Governance · Invest SVG

Anna Young Resigns as Invest SVG Head Amid South Korea Mission Fallout

The investment agency’s eighth executive director has left with immediate effect after less than five months, and her exit is now entangled with an international ticketing row and a relative’s public broadside against the board.

By Lance Davis · Vincypowa News · September 16, 2026 · Kingstown

Anna Young has resigned as Executive Director of Invest SVG with immediate effect, the national investment promotion agency announced on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

In a statement issued through its official channels, the Board of Directors said it had confirmed receipt of Young’s resignation and designated Nadine Agard-Juillerat, Director of Export Marketing and Promotions, as acting Executive Director to oversee daily operations during the transition. The agency thanked Young for her service and wished her well in her future endeavours, but gave no reason for the departure.

Young’s exit closes a strikingly short tenure. She was appointed on April 30, 2026 as the agency’s eighth Executive Director, a returning national with training in law and finance who had spent more than three decades abroad. She took up the post as the government widened Invest SVG’s mandate to cover export development, diaspora capital, and international financial services.

The resignation lands two days after a dispute surrounding an Invest SVG trade mission to South Korea burst into public view. On September 14, Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves described the affair as a severe international embarrassment for the country. According to Gonsalves, in-fighting over who should travel led to a high-ranking female official, traveling from New York, having her airline ticket cancelled mid-transit after someone within the St. Vincent government contacted the South Korean Embassy. The official was forced to turn back before reaching Korea, and a corporate credit card assigned to her was also cancelled. Gonsalves cast the episode as evidence of internecine fighting within the administration.

Invest SVG’s statement did not mention South Korea, and the agency has not linked the mission dispute to Young’s departure. The close timing of the two events has nonetheless driven public speculation about what prompted the resignation.

That speculation intensified on social media. In a series of lengthy public posts, Mourine Gaymes, a relative of Young, leveled sharp criticism at the Invest SVG board and its chairman, Ambassador Kevin Hope. Gaymes questioned Hope’s qualifications and leadership, argued that board members should hold managerial and human-resource experience before appointment, and alleged that the board had mistreated senior managers. She also tied her complaints to the governing New Democratic Party’s 14 to 1 election victory, urging the party not to accept what she characterized as the treatment of Young.

Invest SVG’s own appointment announcement in April described Young as a daughter of Layou and a granddaughter of the Gaymes family, a connection that places Gaymes among Young’s relatives. Vincypowa News notes that relationship for readers weighing her account, and has not independently verified her allegations about the board’s conduct. Neither Hope nor the board had publicly addressed the specific claims as of publication.

Invest SVG said it remains committed to attracting and facilitating investment and to building productive relationships with investors and partners locally, regionally, and internationally. The agency did not say when it expects to name a permanent Executive Director.

Note: This is a developing story. Vincypowa News welcomes comment from Invest SVG, its board, and Ambassador Kevin Hope, and will update this report with any response. Anyone with verifiable information may reach the newsroom at vincypowanews@gmail.com.

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