Woody Foster has been appointed as the new chairman of the Commission for Standards in Public Life.
Acting Governor Franz Manderson on Tuesday announced Foster’s chairmanship and the appointment of three new members to the board, which is tasked with upholding standards of integrity and accountability in public service.
The new members include lawyer Tonicia Williams; Jay Ehrhart, who spent more than two decades in the media and tourism industries in Cayman; and retired accountant Diana Deopersad. Insolvency expert Keith Blake has been reappointed for a second term.
A press release announcing the appointments noted that Foster, managing director of Foster’s supermarket and a member of the Foster Group board of directors, is a respected community leader who serves on multiple boards, including Caribbean Utilities Company, and chairs LIFE (Literacy Is For Everyone) Ltd.
Foster was first appointed as a member of the Commission of Standards in Public Life on 21 Oct. last year for a four-year term. He was subsequently appointed chairman on 1 May this year until the end of his tenure.
“I am excited to lead this distinguished team and make a meaningful difference in driving up standards and accountability in public life,” Foster said. “I look forward to working with my fellow members to ensure we drive and uphold the highest standards of governance in the Cayman Islands.”
Williams, a senior associate in litigation and restructuring at Conyers, was called to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2014. She served as deputy chairperson of the Cayman Islands National Minimum Wage Committee in 2023 and has volunteered extensively with local charities. Her term on the commission is effective 1 May 2025 for a four-year term.
Ehrhart, a retired civil servant with more than 20 years of service to the Cayman Islands across public relations, media, and tourism sectors, most recently served as executive director of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and previously held senior roles with the Department of Tourism and Radio Cayman. He was appointed to the commission on 11 Dec. 2024 for a four-year term.
Deopersad is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants with 20 years of external-audit and fund-administration experience in the Cayman Islands financial services industry. The release noted that she is recently retired from her accounting career and eager to apply her expertise to improve governance standards. She was appointed to the commission on 7 July 2025 for a four-year term.
Blake is recently retired from a career in insolvency and restructuring, with more than 20 years in the Cayman Islands. He is a former senior director with Alvarez & Marsal and was previously with KPMG. He has been re-appointed to the commission for a second four-year term from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2029.
In the release, Manderson said, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of four outstanding individuals to our important Commission for Standards in Public Life. Each appointee brings distinct expertise and a proven dedication to public service, which will enhance the CSPL’s essential role in upholding integrity and accountability across our public institutions.”
Register of Interests now open
The Commission for Standards in Public Life also reminded all individuals in public life that the annual declaration period for the Register of Interests is now open.
Under the Standards in Public Life Act 2020, all qualifying individuals must submit their annual declaration of interests, assets, income and liabilities.
Those declarations, which are due 1-30 July, must be made by all public officers at head of department level and above, board members of statutory authorities and government companies, elected and official members of Parliament, and other designated positions.
New post-holders are required to submit their declarations within 90 days of assuming office, while those with changes in circumstances must declare within 30 days.
Declarations can be submitted via the Commission for Standards in Public Life online portal.
For more information email [email protected] or call 244-3685.
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