A public servant par excellence, an intelligent human being who had a penchant for solving problems and a genuine friend, were just a few of the accolades heaped on retiring Permanent Secretary in the Division of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance, Carson Browne.
During the retirement function at the Warrens Office Complex, St. Michael, last Friday, Mr. Browne was ???bowled over’ by the warm sentiments expressed by his former colleagues, as he reminisced on his 40 years in the public service.
In brief remarks, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, described the senior officer as a very dedicated worker who was very knowledgeable about economics and was not hesitant to share this knowledge with his staff.
"Mr. Browne’s dedication to the job dispels the long-held notion that people gravitated to jobs in the public service because they did not want to work.?? He demonstrated that through his hard work, dedication and many achievements through contributions to various documents, that there is value in public service…," he underlined.
Director of the Research and Planning Unit in the Division of Economic Affairs, Patrick McCaskie, said their professional relationship dated back to 1995 and commended the retired Permanent Secretary for praising staff in the execution of their duties at all levels.
"For the last 17 of his 40 years in the public service, Mr. Browne has defined himself as a mixture of transformational, transactional, situational and servant leader.?? As the former head of the Research and Planning Unit and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mr. Browne demonstrated intellectual leadership and most importantly, strong, unwavering ethical and moral leadership.?? These attributes, along with his virtually ???slavish’ adherence to the financial rules and public service regulations, are distinct traits of his leadership style," he surmised.
Mr. McCaskie credited Mr. Browne for being very fair to staff by "not condoning any divisiveness and creating a work environment of trust".
In her tribute, Permanent Secretary (Investment) in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Juanita Thorington-Powlett, described her former colleague as a friend who had a knack for problem solving.
"His door has always been open to me and I will miss him.?? He [Mr. Browne] is one of the most intelligent human beings that I have ever met.?? He has a way of breaking down a problem so that finding the solution is much easier," she said.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretaries in the Division of Foreign Trade and Labour and Social Security, Bentley Gibbs and Andrew Cox, described Mr. Browne as a dedicated worker and wished him a happy retirement.
Tributes were also paid to Mr. Browne by the Director of Finance, Grantley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Senator Jepter Ince, Acting Manager of the Public Investment Unit, Seibert Frederick, Head of the Barbados Statistical Service, Victor Browne, and Acting Chief Research Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Ronnie Griffith.
In response, Mr. Browne said he would miss his staff and disclosed that he would spend his retirement gardening, playing the guitar, doing electronics and solving mathematical problems.
"I hope to be as productive [at] home as I was at work and given good health, I imagine that I should be keeping myself satisfied. I will miss my staff and I am happy that I am leaving my career at Economic Affairs," he added.
After the formalities, Mr. Browne received two gifts – one from the staff and the other from the Public Investment Unit.