CIAA Honors Long Serving Staff

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA), which owns and operates the Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) and the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA), recently honored its long-serving staff at ORIA and CKIA in awards ceremonies held during the Authority’s Christmas parties at the Marriott Beach Resort in Grand Cayman and the Brac Reef in Cayman Brac.

The CIAA currently employs 200 staff members and seeks to achieve excellence through encouraging effective communication, enhancing employment relations, fostering a culture of learning, ensuring compliance with best practices of people management and implementing staff incentives and productivity schemes. As part of this strategic vision, the Authority first implemented an Employee Recognition Programme several years ago to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of its long-serving employees and to attract and retain local talent.

The Programme was revitalized in 2017 with the appointment of a diverse Rewards & Recognition Committee. The Committee is empowered to coordinate a host of supporting events and initiatives to assist with the recruitment and retention of talent for the CIAA and to recognize its long-serving employees.

Twenty-eight long service employees were celebrated at the ceremonies, including 15 for five years, five for 10 years, four for 15 years and four with 35 or more years of service. Each was awarded with a commemorative gift and a cash prize. The five-year long-service recipients were Nicholas Johnson, Tashaena Young, Tashiana Ffrench-Gonzalez, Santa Ritch, Carlos Rizo, Lex Scott, Stephen Harris, Melantha Wright, John Barron, Tammy Bush, Andrene Myles, Melissa King, Howard Tomlinson, Mark Danziger and Heber Ebanks. The 10-year long-service recipients were Jason Giddings, Robert Smith, Barbara Wilson, Ivis Matute and Wayne DaCosta. Employees with 15 years of long service were Donna Conolly, Jeffery Watson, Heikie Conolly and Joshua Burke, and those celebrating 35 or more years were Ollen McLaughlin, Neville Lynch, Kenneth Lewis and Laurie Farrington.

Chief Human Resources Officer Mario Ebanks remarked, “We believe that our people are our greatest assets, an extension of the Authority’s core values and purpose, and we are honored to celebrate those who have continuously brought commitment and dedication to their important work at the airports every single day. This Long Service Awards recognition is only a start as in 2018 the Rewards & Recognition Committee will enthusiastically pursue a host of other innovative strategies to motivate and engage staff towards the Vision and Mission of the CIAA.”