A crucial government role left vacant for three years has been filled after Cherie Whitter, the Head of the Public Service, welcomed two new senior management executives.

Chidozie Ofoego was named the new Financial Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.

He will permanently fill the post as a full-time successor to Anthony Manders, who died in January 2021, aged 59.

Jennifer Attride-Stirling has been appointed the Deputy Head of the Public Service.

Mr Ofoego will be responsible for the finance ministry’s headquarters, Accountant-General’s department, the Department of Social Insurance, the Office of the Tax Commissioner, Customs tariff and duty collection, and the Registrar of Companies.

He will also work under the policy direction of David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance.

Mr Ofoego graduated from Imperial College London with a master’s degree in business administration with distinction, and holds directorship positions on several of the college’s commercial subsidiaries.

He has previous experience working in the London Borough of Hounslow, all before moving back to Imperial College London to work as its Director of Financial Reporting and Planning.

Mr Ofoego also volunteered as a trustee for the Howard Partnership Trust, which gave him oversight of 13 schools in the South East of England.

His appointment became effective on Monday, following on from Cheryl-Ann Lister, who had been serving in an acting capacity, but whose retirement was announced in February.

Ms Lister will stay on as a senior adviser to the Minister of Finance and Mr Ofoego during this transitional period.

Dr Attride-Stirling will serve under the policy direction of Ms Whitter, the Head of the Public Service.

She will be responsible for overseeing administrative policy development, updating relevant regulations and procedures, improving performances, developing the capacity of the service and enabling innovation.

She will also assist with the Government’s union negotiations and disciplinary hearings, as well as helping to implement the updated Public Service Reform Strategy.

Last year, Dr Attride-Stirling helped the Ministry of Finance undertake special projects before being appointed the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Economy and Labour.

Before these roles, she served as the Permanent Secretary of Culture and Sport from 2021 to 2022.

Dr Attride-Stirling was also the Chief Strategist for the Ministry of Health from 2019 to 2020 and the Permanent Secretary of Health from 2015 to 2019.

Some of her most notable tasks include overseeing the strategic development and publication of key policies, such as the National Sport Policy, Youth Policy and the Bermuda Health Strategy.

She was also the chief executive of the Bermuda Health Council from 2009.

Dr Attride-Stirling received her doctoral degree in 1998 from the London School of Economics.

She also has an Executive Diploma in Strategic Management from the Chartered Management Institute in the UK and completed certifications in executive leadership from the Harvard School of Public Health.