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Navigating tough decisions with strong leadership was the theme of the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure (CPI)’s recent biannual mini-retreat.

The retreat began with a welcome message from the Minister of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure, Hon. Joey Hew. Mr. Hew spoke to the day’s theme, reminding attendees of the importance of side-lining your emotions when taking tough decisions. He cited the proposed cruise berthing facility as an instance when strong leadership was required, in order to get past a knee-jerk emotional response and make the difficult decision.

Chief HR Officer for the Ministry of CPI Melinda Montemayor facilitated the retreat. Ms. Montemayor explained these events motivate, inform and bring staff together. She said: “I think our staff appreciate these events and enjoy engaging with our Hon. Minister, staff and senior leadership across our Ministry. It has been a pleasure working with Minister on these initiatives.”

She was joined by co-host Racquel Duhaney of the Family Resource Centre, who moderated the panel discussion. This Q&A focused on the decision-making processes behind Cayman Airways’ decision to ground its new Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet after the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash in March 2019.

The panel consisted of: Richard Smith, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority; Paul Tibbetts, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Cayman Airways; Captain Dave Scott, Vice President, Flight Operations at Cayman Airways and Ivan Forbes, Vice President, Airport Operations at Cayman Airways.

Ms. Montemayor described the panel members as “true heroes. As leaders, they work under tremendous pressure every day and the stakes are always high for them if they don’t get it right. They were able to tell us about their leadership, analysis, accountability and lessons learned during a real-life crisis, which resonated with our staff. I would like to thank the executive leadership teams at CAL and CIAA for their service and for joining us at our retreat for this very important discussion.”

The panellists were challenged on the leadership strategy underpinning the swift decision to ground the Cayman Airways Max 8 fleet; many other large national carriers soon followed the CAL example. Ultimately, the panel concluded that a decision taken with the highest public safety justification can always be defensible.

There followed lively interaction from Ministry staff and Heads of Departments. Questions ranged from the viability of Boeing’s fix for the jets to challenges for the aviation industry when it comes to reassuring an increasingly skittish travelling public.

The CPI Ministry retreats are intended to facilitate updates from Heads of Departments within the Ministry and Ministry staff. Motivational speakers and team-building activities are also organised.

The event took place at the Westin Grand Cayman.