 as a volunteer.

She was soon hired as fund development associate in 2020.

Over the following two years, Ms Pringle-DeSilva was promoted to programme co-ordinator and was responsible for overseeing Age Concern’s client services department.

She said: “I love Age Concern’s mission and I am thrilled for the opportunity to assist our community in a greater capacity.

“I am extremely proud of the work Age Concern has done and look forward to leading our team in continuing to make the lives of our older adult population more equitable, engaging and brighter.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the public to enhance the holidays for our seniors. Thoughtfully involve the older ones in your lives and, if you can, consider donating your residual funds in the remaining year to Age Concern to assist those seniors in need.

“The challenges facing our ageing population regarding costs of living increases are not going away. There is an ever-increasing need for funds to assist them.”

Dr Fleming was executive director for the charity for 22 years.

For more information about Age Concern, visit www.ageconcern.bm or call 238-7525 between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Friday.