Sonji Myles has been appointed chief executive of the Utility Regulation and Competition Office, formalising his leadership of the Cayman Islands regulator after more than two years in the interim post.

The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (URCO)’s board announced the appointment following what it described as a “comprehensive and competitive recruitment process”. The appointment took effect immediately.

Myles became acting chief executive of the regulator, then known as OfReg, on June 7, 2024. He was not, however, new to the organisation: he had worked there since its inception and previously held senior responsibilities in information and communications technology regulation.

The permanent appointment comes at an important point for a regulator with oversight of some of Cayman's most consequential infrastructure and consumer issues, including electricity, fuels and communications.

During Myles’s acting tenure, the regulator advanced a series of initiatives spanning renewable energy, telecommunications and consumer protection. These included the CORE-Renew programme, a roughly 4.4-megawatt allocation for consumer renewable generation; progress on a 22.5 MW dispatchable solar-and-storage procurement; work on enforceable consumer-protection rules for telecommunications providers; and a regulatory framework that ultimately enabled Starlink satellite broadband service in Cayman.

Not all of those initiatives originated under Myles, and their progress is more accurately regarded as part of URCO's institutional record than as the work of one executive. But their advancement provides the backdrop against which the board has decided to make his leadership permanent.

Samuel Jackson, chairman of URCO's board of directors, said the decision followed an assessment of Myles both during the recruitment exercise and while he was leading the regulator.

"Following a thorough and merit-based recruitment process, the Board is pleased to confirm the appointment of Mr Sonji Myles as Chief Executive Officer," Jackson said.

He added: "Throughout the recruitment exercise and during the period in which he served as Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Myles demonstrated exceptional leadership, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to the organisation's mandate. We are confident that he will continue to strengthen URCO and serve the people of the Cayman Islands with integrity and professionalism."

A regulator under scrutiny

Myles inherits the permanent position after years in which the Cayman regulator has faced recurring scrutiny over governance, spending, transparency and the pace of regulatory decision-making.

Some of the most prominent controversies predate his leadership. In 2018, OfReg faced criticism over expenditure and a highly publicised dispute among senior board members. Separate matters have resulted in decisions by the Office of the Ombudsman concerning transparency and the regulator's handling of information requests.

That history makes accountability a significant test for the organisation's new permanent chief executive.

Myles's acting tenure has brought its own contentious decisions, particularly in electricity regulation.

OfReg took a harder line in parts of its dealings with Caribbean Utilities Company, including rejecting an additional proposed rate increase while acknowledging that a separate adjustment was required under the utility's existing licence. The regulator and CUC also became embroiled in a dispute over future generation capacity and the interpretation of what constitutes "firm" capacity.

The disagreement formed part of a wider debate over how Cayman should balance electricity reliability, cost and the transition towards renewable energy. Some regulatory decisions concerning additional fossil-fuel generation attracted criticism, and the dispute was later resolved through an out-of-court settlement, while the regulator subsequently changed course on future generation procurement.

At the same time, renewable-energy programmes moved forward. CORE-Renew took effect in November 2024, opening additional capacity for homes and businesses to generate renewable electricity and sell power to the grid. The regulator also advanced the larger 22.5 MW solar-and-storage procurement, a project that had been under development before Myles became acting chief executive.

Communications resilience has also emerged as a priority. Following disruption involving the Maya-1 submarine cable in 2024, the regulator brought network operators and internet providers together as the industry worked to restore connectivity. The episode highlighted Cayman's dependence on international telecommunications infrastructure and the need for greater redundancy.

The subsequent licensing of satellite broadband added another potential route for connectivity and competition.

Focus on accountability

In accepting the permanent position, Myles placed particular emphasis on the regulator's responsibility to consumers and its willingness to challenge the companies it oversees.

"I am honoured by the Board's confidence in me and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving as Chief Executive Officer," Myles said. "I look forward to working with our dedicated team, stakeholders, and partners to strengthen URCO, uphold our regulatory responsibilities, and deliver effective, transparent, and responsive regulation in the public interest."

He added: "A key part of that commitment is ensuring we continue to hold regulated utility providers to account where necessary, ensuring they meet their obligations while protecting consumers' interests and maintaining confidence in essential public services."

That pledge is likely to be tested most visibly in the electricity sector, where decisions over new generation, renewable investment and utility costs have direct consequences for households and businesses.

The board said Myles had provided steady leadership, strengthened operational performance and advanced regulatory priorities during his period as acting chief executive.

For Myles, the move from acting to permanent chief executive removes one element of uncertainty at the top of the regulator. The larger question is whether URCO can turn that continuity into measurable gains for consumers while maintaining the independence, transparency and predictability expected of the body overseeing Cayman's essential utilities.