Jersey Electoral Authority – appointment of Chair and members

STATES OF JERSEY

JERSEY ELECTORAL AUTHORITY – APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND MEMBERS

Presented to the States on 1st May 2025 by the Privileges and Procedures Committee

STATES GREFFE

2025  R.63

REPORT

Article 13A of the Elections (Jersey) Law 2002 provides for the establishment of the Jersey Electoral Authority (JEA) to oversee public elections in Jersey. In accordance with the provisions of the Law, the Privileges and Procedures Committee appoints the Chair and members of the JEA and must give 15 days' notice of its intention to appoint to those roles.

Following a successful recruitment process overseen by the Appointments Commission, the following have been identified as ideal candidates to serve as the Chair and members of the JEA:

Mr. Michael Marett-Crosby – Chair Mr. Thomas Lyons

Mr. Johanes Martinson

Mrs. Eleanor Staples (reappointment) Advocate Matthew Swann

Background

In 2022 the first JEA was established and the Privileges and Procedures Committee wishes to place on record its sincere thanks to departing Chair John Everett and member Alex Hodnett. The Committee is grateful to them both for the work they undertook during the elections in 2022 and for the recommendations made within the JEA's first ever post-election report which was published in January 2023 (States Assembly | R-3- 2023).

The Committee is also very grateful to Mrs Eleanor (Ellie) Sharples, for her work on the previous JEA and her ongoing commitment to good governance of the Island's election process. Her reappointment to the JEA will provide experience and continuity. The vacancies were advertised in February 2025 and candidates were interviewed on 7th April 2025. The interview panel, which consisted of Kate Wright, Appointments Commission, Rebecca Morley-Kirk, Judicial Greffier, Lisa Hart , Greffier of the States and  Beverley  Corley,  Parish  Secretary,  St.  Clement  were  unanimous  in  their endorsement of Mr. Marett-Crosby as Chair and Messrs. Lyons, Martinson and Swann as new members of the JEA, along with the reappointment of Mrs Sharples.

The postholders, who will be serving for a 4-year term on an honorary basis, will join the JEA alongside the Judicial Greffier, States Greffier and Mrs Corley (representing the Electoral Administrators), to provide oversight of the public elections process in Jersey.

Michael Marett-Crosby - Chair

After education in Jersey and the UK, Michael completed a master's and then a doctorate at the University of Oxford and holds MA and D. Phil degrees. In 1990 he started training as a Roman Catholic priest. He worked in Jersey and the UK before taking on a new responsibility as a trustee and CEO of a group of charities focusing on humanitarian relief and the support of democracy in Burma (Myanmar). Since 2011, he has led multiple projects supporting education, healthcare, voter registration and the training of young leaders in the values of a democratic society. These have been focused on Burma, and have been supported by the European Union, the UK government and UN agencies. His interest in the practice of democracy developed particularly in the

3

contexts of the 2015 and 2020 elections in that country. The 2015 election was the first election in the country's history judged free and fair by international observers. He supported a Carter Center mission for this election. The 2020 election, which took place during the pandemic, presented different challenges to this young and, as it turned out, perilous democracy. He was involved in establishing election monitoring missions for this election. He was present in Burma when the military overturned the election and imposed martial law through an unelected junta on 1 February 2021. Since that time, Michael has lived in Jersey. He retains leadership roles across the group of charities, with offices in Jersey and London and with teams at work in Asia. He is also vice-chair of an international child protection charity, and a board member of a Jersey-based foundation that supports education for young people who want to contribute to the well- being of our Island.

