Lawyer Sharon Roulstone has been appointed as the next Cayman Islands Ombudsman, becoming the first Caymanian to hold that position.
Roulstone, who will officially take up the role on Monday, 4 April, is currently the deputy Ombudsman (Complaints Division).
In a statement, Roulstone said, “The role of the Ombudsman is integral to a democratic society. Fundamentally, it applies the rule of law to hold Government accountable to the people it serves. Within our jurisdiction, we investigate complaints of maladministration, complaints against the police, data protection, whistleblower protections and Freedom of Information appeals.
“I look forward to leading this important work to ensure that the people of the Cayman Islands have access to impartial, procedurally fair, and confidential investigations of their complaints. I am grateful to the Governor and the panel for their confidence in appointing me to this post and I look forward to serving my country in this new capacity.”
Roulstone will take over the role from Jan Liebaers, who has been the acting Ombudsman since the departure of Sandy Hermiston. She left the position earlier this year to take up the job of Ombudsman in Prince Edward Island in her native Canada, after four-and-a-half years in the role.
In a statement announcing her appointment, Governor Martyn Roper, who chaired the recruitment panel, said Roulstone’s “professional achievements, integrity and passion impressed the panel who unanimously agreed that she was well suited to take on this important role as leader of an oversight body and champion of good governance within these Islands”.
He added, “Ms. Roulstone underlined that her focus will be on continuing to build the Office of the Ombudsman and making it more accessible to the public it serves. Ms. Roulstone is the first Caymanian to take up the position of Ombudsman. As Governor, I am keen to see more Caymanians taking up the top positions in our jurisdiction. I congratulate Ms. Roulstone on taking up this important role.”
Also on the recruitment panel that chose Roulstone were Portfolio of the Civil Service Chief Officer Gloria McField-Nixon, Patricia Estwick and David Ritch, who were nominated by Premier Wayne Panton and Leader of the Opposition Roy McTaggart, respectively.
According to a brief biography included in the press release announcing the appointment, Roulstone possesses a bachelor of law (hons.) degree and a master’s degree in international finance from the University of Liverpool. She was a founding partner of Turner & Roulstone law firm and subsequently managed her own private law practice, RoulstoneLaw.
She also has served on a number of statutory bodies, including the Central Planning Authority, the Work Permit Board, the Civil Service Appeals Commission, the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands and CINICO.
In addition, she was the interim director of WORC from 2018 to 2020, during the transition of the former Immigration Department and the National Workforce Development Agency into the new department of Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman.
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