Kingstown St. Vincent June 09, 2026 – Ronette Lewis has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Services (NIS) following a recommendation by the NIS Board and subsequent approval by Cabinet, Board Chairman Steven Joachim has announced.
Speaking on Boom FM’s morning programme on 8 June, Mr Joachim said Ms Lewis will assume the position on 1 July, succeeding Stewart Haynes, who informed the board of his decision to leave the organization at the end of May.
The appointment follows a recruitment exercise that attracted 54 applicants from St Vincent and the Grenadines and across the Caribbean.
According to Mr Joachim, the board engaged Human Resource Development and Talent Management Consultant Dr Janelle M.A. Allen to independently manage the recruitment process. The position was advertised through local newspapers, social media, and CaribbeanJobs.com, with applications submitted directly to Dr Allen for assessment.
After reviewing and ranking candidates, Dr Allen presented the results to a three-member selection committee established by the board. The committee examined the top candidates and conducted a further review of all applications before narrowing the field to four finalists.
Those finalists included two Vincentians, one Jamaican, and one Trinidadian. However, the Trinidadian candidate later withdrew from the process because of a family emergency.
Mr Joachim said the board focused on identifying the candidate best suited to lead the institution at its current stage of development.
He noted that while some members of the public had questioned whether the post should be filled by an actuary, the board concluded that strong leadership and management skills were the most important requirements for the role.
“The starting point is, what do we need at the NIS?” Mr Joachim said, adding that actuarial expertise remained available through staff and consultants.
The chairman explained that the board’s role was to conduct the recruitment process and recommend a candidate, while the final appointment rests with the Cabinet.
He said the board voted six to one in favor of recommending Ms Lewis and subsequently submitted its recommendation to the government.
Cabinet later approved the appointment, clearing the way for Ms Lewis to take charge of the country’s social security institution from 1 July.
Mr Joachim described the process as thorough and transparent, saying the board was satisfied that the successful candidate had emerged from a competitive and merit-based selection exercise.