Thomas Lyons

Thomas Lyons is an experienced policymaker who has worked across the Jersey Financial Services Commission, the Government of Jersey, and the British Civil Service and possesses an enduring interest in local, national and international politics. Having graduated from the University of Manchester with a First Class Degree in History and Politics, Thomas joined the Government of Jersey on an internship within the Office of the Chief Executive. After almost two years supporting the Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Staff in delivering their responsibilities, Thomas joined the UK Department of Transport to work on rail policy before playing a key role in the design and delivery of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Mandate, the UK's flagship decarbonisation policy. Thomas recently moved back to Jersey to join the JFSC as a Policy Associate focusing on competitiveness and reform. His sustained interest in local politics and democracy, plus a desire to engage more with and give back to his home community, inspired him to join the Jersey Electoral Authority. He is particularly interested in how the JEA can facilitate  greater  voter  turnout.  Thomas  hopes  that  his  ability  to  make  impartial evidence-based decisions and communicate these effectively will enable him to make substantial contributions to the work of the JEA and therefore help support a healthy democracy in Jersey.

Johannes Martinson

Johannes Martinson is a passionate advocate for democratic integrity and accessibility, bringing a unique perspective to his voluntary role with The Jersey Electoral Authority. A five-year Jersey resident, he is dedicated to fostering transparent, fair elections and boosting voter engagement. As a totally blind individual, Johannes has deep insight into inclusion challenges, shaped by his pioneering work on accessibility standards in South African banking. This fuels his commitment to championing voting solutions that empower all citizens to participate fully in democracy. Johannes holds a master's degree in  innovation,  change  leadership,  and  management,  with  a  focus  on  accessibility solutions. His academic journey spans finance, leadership, and project management, complemented by specialized training in universal design and advocacy. This robust educational foundation equips him with strategic vision and innovative problem-solving skills, ideal for enhancing electoral processes and accessibility. With a dynamic career in financial services, Johannes excels in financial oversight, team leadership, and stakeholder  communication.   His  roles  honed  his  ability  to  manage  sensitive information, ensure accountability, and deliver clear messagingkey for electoral integrity.  His  leadership  in  property  management,  overseeing  substantial  assets, sharpened his strategic planning and resource optimization skills. Johannes's blend of

R.63/2025

expertise, impartiality, and community focus positions him to collaborate effectively as part of the Jersey Electoral Authority, ensuring the 2026 elections uphold the highest standards of fairness and inclusion.

Eleanor Sharples

Ellie has worked in financial services for the last 35 years and is currently a Director for the Supervision Division at the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC). Ellie was appointed in 2022 as a member of the JEA, working as part of the inaugural team for the 2022 election to ensure a fair outcome. She represented the JFSC as part of a cross- agency team for Jersey for our Moneyval evaluation supporting several key outcomes including  the  effectiveness  of  Supervision,  Transparency  and  Beneficial Ownership. She was a member of the Government's overall working group for the Islands National Risk Assessment for Money Laundering (NRA) and led a sector team through a prescribed methodology to produce a report which detailed the AML risks the Banking sector posed to the jurisdiction. Ellie is passionate about local politics. She was a member of the Citizens Jury, which considered whether Assisted Dying should be permitted in Jersey and a previous member of the Parent Carer Forum, which was created  to  facilitate  communication  between  families/carers  and  the  providers  of services used by children and young people with special needs. Ellie possesses strong analytical and communication skills. She has been a Member of the JEA since 2022.

Matthew Swan

Advocate Swan was called to the Jersey Bar in 1999. He was a partner at a leading Jersey law firm between 2001 and 2015, heading their European banking and finance group and acting as the managing partner of the Jersey law firm. He was appointed as Viscount of the Royal Court of Jersey in 2022, with responsibility for, amongst other things, the seizure and management of assets following a court order, the désastre regime, the regulation of delegates and enforcement of judgments, retiring in 2023. He has also acted as a consultant for another leading Jersey law practice. He has been a member of the Jersey Police Complaints Authority, a commissioner of the Jersey Gambling Commission, a commissioner of the Jersey Law Commission and an advisor for Citizens Advice Jersey. He is in the process of being appointed as a member of the Records Advisory Panel in respect of the Jersey Archive. He read history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge before sitting the Common Professional Examination and Law Society Finals at the College of Law, York.