By Faith Edwards
ANTHONY Peyson is no longer chairman of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) and Amplia.
Peyson, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) consultant with more than 25 years of experience across the energy, finance, and telecommunications sectors, was appointed as director of TSTT on December 15, 2023. He and the entire board resigned on Wednesday.
He also became chairman in February 2025 following the resignation of Sean Roach and served in that position until his resignation.
Peyson and the entire board resigned with immediate effect on Wednesday, just a day after Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath criticised the board for what he described as its refusal to step down from office following the change in Government.
Peyson denied Padarath’s claim of refusing to resign, indicating that the board had acted in good faith and had formally written to National Enterprises Ltd (NEL), the agency responsible for appointments on May 9 to seek official guidance on the way forward.
Peyson said the board was awaiting a response but ultimately chose to step down in the best interest of the organisation.
Hours before the resignation on Wednesday, Padarath spoke with AZP News confirming the issue of the TSTT board’s failure to resign in a timely manner had been dealt with.
As a result it led to Padarath instructing the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) and Amplia to immediately halt all human resource actions, following the board’s refusal to step down after the recent change in government.
In an internal memo issued by TSTT’s Chief Executive Officer Kent Western stated that the directive applied to all employment categories including permanent, temporary, part-time, contract, consultancy and contingent staff.
The memo listed several activities to be suspended:
- Transfers
- Recruitment
- Promotions
- Demotions
- Separations or terminations
- Salary adjustments
- Contract extensions
The memo stated, “This applies to both new actions and any that are currently in process or pending approval.”
Western also instructed staff to ensure the directive is communicated and enforced across both TSTT and Amplia.
He added, “Please ensure that this directive is communicated and enforced across your respective teams and that internal controls are in place across both TSTT and Amplia to ensure full compliance. I would appreciate confirmation once this has been actioned. Let me know if you need any clarification. Thank you in advance for acknowledgement of receipt.”
Padarath said that traditionally, boards of state enterprises resign following a general election and a change in administration.
Padarath also noted that resignations were already received from boards at the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC), Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), and Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), However, he added that the TSTT board appeared to be holding on for one reason or the other.
