IISD Chief Officer’s Choice October 2022
She is “the epitome of the CIG’s core values, showing passion, integrity, and professionalism. As an exceptional young leader in the Computer Services Department, she has a value-based attitude, coupled with an enthusiasm to serve the CIG.” These are the words of Computer Services Department (CSD) Service Desk Manager Tia Parrott, describing CSD Human Resources Officer Leilani Eden.
Ms Eden recently received the Ministry of Investment, Innovation and Social Development (IISD) Chief Officer’s Choice Award for October 2022. The honour comes as part of the Deputy Governor’s Award Programme. Colleagues nominated her for Developing Exceptional Leadership, one of the five goals of the 5-Year Strategic Plan for a World-Class Civil Service.
At the award presentation, Acting IISD Chief Officer Tamara Ebanks (pictured at right, above) praised Ms Eden, saying, “The multiple individuals who jointly nominated Leilani were united in their sentiment that she is far more than an employee: She is an asset to the department, and to the Cayman Islands Government.”
Professional Development
The Chief Officer’s Choice awardee started, and has continued, her professional career with CSD. She joined the Department as an intern from the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) in October 2016 and again served as an intern in summer, 2017. Having impressed the entire management team with her performance, dedication, hard work and professionalism, she was hired to work with CSD full time after graduating from CIFEC in 2017. In the role of Office Support Assistant, she was instrumental in dealing with HR duties, especially when assisting with the department’s recruitment process.
While working with the Department and continuing to develop an interest in HR duties, in 2019, Ms Eden pursued her education in Human Resource Management at the University of the West Indies and was certified upon completing her studies. More recently, she completed a Digital HR Programme Certificate from AIHR (the Academy to Innovate HR), and has seized on other opportunities for internal training and external networking.
Ms Eden is admired for being reliable, trustworthy, open-minded and friendly even when dealing with challenging assignments, often with limited supervision. In March 2020 when the COVID- 19 pandemic reached the Cayman Islands, Ms Eden played a key role in supporting CSD to be updated and compliant with Government regulations, and in arranging with the other staff members to work remotely from home.
Promoting the Team
It was noted that Ms Eden consistently strives to promote and assist her colleagues with accomplishing the Department’s goals. She ensures that each staff member feels valued and rewarded for their hard work and contributions to the department. At the same time, she champions the Department’s need to place staff into positions that will accomplish its long-term goals – as well as Government’s broad goals.
Reacting to being selected as a Chief Officer’s Choice, Ms Eden said, “I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this recognition. The team I work with at the Computer Services Department has been my support system, and it wouldn’t be possible without them. The unique challenges that our team deals with daily have aided, both in my understanding and ability to problem solve.
People are the most important asset of any organisation – and I enjoy being able to help people fulfill their potential by hiring the right people and then helping them thrive in their jobs.
