Tourism board appointments made

THE new board of the Trinidad Tourism Ltd (TTL) were given their letters of appointment on Wednesday.

Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell presented the board with their Instrument of Appointment at the first meeting of the new Board of Directors. The new board, led by former tourism minister Howard Chin Lee, took over after the previous board led by Janelle Penny Commissiong collapsed following the controversial dismissal of the then CEO Camille Campbell.

One week ago, Cabinet took the decision to “reconstitute” the board, who at that time was unable to function when over half the members resigned. The members of the board remaining after the exodus, Commissiong, Neil Mohammed, Heather McIntosh-Simon and Joanna Welch-Gittens. They were replaced with Chin Lee; Natania Mack, deputy chairman; Avalaughn Huggins, Terrance Bhagwatsingh, Shezrae Nesbitt, Lesley-Ann Assee, Brian Lewis, Devon Seale and Shivana Inalsingh.

The embattled board had 11 members and became embroiled in a legal tiff and internal fighting after Campbell was fired. Four days after being dismissed, she sent a pre-action protocol letter threatening to sue for wrongful dismissal.

Chin Lee, after being appointed was asked about impasse between the former board and its CEO, said: “I have to discuss this with the minister and the board to understand the situation and correct and mend all legal and other issues.”

The Commissiong led board effectively collapsed after seven of the 11 members resigned, saying the board was odious and abhorrent and had short-sighted leadership. The resignations began two days after the board had a heated ten-hour-long meeting on July 17. At that meeting acting CEO Heidi Alert was appointed.

Campbell was fired on July 1 on the basis of a June 28 board decision, after a final assessment. Added to that, the board, according to Commissiong, sought and received legal advice from industrial relations consultant Lennox Marcelle.

The dismissal got the attention of the Prime Minister, who said Government needed to address the issue. The matter was discussed at Cabinet some time later, but the only action came after the board members resigned.