Top Leadership Shakeup at Grenada and Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment Programs
Grenada’s CIU advertises that it has an open job position to fill; that of CEO. Meanwhile, Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission has a new Secretary General, who informs stakeholders in a circular issued yesterday that the former Secretary General, as well as the Chairman of the Citizenship Office and Commission, have already moved on.
In a job listing published originally on Monday in local newspapers, Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment Unit invites suitable candidates to apply for the position of Chief Executive Officer. Those interested must apply by email no later than by October 20th.
Upon taking office in July, Grenada’s new government embarked on the work of replacing the leadership of many public bureaus and state-owned companies, a process that extended to the Citizenship by Investment Unit and Citizenship by Investment Commission, the latter of which saw an entirely new board appointed. While the board composition changed relatively quickly, the executive leadership of the CIU had remained largely unchanged until this month. It now appears that the newly appointed board has decided to change the Unit’s management as well, as it is not merely hiring a new CEO but also a slew of new operations managers.
In Vanuatu, Secretary General of the Citizenship Office and Commission Denny Virahake Gaua this week issued a circular to “inform all that the Acting Secretary General Mrs. Nanise Lapi and former Chairman of the Citizenship Commission Mr. Ronald Warsal are no longer working as employees at the Citizenship Office and Commission. They have cease [sic] to hold office as of 30th of September 2022. I have since 03th [sic] of October 2022, resume [sic] my duties as Secretary General. So please contact me via email and or letters for matters concerning the Citizenship Office and Commission.”
The circular did not mention who would be replacing Mr. Ronald Warsal who, during his 2.5-year tenure at the helm of Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission, oversaw the highest-grossing years of Vanuatu’s two CIPs. Whoever succeeds him will be hard-pressed to match his predecessor’s numbers, considering the expected decline in revenue following the European Council’s suspension of visa-free access for Vanuatu passport holders.