Mrs. Catherine (Cathy) Andrea Cholmondeley-Hughes is a founding member and the incumbent Chairperson of the Alliance for Change (AFC). She is a Member of Parliament in the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications (Hons) from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and Postgraduate Training in Management, Training and Development in Liverpool, England.
Cathy worked as a TV News Reporter in Jamaica, a Freelance Radio Reporter with the BBC’s Radio Merseyside in Liverpool, England, and as a television producer for the local edition of CNN’s Headline News in Texas, USA.
In her more than 25 years experience as a media practitioner she has gained extensive knowledge of the Caribbean media and advertising environment.
Mrs. Hughes is the owner of VideoMega Productions, a digital video production facility and advertising agency, which she established in 1993 when she re-migrated to Guyana.
She has been an outspoken advocate on social and political issues especially in the promotion of Women’s Rights. In 2016 Cathy participated in the Brand YOUth Global ‘International Women’s Forum’ as an influencer. Brand YOUth sees its mission as working “to elevate mindsets and empower individuals for sustainable socio-economic upliftment”
She was a founding member of ‘Guyana Is First’, ‘Women Against Violence Everywhere’ (WAVE).
Cathy has been elected to the National Assembly since 2011.
During the David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo government (2015-2020) she held the Cabinet portfolio of Minister of Tourism and later Minister of Public Telecommunications. She holds the distinction of being the first Minister of Public Telecommunications, a position held by few women in Information Communications Technology (ICT) in the Caribbean and further afield.
During her term as Minister of Public Telecommunications the APNU+AFC government saw the following accomplishment:
- The Telecommunications and Public Utilities Commission Acts in 2016.
- NDMA operationalised the digital fibre optic cable network which was languishing since 2012.
- Connection of government ministries and agencies and teleconferencing equipment provided in all of them.
- Establishment of the Safe City programme.
- Establishment of the Centre of Excellence with the Government of India.
- Facilitated discussion on a single ICT space across South America and the Caribbean.
- Held discussion with CARICOM and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in crafting and implementing a single ICT space across the Caribbean and lobbied for the elimination of roaming charges.
- Trained over 4,000 persons under an innovation programme in microbytes, coding, website and graphic design, girls in ICT, arranged internships with local companies, supported STEMGuyana and provided a home for them, robotic kits for groups and much more.
- Instituted Customs & VAT exemptions on phones and vehicles – PLWD
- Trained 215 girls under the 6-month Code Camp with the University of Guyana.
- Provided web accessibility training, hackathons, and developed apps.
- Over 4,000 laptops were distributed, one laptop per teacher.
- Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Guyana Telecommunications and Telegraph company regarding liberalisation.
Last June Cathy was elected chairperson of the AFC. She is the first woman to be so elected in the party. Prior to that she was elected the party’s Vice Chairperson.
Apart from media and politics Mrs. Hughes is known for her role in advancing Guyana’s fledgling tourism sector. She is considered a lead advocate for the development of industry, serving twice as President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana.
Cathy is married to attorney-at-law Mr. Nigel Hughes.
