The Bermuda Hospitals Board has appointed Venetta Symonds as acting chief executive officer from April 1.

Current CEO Joan Dillas-Wright will retire on March 31 after 30 years of service at the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB).

A board-appointed CEO recruitment and selection committee has recently engaged accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers to help select a permanent CEO. Venetta Symonds has been a BHB employee for 26 years and has served as organisational review officer since July 2004 looking at ways to improve performance.

With a strong background in diagnostic imaging, Mrs. Symonds was the director of support services prior to her most recent role, according to a BHB Press release.

Mrs. Symonds holds a Bachelor?s degree in Radiologic Technology from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Arts degree in Human Resource Development from Webster University.

BHB chairman Anthony Richardson said: ?I would like to thank Venetta Symonds for accepting this role until we find a permanent CEO.

?With her sound knowledge of hospital operations and processes, Mrs. Symonds will be an invaluable asset to us during this transitional period.

?We are very grateful to Mrs. Dillas-Wright for extending her initial retirement date to ensure a smooth transition and are also appreciative of BHB?s management team for their commitment to provide continued sound leadership and support to Mrs. Symonds throughout this period.?

BHB began recruiting for a CEO in the spring of 2005, with advertisements appearing in local newspapers and international media in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and the United States.

Although numerous applications were received and interviews conducted, the recruitment process was not finalised successfully. Since then, a new Board-appointed committee has re-evaluated its recruitment strategy and engaged PWC to assist in the search for a permanent CEO.

Mrs. Symonds said: ?This is an exciting professional opportunity for me. I look forward to working with the management team and all BHB staff in this capacity until a permanent CEO is identified.?

The permanent CEO will be joining BHB at a critical time as the hospitals focus on constant improvement in patient care, recruiting and retaining skilled workers amid a global shortage, succeeding in an increasingly competitive healthcare market and moving forward with the estate master plan for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.