Ryan Parkes Named New TEF Chairman

Minister Bartlett Salutes Godfrey Dyer’s 14 Years of Exemplary Service                                                                                      

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Thursday, April 30, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has named Ryan Parkes, Group Chief Executive Officer of Island Car Rentals and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS), as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), effective May 1, 2026. The appointment, recently approved by Cabinet, was announced at the Ministry’s One-day Strategic Visioning Retreat held on April 22 at the AC Marriott Hotel.

In making the announcement, Minister Bartlett also paid tribute to the outgoing TEF Chairman, Hon. Godfrey Dyer, whose 14-year tenure at the helm of the TEF represents the longest record of chairmanship in the fund’s history and one of the longest across government. 

“With your wisdom, and your sagacity, and the guidance that I know you bring, TEF is an agency that is now a central part of the tourism delivery mechanism, and I thank you for your exceptional leadership throughout the years,” noted Minister Bartlett. 

The process of identifying a successor was carried out in close consultation with the outgoing chairman, who recently opted to resign. It was through this process that Mr. Parkes emerged as the preferred candidate, with Minister Bartlett noting that his appointment carries the full endorsement of his predecessor.

“I don’t believe there is anyone alive today who has contributed more to the development of Jamaica’s tourism than this gentleman. For us, you are iconoclastic — an absolutely new designation,” the tourism minister stressed. 

Mr. Dyer chaired the TEF board during two distinct periods — from 2007 to 2011 during Minister Bartlett’s first tenure, and again from 2016 to 2025, accumulating more than 14 years of outstanding and consequential leadership. 

Under his stewardship, the TEF grew into a central pillar of Jamaica’s tourism infrastructure. An emotional Dyer, speaking briefly at the retreat, thanked the Minister, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith and the TEF team for the privilege of serving. 

“Under the leadership of Minister Bartlett and the Permanent Secretary, it was just easy to serve. The leadership of the Ministry was very efficient. They did so well. We must be honoured to have worked in this space,” he said. 

Over the years Mr. Parkes has garnered extensive experience in the financial sector and has held senior executive positions at several leading financial institutions across the island. In accepting the mantle, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the new role. “These are very big shoes to fill but with God’s help I will give it my best shot,” he said. Cabinet recently approved the appointment of Mr. Parkes as Chairman of the TEF, with effect from May 1, 2026 to November 23, 2028, when the tenure of the Board expires.