Marcella Scarlett, Business Reporter

Andral 'Jack' Shirley has been appointed as the new executive director of Betting, Gaming and Lottery Commission (BGLC), the government agency that regulates lottery, gambling and horse racing.

Chairman of the BGLC Gary Peart said Shirley was appointed March 1, 2013, but declined to comment further on the terms of the contract. Shirley was not reached for comment.

Shirley's appointment comes three months after the sudden departure of Derek Peart from the post. In December, Peart departed on early retirement after a staff retreat.

Peart said Shirley's first major project will be to complete the refurbishing of the BGLC property at Hagley Park Road, "hopefully by year end".

Additionally, Shirley's mandate is to ensure that all the stakeholders' issues are addressed in a timely and efficient manner, the chairman said.

The previous deadline for trans-forming the 78 Hagley Park Road property was this month, March 2013. The project has been a source of embarrassment for the BGLC, which acquired the Shirlhome Building from Tanny Shirley in 2010 to serve as its headquarters, but has faced several delays in its refurbishment.

The 61,000-square-foot property, which houses a 37,000-square-foot building, was acquired for J$240 million - paid for with cash of J$100m and a J$140m seven-year vendor's mortgage at 16 per cent annual interest.

BGLC also had approval to spend another J$50 million on its refurbishment. In disclosures to Parliament toward the end of last year, the BGLC said it had spent about J$12 million so far on the repairs.

Shirley is best known to Jamaicans as a veteran banker and consultant.

According to information from his LinkedIn profile, since 2010 Shirley has been a senior consultant at Pierre Shirley and Associates. His work concentrated on commercial banking services, focusing on credit-risk management and underwriting techniques, bad-debt containment, recovery and restructuring.

In 2007, he spent one year in the position of general manager for the Bank of Nevis Limited.

Prior to that he spent seven years, 2000 to 2006, as managing director and chief executive officer of Shirdell Limited where he provided consultancy services for commercial banks. During that period, July 2004 to December 2005, he was tapped to manage InterCommercial Bank Limited, a boutique commercial bank in Trinidad and Tobago. JMMB Group acquired 50 per cent controlling interest in the bank in 2005.

Before InterCommercial, he managed Kingston-based First Global Bank Limited for three years, January 2001 to December 2003.

Company document shows that Shirdell was incorporated in 1977 with two equal shareholders, Andral and Audrey Shirley.

Shirley launched into consultancy after a 35-year career with National Commercial Bank Jamaica. He left that job in December 2000.

His association with the public sector, outside of his current posting, includes current board positions at Factories Corporation of Jamaica and Wigton Windfarm Limited.

marcella.scarlett@gleanerjm.com