The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced a number of senior public service appointments.

• Charles Bown is appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Multi Materials Stewardship Board.
• Jamie Chippett is appointed as Deputy Minister with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.
• Sean Dutton is appointed as Deputy Minister with the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities.
• Cory Grandy is appointed as Deputy Minister with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
• Denise Hanrahan is appointed as Secretary to Treasury Board will be responsible for the Treasury Board Secretariat in addition to her duties as Deputy Minister of the Department of Finance.
• David Heffernan is appointed as Deputy Minister with the Department of Digital Government and Service NL in addition to duties as Chief Information Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

These appointments are effective immediately. Bios for the appointees can be found in the backgrounder below.

Quote
“Today’s appointees have collectively served the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for decades. Their considerable skills and knowledge will be assets as we work to ensure that the province remains strong for residents today and into the future.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

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Media contact
Meghan McCabe
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960, 725-9231
meghanmccabe@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Biographical Information

Charles Bown
Charles Bown was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation in February 2019. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive, Major Projects and Initiatives Unit within the Executive Council. Mr. Bown has also served as the Deputy Minister, Department of Natural Resources. He has also served as Associate Deputy Minister (Energy) with the Department of Natural Resources and was Assistant Deputy Minister (Energy Policy) with the department. His career with the Provincial Government has also included positions as Director of Mineral Development and Director of the Voisey’s Bay Project. Mr. Bown has also served with the Advisory Council on the Economy, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and the Department of Finance. He started his career with the Petroleum Directorate within the Provincial Government and is a graduate of Memorial University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Jamie Chippett
Jamie Chippett joined the provincial public service of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. In his most recent appointment, he was the Deputy Minister of Service NL (now Digital Government and Service NL), where he was appointed in September, 2019. Previous Deputy Minister appointments include Municipal Affairs and Environment (2017), including responsibility for Fire Services, Emergency Services, and the Climate Change Branch; Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs (2015), Deputy Minister of Environment and Conservation and member of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board of Directors (2013), and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Works including a seat on the Transportation Association of Canada Board of Directors (2011). From February 2017 to January 2019, he also served as the Chair of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board. His earliest executive appointments included the positions of Deputy Clerk of the Executive Council and Associate Secretary to Cabinet and Assistant Secretary to Cabinet (Economic Policy). Prior to his executive roles, Mr. Chippett held a variety of policy-related positions with the Departments of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs; Tourism, Culture and Recreation; Executive Council; and the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat. Mr. Chippett holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Masters of Science from Memorial University and has completed the Queen’s University Public Executive Program. He is active in the choral community in the province as a member of Newman Sound Men’s Choir and as a member of the Board of Directors of Lady Cove Woman’s Choir.

Sean Dutton
Sean Dutton started his career with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1994 as an Analyst with the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat, where he also worked as a Senior Analyst, Director of Resource and Economic Policy, Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister. His other roles within the provincial public service have included Cabinet Officer with Executive Council; Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister of the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs; Deputy Minister of the Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat; Deputy Minister (Core Mandate Analysis), Executive Council; Chief Executive Officer of Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador; Deputy Minister of Procurement, Government Purchasing Agency; interim Chief Procurement Officer, Public Procurement Agency; Deputy Minister of Service NL; Deputy Minister of Transportation and Works; and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. Mr. Dutton is a graduate of Acadia University, holding Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts degrees, both in political science.

Cory Grandy
Cory Grandy began his career with the Public Service immediately following his graduation from Memorial University in 1999 with a Bachelors of Engineering (Civil). After a relatively short period in the Department of Works, Services and Transportation, Mr. Grandy spent eight years in the Department of Education in various positions such as School Planning Consultant and both Manager and Director of School Construction in acting capacities. In 2008, he took on the task of implementing the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy as the Director of Waste Management and later Municipal Infrastructure and Planning in the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment. In 2012 Mr. Grandy was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Works Branch in the Department of Transportation and Works. Following a departmental reorganization in 2017, he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of the new Infrastructure Branch leading the Province’s infrastructure portfolio including the planning, design and construction of education, health and justice facilities as well as infrastructure in support of the provincial transportation system. In 2019 Mr. Grandy was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Transportation and Works. He also spent a short but highly valued period as a Cabinet Officer with Executive Council.

Denise Hanrahan, CPA, CMA, MBA, ICD.D
Denise Hanrahan has held the position of Deputy Minister, Department of Finance and Secretary of Treasury Board since 2017. Prior to this she held positions of Assistant Deputy Minister, Financial Planning and Benefits Administration with the Department of Finance and Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Corporate Services with the Department of Transportation and Works. In addition she held several director level positions within the public service. In 2006, she was awarded a Public Service Award of Excellence. Before joining the public service in 2002, Ms. Hanrahan held numerous senior leadership positions within the retail, wholesale, and not-for-profit sectors. Ms. Hanrahan holds Bachelor of Commerce (co-op) and Masters of Business Administration degrees from Memorial University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. She has completed a Masters Certificate in Project Management through York University’s Schulich School of Business, the Directors Education Program through the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and has obtained her director designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

David Heffernan
David Heffernan’s most recent role is Chief Information Officer with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Executive Council. Prior to joining the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, he served as the Chief Information Officer for the Government of the Northwest Territories, where he led the development and implementation of a government-wide IT strategy to improve services to residents and businesses. David also led a review to renew the government’s IT function, which established a Shared Service delivery model for information systems, and the transformation of the overall IT operating model. Mr. Heffernan was responsible for collaborating with industry and non-government organizations to develop telecom policy positions, and represented those positions at public hearings to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Before entering public service, he worked as a Senior Technology Consultant and Project Manager for Automatic Data Processing based out of Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S.A, serving a client base of more than 450,000 worldwide.

Mr. Heffernan has also served on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Citizen-Centered Services (ICCS) from 2012-2015, where he helped lead the organization through a period of uncertainty and assisted with the development of a strategic plan to guide the organization forward, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Newfoundland & Labrador Centre for Health Information. Mr. Heffernan holds a Diploma in Management Information Systems from the College of the North Atlantic and Certificates in Intergovernmental Negotiations and Executive Leadership.