BPL COO Ian Pratt will take on responsibility for all Family Island operations
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Amid a shakeup of several key executive posts at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Kyle Wilson said the changes appear to positively impact the power company’s direction and its mandate to the Bahamian people.
But he said the union will remain watchful as there still remain lingering and systemic concerns.
We have the best seat in the house to know if what is done is done in the best interest of the consumers and workers…
– BEWU President Kyle Wilson
In a February 18 memo to staff titled “Organizational changes across BPL”, the power company’s CEO, Whitney Heastie, announced that BPL COO Ian Pratt will take on responsibility for all Family Island operations, while Burlington Strachan has been promoted to acting COO of New Providence operations.
He also announced that Andrew Darville has been made acting director of generation, reporting to Strachan; and Chantell Nesbitt, who was appointed manager of Health, Safety and Environment in 2019, has been advanced to acting director of the department and will report directly to the CEO as opposed to the human resources director.
The changes will take effect on March 1, 2022.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Wilson said: “We hope that the changes are in the best interest of everybody in terms of the public, the union and the management and staff of the company.
“We hope that the proper vetting process would have taken place and that the right people were chosen for the right jobs.”
Asked if the appointments seem to be good decisions, the union president said it was still too early to tell, though it appeared that way.
“There are some concerns, but it’s too early to tell and you know, we’re going to try to do our best to work with everybody to try to relieve the issues,” he said.
“Like I always tell people, if it is not done for the people, then who is it done for?
“If it is not done in the best interest of the workers or the bill payers, then what is the purpose?
“You must understand that workers are also bill payers. We’re also consumers of electricity.
“We have the best seat in the house to know if what is done is done in the best interest of the consumers and workers…”
In the internal memo, Heastie said with the help of staff, BPL plans to strengthen its operations to deliver on its responsibility to customers.
He acknowledged that BPL has been plagued for years with reliability and service issues across The Bahamas, though he said in recent years much has been done to improve both areas.
But he said the focus must now be placed on meeting customer expectations, particularly on the Family Islands, including improving reliability, customer satisfaction and affordability.
Heastie wrote: “With a view to transforming the islands of The Bahamas into a stellar electrification system that provides safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity to residents, we have revised the company’s organizational structure to divide the scope of work of the COO between New Providence and the Family Islands, creating two COO roles — one responsible for New Providence and one for the Family Islands.”
Heastie said to tighten up controls, the procurement department of the supply chain will move from the portfolio of the COO to report to the CFO.
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