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The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) secured regional recognition after capturing two major honours at the inaugural Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) Gala and Awards held during the organisation’s 20th Conference on April 30 in Falmouth.

The OUR received the Winston Hay Award for Most Outstanding Consumer Protection Initiative 2025 and was also named Regulator of the Year 2025, reinforcing Jamaica’s standing in utility regulation and consumer protection within the Caribbean.

The Winston Hay Award recognised the OUR’s Quality of Service (QOS) Symposium, which was cited as the region’s Most Innovative Consumer Protection Initiative. Originally established to present and discuss findings from the OUR’s biennial National Consumer Satisfaction Survey, the symposium evolved over a seven-year period into a sustained platform for capacity building, knowledge exchange, and workshops aimed at strengthening utility service standards.

The initiative also led to the publication of Complaints Handling Guidelines and a Determination Notice, formalising complaint resolution procedures and customer service standards for regulated utilities while improving engagement between consumers and service providers across Jamaica’s utility sector.

To secure the award, the OUR demonstrated leadership in developing consumer-focused utility policies, advocacy for consumer empowerment and protection, innovation and adaptability in enhancing customer experience, and measurable benefits to consumers through improved service quality, accessibility, affordability, and customer care.

MOST OUTSTANDING CONSUMER PROTECTION AWARD: Marsha Atherley-Ikechi, Executive Director, OOCUR Inc. (right) presents the Winston Hay Award for Most Outstanding Consumer Protection Initiative 2025 to (L-R): Collette Goode, Manager, Consumer Affairs Unit and Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson, Director, Consumer and Public Affairs, OUR. – Contributed photo

Meanwhile, the OOCUR Regulator of the Year Award recognises a regional regulatory authority that has demonstrated leadership, innovation, and excellence in advancing regulatory practices across the Caribbean.

According to the criteria outlined by OOCUR, the OUR distinguished itself through its leadership and influence in improving regulatory standards, participation in regional initiatives that strengthened the regulatory landscape, measurable improvements in regulatory processes benefiting consumers and industry stakeholders, and its commitment to transparency, fairness, and accountability.

Director General of the OUR, Ansord E Hewitt, welcomed the recognition, describing it as especially meaningful to be acknowledged by regional counterparts.

“It’s a wonderful thing to have your colleagues acknowledge the work that you do. So that is really, really appreciated. I am particularly gratified by the Winston Hay Award for the most outstanding consumer protection initiative for 2025,” Hewitt said.

The award is named in honour of Winston Hay, who became the OUR’s first Director General in 1996 and oversaw the agency’s official opening on January 6, 1997, helping to establish its organisational structure and regulatory mandate.

Hewitt also commended the OOCUR Executive for creating the awards programme, noting that it represented an important effort to celebrate regional achievements within the Caribbean regulatory community.

THE REGULATOR OF THE YEAR: Ansord E. Hewitt, Director General of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), receiving the award for Regulator of the Year, from Marsha Atherley-Ikechi, Executive Director, OOCUR Inc. – Contributed photo

Former Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister and keynote speaker Kevin Ramnarine reflected on OOCUR’s 20-year journey, describing the organisation’s survival and growth despite geographic fragmentation, sovereign sensitivities, and limited resources as a significant accomplishment.

Ramnarine pointed to several areas of regional progress, including increased renewable energy penetration, wider use of natural gas in power generation outside Trinidad and Tobago, stronger institutional capacity among regulators, and improved consumer protection and regulatory independence frameworks.

He also underscored OOCUR’s expanding role as a regional platform for collaboration and technical exchange, stating that, “Twenty years later, regulators are more professionally staffed and, in several jurisdictions, more independent. Consumer protection frameworks are better. OOCUR itself is a knowledge-sharing institution of real value.”

OOCUR comprises regulators from 15 countries across the Caribbean region.