Mr. Christopher Saunders, MP
Elected Member for Bodden Town West
Mr. Christopher S. Saunders is a Certified Public Accountant whose career spans some 20 years in the public and private sectors. He has held senior positions within the banking, telecommunications and financial services industries. His professional career was nurtured in the Civil Service with Christopher sharpening his accounting skills and knowledge of government operations in the Departments of Lands & Survey, Internal Audit, Treasury and the Auditor General’s Office. Mr. Saunders has lived in the US (New York) and travelled extensively around the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, which has enabled him to observe and see policies and practices that work and equally so, what did not.
Christopher is a former Director of the Health Services Authority and a former member of the Immigration Business Staffing Plan Board.
Mr. Saunders is serving his second term representing the people of Bodden Town West, which is not just a constituency – it is his Home. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly (now Parliament) in 2017, and served as a Member of the Opposition. In 2021, Mr. Saunders was re-elected and served as the Deputy Premier, Minister for Finance & Economic Development and Border Control and Labour from 2021 to March 2023. Mr. Saunders is currently serving as an Independent Member of the Opposition.
The annual Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference (CWP) marked the launch of the 45th Annual General Meeting, with the Deputy Premier, Hon. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, JP, MP, and the Speaker, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, MP, representing the Cayman Islands. Sessions included discussions on the critical role of women in democratic governance, youth crime, the CWP constitution, and roundtable discussions on the experiences of current female parliamentarians.
“The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Conference sparked a number of innovative ideas for how I can empower women in my community for the next women’s month” said the Speaker. “More women should be encouraged to enter into leadership roles in politics, so I intend to give women an opportunity to learn how to debate by spending the day at Parliament with myself and other female politicians.”
Following the CWP sessions, delegates held sessions on biodiversity and food security preparedness, adapting to climate change, preparing for national disasters, promoting democracy, crime and security, banking standards, and health care. Mr. Christopher Saunders, MP, was a panelist for the session on banking standards, and provided delegates with best practices from Cayman’s financial management and legislation.
A strong contingent of nearly two-dozen youth parliamentarians gathered on 26th July for the 16th Regional Youth Parliament. The two Caymanian delegates were selected for the top two positions, with Mr. Amani Ebanks as the YP Premier, and Mr. Alex Harris as the YP Leader of the Opposition.
by