NASSAU| The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) announces the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Stephen Bereaux, effective 29 February 2020. As CEO and an Executive Member of URCA’s Board, Mr. Bereaux has been ultimately responsible for the growth and development of the organization since March 2017. He has been pivotal in building local Bahamian regulatory capacity through aggressive training and mentorship, ensuring the effective operation of URCA and execution of its mandate, and the leveraging of relationships with key international bodies.
Under his leadership as CEO, URCA oversaw the entry and development of competition in the mobile market, and embarked upon a period of growth and reorganization as it assumed responsibility for regulation of The Bahamas’ Electricity Sector. Internationally, URCA successfully led The Bahamas’ efforts in two major international election bids and as a result The Bahamas is now a member of the governing Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL). Through URCA, The Bahamas now has a seat at the regional and international bodies with responsibility for decisions and setting of rules that impact the development and management of telecommunications and information and communications technologies (ICTs) worldwide.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mr. Bereaux served as URCA’s Director of Policy and Regulation (2012 through 2015) and Director of Electronic Communications (2016 to 2017). In that capacity he was responsible for leading URCA’s regulatory team in its work in, inter alia, the liberalization of the cellular mobile market, introduction of fixed and mobile number portability, and the introduction and implementation of URCA’s Consumer Protection Regulations.
The outgoing CEO joined URCA in 2010 as senior case officer following a career as a law practitioner in London and Hong Kong, and a telecommunications regulator in Trinidad and Tobago. URCA wishes Mr. Bereaux every success as he takes on a new role at the Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT) of the ITU.
URCA will now embark on a transparent and competitive leadership recruitment exercise. In the interim, from 1 March 2020 the Director of Utilities and Energy, Mr. Shevonn Cambridge will serve as CEO in an acting capacity for three months. The public will be advised and updated of URCA’s transition plans moving forward.
