Mr. Russell will succeed E. George Moss the PUC’s first executive director who retires on June 30, after serving in the position over the last five years.
Mr. Russell was general manager of the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation (now BTC) from 1991 until his secondment to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as consultant in 1994. He joined Batelco in 1968 and progressed through the ranks from assistant engineer to staff engineer and deputy general manager to general manager, spanning a total of 26 years.
Mr. Russell’s academic qualifications include the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Miami in 1979, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Surrey in 1968. His professional qualifications also include completion of the Effective Chief Executive Programme from the Irish Management Institute in 1993, the Programme for Management Development from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration in 1984 and the Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance from the Association of Certified Accountants (UK) in 1980.
In addition Mr. Russell has participated in work related technical programmes including the United States Telecommunications Training Institute Senior Level Policy Training Programme at the University of Colorado, the Inmarsat Regional Conference on Mobile Satellite Communication (Brazil), and the United Nations Workshop on Space Communication for Development (Cuba).
Since its establishment in 2000 the Public Utilities Commission has enforced the Telecommunications Sector Policy in accordance with the Telecommunications Act (1999) to ensure wider choices and lower prices for consumers.
During this time the Commission has made it a priority to familiarize the public with its regulatory role and inform the public
of its activities so as to increase consumers’ understanding of their rights and their involvement in the processes of regulation.
The Public Utilities Commission is internationally recognised as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and a founding member of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR). The past five years under the leadership of E. George Moss have also been a period of continuous development and advanced training of PUC staff in regulatory matters. There is currently a staff complement of 23 persons including economists, engineers, lawyers, accountants, financial managers and other managers. And now the PUC welcomes Mr. Russell as executive director.
“We believe that Mr. Russell’s strong academics in electrical engineering, management, and accounting combined with his professional experience through the ranks in Batelco from assistant engineer to general manager have qualified him very well for the position of executive director at the PUC,” said Peter Bethel, chairman, PUC.
From: The Nassau Guardian
