Following the retirement of Mr Patrick Andre as Principal Secretary for Land Transport, the Office of the President has announced changes in the leadership of the Land Transport and Homeland Security Departments.
Ms Sheryl Vangadasamy has been appointed as the new Principal Secretary for Land Transport. At the time of her appointment, Ms Vangadasamy was Principal Secretary for Homeland Security.
Ms Vangadasamy is an experienced public sector professional with a diverse background spanning public administration, law enforcement, national security, legislative affairs, financial regulation and compliance. She previously served as Principal Secretary in the Office of the Designated Minister from January 2020 to June 2021, where her responsibilities included overseeing programmes relating to regional maritime security and information coordination, contributing to the development and review of policies and legal frameworks.
She has also served as Special Advisor in the Ministry of Home Affairs and, from 2011 to 2016, as an elected Member of the National Assembly for Mont Buxton. Earlier in her career, Ms Vangadasamy served with the Seychelles Police Force, including as a detective involved in crime scene investigations and investigations into serious crimes, and as a Public Prosecutor with the Department of Legal Affairs.
Prior to returning to public service, Ms Vangadasamy worked with the Financial Services Authority, most recently as Manager responsible for Virtual Asset Service Providers within the AML/CFT Unit. Her work included regulatory supervision, policy and legislative development, compliance monitoring, capacity building and engagement with industry.
Ms Vangadasamy holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Strategy from the National University of Ireland, undertaken as a joint programme with the University of Seychelles. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Crime Compliance, which she completed with distinction.
The Office of the President takes this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation to Mr Patrick Andre for his long and dedicated service to the Government and people of Seychelles.
Mr Andre has devoted more than four decades to the public service, with a career closely associated with the development and management of Seychelles’ land transport sector. He began his public service career in 1981 as a Survey Technician before joining the transport sector later that year as a Traffic Engineering Technician. He subsequently progressed through a range of technical and senior management positions, including Traffic Engineer, Principal Traffic Engineer, Director of Transportation, Director General of the Land Transportation Division, Technical Advisor and Road Transport Commissioner.
Mr Andre served as Principal Secretary for Land Transport from January 2013 until his retirement, bringing extensive technical expertise and institutional experience to the leadership of the sector. His professional development included studies and specialised training in civil engineering, highway engineering, urban traffic management, transportation planning and design, road safety and transport management.
The Office of the President thanks Mr Andre for his 45 years of dedicated service and for his significant contribution to the development of Seychelles’ land transport sector. It wishes him a peaceful, fulfilling and well-deserved retirement.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.
