Prime Minister Dr the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell extends heartfelt congratulations to Grenada’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Timothy Antoine, on his appointment as the new Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
Antoine has succeeded the longstanding Governor, Sir K Dwight Venner, who served from 1989 until he retired in November of 2015.
Timothy Antoine was one of the two candidates shortlisted for the position in December of 2015. The other candidate was Dr Hyginus Leon of St Lucia, a senior official of the International Monetary Fund.
Prime Minister Mitchell, who first identified the potential of a young Timothy Antoine in the late 1990s and promoted him to the post of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, has always hailed Antoine as an exemplary public servant and a cut above most.
According to Dr Mitchell, he is “ecstatic but not surprised. Timmy has obviously distinguished himself over the years, to the point where he has earned regional and international respect for his work and his integrity. He is above reproach, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. I have absolutely no doubt that he will serve to the best of his ability, and is the most suitable candidate to succeed Sir K Dwight Venner, who has been an upstanding Governor over these 26 years. Sir Dwight took the Bank through one of the toughest economic periods and must be commended for that. Timmy, for his experience, dedication and tenacity, is well-poised to take the Bank through this new era of governance.”
The Prime Minister went on to say that Mr Antoine’s new role will come at a great loss to the Finance Ministry of Grenada, but he is confident that as a region we are all winners, because “Timmy will be one of the best assets to regional development.”
GIS