Ministry of Border Control & Labour Adds Senior Staff

The Ministry of Border Control & Labour has bolstered its human resources talent by confirming a new Deputy Chief Officer and two (2) Senior Policy Officers.

Danielle Roberts was the successful candidate out of thirteen (13) Caymanians who applied for the senior role of Deputy Chief Officer and was confirmed on 1 May 2023.

No stranger to the Civil Service Mrs. Roberts has worked for the Cayman Islands Government for sixteen (16) years starting in 2007 with the then Ministry of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports, & Culture. There she was instrumental in running the Education Council Scholarship Programme until 2014, and then, after it became the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs, transitioned to the Education Strategy Officer role, where her responsibilities included managing policy development and renewal, drafting policies and writing Cabinet Notes and Papers, and developing education briefs, among other duties.

Mrs. Roberts has a Master of Business Administration with a Leadership stream from the University of Liverpool and a Bachelor’s in Communications Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also holds a Project Management Qualification (PMQ) from the Association of Project Management. Having completed the necessary training, she is also the Data Protection leader for the Ministry. New Senior Policy Officer Rolna DaCosta joined the Ministry on 1 July 2023 having previous experience as a Senior Policy Officer in the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce. Ms. DaCosta has over eighteen (18) years of experience in various areas of public sector and financial services including policy development, fund administration, and financial services regulation. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a double major in Management and Marketing from the University of Houston. She completed a professional certification and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist. Most notable projects completed include creating the legal framework and registration of the Securities Investment Business (Amendment) Act, 2019, the Foundation Companies Act, the Limited Liability Companies Act, and the Private Funds Act.

Mr. Hislop has been with the Ministry of Border Control & Labour for the past six (6) years and was promoted from Senior Business Analyst to Senior Policy Officer effective 1 May 2023. He started in the Ministry in 2017 as a Research Officer and two (2) years later progressed through the ranks to become a Senior Business Analyst, a position he held from 2019 to most recently. Mr. Hislop was instrumental in procuring the new Customs & Border Control (CBC) high-tech scanner used to inspect cargo containers and recently assisted Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) in the procurement process for vendors to facilitate their training and development programmes. His hard work and leadership style have earned him recognition within the Civil Service having been awarded the Shining Star Award and Chief Officer Choice

Award in 2018 and the Chief Officer Choice Award in May 2023. Mr. Hislop holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Political Science from the University of Guelph and completed a Master’s Certification in Business Analysis from Sprott School of Business at Carleton University in 2022. He also holds a Project Management Qualification (PMQ) from the Association of Project Management which he completed in 2020.

Chief Officer Wesley Howell stated: “I am pleased to work and lead such a strong team of talented Caymanians whereby each of them brings great experience and knowledge. They are truly an asset to the Civil Service and will be an added complement to the Ministry’s Policy team.”