All at Arlington House, London.

Jennifer and Leonard Dilbert at Buckingham Palace

Jennifer Dilbert receiving MBE from The Queen.

Minister Charles Clifford with Mrs Dilbert.

Mrs Dilbert and mother, Francine Jackson.

Mrs Dilbert and father, Vernon Jackson.

“A remarkable day” is how Cayman Islands Representative in London, and former senior executive in the Islands’ financial sector, Jennifer Dilbert, described Wednesday 29 March 2006 – the day she was decorated with the Queen’s Honour of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Receiving the award in person from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; brief dialogue with the monarch, who had asked about the Cayman Islands’ recovery from Hurricane Ivan and about her work in London; the regal surroundings of Buckingham Palace for the Investiture Ceremony; the presence of her husband, Leonard Dilbert, and her parents Vernon and Francine Jackson – all combined to make the day what is was for Mrs Dilbert.

Mrs Dilbert is the first Caymanian to hold a post somewhat equivalent to a diplomatic Ambassador and this award comes five years and seven months after taking up her Representative post for the Islands at offices in London. The office Mrs Dilbert now holds was created some approximately 25 years ago and, prior to her holding this post, the office was headed by only one other person – Thomas Russell, a former Governor, who demitted the office at 80 years old.

As a forerunner to this posting Mrs Dilbert spent approximately 20 years working at home in Cayman – rising to occupy such posts as Inspector of Banks and other senior ones in the financial sector. A reception at the Cayman Islands Government Office in London followed the Investiture Ceremony on that day. In attendance were guests from Cayman – including His Excellency the Governor, Stuart Jack CVO, and Honourable Minister for Tourism Mr Charles Clifford.

Former Cayman Islands Governor, John Owen, also attended the Reception. In his congratulatory remarks, he revealed the extent to which receiving Queen’s Honours were, virtually, a family tradition for Mrs Dilbert. Mr Owen lauded Mrs. Dilbert’s family as an outstanding Civil Servant family of the Cayman Islands and said how significant it was that the honouree’s family was able to join her to celebrate the receipt of the award.

He pointed out that Mrs Dilbert’s father, Mr Jackson, holds an OBE and has held the position of Permanent Secretary in the Cayman Islands Government. The former Governor also revealed that Mr Jackson’s older daughter, Joy Basdeo, has also held the post of Permanent Secretary in the Cayman Islands Government and is also a recipient of the Queen’s MBE award.

Mrs Dilbert’s husband, Leonard, has also held the post of Permanent Secretary in the Cayman Islands Government. Minister of Education, Hon Charles Clifford, thanked Mrs Dilbert for her excellent service to the Cayman Islands Government. Governor Jack congratulated Mrs Dilbert in the capacity of the non-elected Government and said that the MBE Honour that Mrs Dilbert had received from The Queen was “well deserved.”

Mrs Dilbert said she was deeply honoured to have received the award, and thanked her colleagues, staff and friends – some of which attended the Reception – for their support. She commented that it had been a tremendous week of celebrations for her entire family, which includes her two daughters – what with the baptism of her and Mr Dilbert’s first grandchild, Elizabeth, as well as the 55th Wedding Anniversary of her parents.

A former Miss Cayman Islands (1979) Mrs Dilbert has resided away from Cayman for only two brief periods – in London for one year in the late 1980’s and in Canada, just prior to taking up her current post on 1 August 2000.

In an interview, prior to taking up her current post, Mrs Dilbert said that “everything” she had done in her professional life – financial supervision, marketing, keeping abreast of developing international financial initiatives and representing Cayman world-wide, her 3-year executive post at an international bank – were things that she enjoyed doing and they all seemed to point her towards “this job.”

The MBE is one at five classes in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Honour series. It is a British order of chivalry, established in 1917. The other classes are Officer (OBE), Commander (CBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE) and Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE).