Andrew Murray Gurr is the current Governor of Saint Helena

Governor of Saint Helena

The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha...

. He took up office on 11 November 2007 in a ceremony in Jamestown

Jamestown, Saint Helena

Jamestown is the capital and historic chief settlement of the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Located on the island's north-western coast, it is the island's port, with facilities for unloading goods delivered to the island, and the centre of the island's road and...

 at which he declared his commitment to Saint Helena and dependencies in his inaugural speech. He took over from Michael Clancy

Michael Clancy

Michael Clancy was Chief Secretary from 1997 to 2000, and later Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Saint Helena and its Dependencies from 2004 to 2007....

 with Chief Secretary

Chief Secretary

The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...

 Martin Hallam serving as acting Governor in the interim.

He served as Chief Executive

Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands

The Chief Executive of the Falklands Islands is the head of government of the Falkland Islands, as well as head of the public service responsible for the efficient and effective management of the Falkland Islands Government...

 of the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

 Government from 1994 to 1999.

In moves towards creating a more open form of Government in St Helena, since taking office in November 2007, Governor Gurr swiftly abolished the predominately expatriate 'Senior Management Team' committee that had arisen within the St Helena Government

Politics of Saint Helena

Politics of Saint Helena takes place in a framework of limited self-government as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, whereby the Governor is the head of government. Saint Helena, an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is a part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena,...

, citing that "It has appeared to some as though this team has been making decisions and there can be little doubt that that would be unconstitutional", and immediately introduced a formal Press Report after each session of the Executive Council

Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)

An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.Executive Councillors are informally...

, summarising the main points discussed by members from both the open and closed (to the general public) sessions.