News item | 27-01-2023 | 3:30 pm
On the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Kingdom Council of Ministers and the Council of Ministers have approved the appointment of LMC (Lidewijde) Ongering as the new chairman of the Financial Supervision Boards (Cft). She succeeds Prof. Raymond Gradus, who was chair of the Boards from 1 July 2017.
With the appointment by the (State) Council of Ministers, Ms Ongering will become the new chairman of the Cft Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Board of Aruba financial supervision and the Cft Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba as of February 1, 2023. Ms Ongering has a long track record at a large number of The Hague departments, including those of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Infrastructure and Water Management and Economic Affairs and Climate. She held the position of Secretary-General in the last two departments. During her career she held the position of Director Financial-Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
The Financial Supervision Boards are independent and supervise the soundness of the government finances of the countries of Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Aruba and of the Caribbean Netherlands: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The Boards have a signaling and advisory role.
State Secretary Van Huffelen of the Interior and Kingdom Relations: “I am pleased that we have succeeded in finding a person with a solid track record for this important position. She is a worthy successor to Mr Gradus who announced his departure on 1 February 2023 in October 2022. The importance of sound finances cannot be stressed enough. After all, healthy public finances form the basis for making investments that should lead to more resilience and sustainable development of the Countries. With the main goal: better well-being for all residents.”
Lidewijde Ongering: “I look forward to tackling the challenges, many of which are very recognizable to me, from a joint perspective. The Cft supervises the budgets. After a number of financially difficult years, the focus is now on recovery and achieving financially responsible and sustainable economic growth. In my new role as chairman of the Cft, I will also look at this very seriously.”
Ongering succeeds Raymond Gradus, who has been chairman of the Boards of financial supervision for more than five and a half years. The (State) Council of Ministers thanks Mr Gradus for his involvement and commitment to the countries. On behalf of the (State) Council of Ministers, the State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations is responsible for ratifying the appointment by means of a Royal Decree.