Mr. Ernest Thompson has been made the new acting Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

Mr. Thompson has had a distinctive career in Corporate and Finance Law, Human Resource Management, International Finance Law, Merger and Acquisition Agreements Transactions and Chain Management Strategies.

Academically, Mr. Thompson holds an LLB (Hons) and a Barrister-at- Law Degree from the University of Ghana. He also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales, Cardiff Business School in the U.K.

In addition, he has a Certificate in Finance and Investment Law from the North Western University of Chicago in the USA.

Experientially, he has been with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) since 1982, when he entered as a Legal Advisor. He also acted as the Solicitor Secretary for SSNIT, wherein he handled additional general legal matters and legal aspects of SSNIT investments, the' breadbasket of a Pension Scheme.

He was instrumental in the conversion of the Social Security Provident Fund into a Pension Scheme in 1991, and led the SSNIT legal team that worked on the new Pension Law (Act 766).

By dint of his exceptional performance, he rose to become the General Manager, General Counsel, SSNIT, from 2006 to 2010 -- whereby he had oversight jurisdiction of the Legal, Corporate Law and the Insurance Departments of SSNIT.

Until his re-entry into the Social Security arena as the Acting Director General of SSNIT, he was CEO of the Golden Beach Hotels -- a SSNIT investee hotel chain -- on secondment from SSNIT.

To add to the array of governance exposure, he has served on various SSNIT Investee Boards as Chairman, Board Member or Board Secretary. Until recently, he was Board Secretary of the oldest soccer team in Ghana -- the Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.

Mr. Thompson has been involved in a variety of legal suits running up to the level of the Supreme Court of Ghana, offered legal opinions on various legal matters and was also part of a team that negotiated investment-related transactions for SSNIT.

Mr. Thompson has been a member of the Ghana Bar Association since 1982.