Following the appointments of Connétable Andy Jehan and Deputy Alex Curtis as her Assistant Chief Ministers (ACMs) in July, Chief Minster Kristina Moore has completed her Assistant Ministerial team with the appointment of Deputy Lucy Stephenson as ACM overseeing Government communications.
Deputy Stephenson will bring to the Government her years of experience in communications obtained through her master’s degree in journalism and her work with the Jersey Evening Post where she was Assistant Editor.
Deputy Stephenson said: “I am delighted to take up this post and to have delegated responsibility for government communications. I stood for election on a platform of openness and transparency and wanting to see improvements made to the way government communicates and connects with Islanders – this appointment will help me to deliver that for the benefit of our Island.
“Making sure that the Council of Ministers authentically listens to and communicates with Islanders is vitally important and I’m encouraged by the direction being taken by my ministerial colleagues already to that end. However, there is more work to do and I am looking forward to embracing that challenge. It will be my job to guide and support the communications directorate in undertaking their duties as they support more proactive engagements between my fellow Ministers and Islanders.”
Deputy Stephenson will be responsible for overseeing Action two of the Council of Ministers’ 100 Day Plan, which will deliver a review and recommendations on how Government can better engage with Islanders, especially harder to reach audiences, and how Government can improve its release and presentation of information and data.
Government communications sits within the Communications Directorate, with a Head of Communications being attached to each departmental Minister. The directorate supports these Ministers and senior officers in promoting their priorities, gaining feedback on potential initiatives, and supporting the effective delivery of public services.
Recently, the Directorate has reduced the size of the centralised team, encouraging Ministers to work differently in liaising more proactively with the media and engaging with Islanders.
Deputy Stephenson will oversee the work of the Director of Communications, Dirk Danino-Forsyth, who reports to the Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie.
