‘Financial services’ will be the theme of next year’s National Heroes Day ceremony, the Cayman government has revealed.
The event will take place on Monday, 25 Jan. 2027, with awards recognising individuals and organisations that have contributed to the development and growth of the industry.
Minister for youth, sports, culture and heritage Isaac Rankine said the theme would honour the people behind the industry’s development.
“Nation-building is the work of many hands, across all three of our islands,” Rankine said in a government press release.
“This year’s focus on financial services broadens that story, recognising individuals and organisations whose steady contribution over the years has strengthened our economy and global reputation.”
Premier and minister for financial services and commerce André Ebanks described financial services as “the single most transformative force in our nation’s modern development”.
He said the industry had been built through the “vision, discipline and hard work” of individuals and organisations across Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
“This year’s National Recognition Awards give us the opportunity, as a country, to formally acknowledge those who built this industry into a pillar of our national economy and cemented the Cayman Islands’ standing as a leading international financial centre,” Ebanks added.
“Their contribution has shaped opportunity for every Caymanian, and it is only right that we honour that legacy on National Heroes Day.”
The National Recognition Awards Committee includes representatives from government, the districts and the private sector.
Government representatives include committee chairperson and chief officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage Teresa Echenique, along with representatives from the Protocol Office, Department of Communications and Cayman Islands National Archives.
District representatives are Leonard Ebanks, Lynne Whittaker, Carmilee Pearson, Dan Scott, George McCarthy and Jonathan Tibbetts.
The committee also includes representatives from the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, Cayman Islands Stock Exchange, Cayman Finance and the Cayman Islands Bankers Association.
They will now begin planning for the ceremony.
The Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage said further information on the awards and how members of the public can submit nominations will be released in the coming days.
