Sandra Mason 1st President of Barbados from 30 November 2021 Date of Birth: 17.01.1949

Content:

1. Early Life and Education
2. Legal and Judicial Career
3. Diplomatic and Appellate Court Service
4. Acting Governor-General and Commonwealth Arbiter
5. Governor-General of Barbados (2018-2021)
6. President of Barbados (2021-Present)

Early Life and Education

Sandra Mason, the first President of Barbados, was born on January 17, 1949, in Saint Philip, Barbados. After graduating from high school, she embarked on her teaching career at Princess Margaret Secondary School in 1968. The following year, she transitioned to the banking sector as a clerk at Barclays Bank.

Mason pursued a Bachelor's Degree in Law at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill. She became one of the early graduates of the UWI's Faculty of Law in 1973. Upon completing her studies, Mason was called to the Bar and began practicing law on November 10, 1975, becoming the first female member of the Barbados Bar Association.

Legal and Judicial Career

From 1975 to 1977, Mason held various positions within Barclays Trust Company. In 1978, she commenced her judicial journey as a Magistrate in the Juvenile and Family Court, while concurrently serving as a tutor in Family Law at UWI. She ceased her tutoring role in 1983 but continued as a Magistrate.

Mason's commitment to judicial administration led her to complete a course at the Royal Institute of Public Administration in 1988. She also served on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child from 1991 to 1999, holding the positions of Vice-Chairperson (1993-1995) and Chairperson (1997-1999).

In 1991-1992, Mason chaired a 13-member CARICOM Commission tasked with assessing regional integration. She left the Family Court in 1992 to become Ambassador to Venezuela, becoming the first female Barbadian Magistrate to hold this position. From 1993 to 1994, she served concurrently as Barbados' Ambassador to Chile, Colombia, and Brazil.

Upon her return to Barbados in 1994, Mason was appointed Chief Magistrate of Barbados and, in 1997, Registrar of the Supreme Court.

Diplomatic and Appellate Court Service

In 2000, Mason pursued research in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the University of Windsor in Ontario. She then undertook internships with the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2001, and pursued an Advanced Dispute Resolution course at UWI.

Mason remained as Registrar of the Supreme Court until 2005, when she was appointed Queen's Counsel in the Barbados Bar. In 2008, she was sworn in as a Judge of Appeal, becoming the first female to serve in the Barbados Court of Appeal.

Acting Governor-General and Commonwealth Arbiter

From May 30 to June 1, 2012, Mason served as Acting Governor-General of Barbados. The following year, she was appointed to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal, which resolves contractual disputes among Commonwealth members. Loop News subsequently recognized her as one of the 10 Most Influential Women in Barbados.

Governor-General of Barbados (2018-2021)

In late 2017, Sandra Mason was appointed the eighth Governor-General of Barbados, taking office on January 8, 2018. She was awarded the Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George upon her appointment and held the positions of Chancellor and Grand Master of the Order of Barbados.

In 2020, while delivering the government's policy statement in a Throne Speech written by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Mason announced Barbados' transition to a parliamentary republic, replacing Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. She was subsequently expected to become the country's first President.

President of Barbados (2021-Present)

On October 12, 2021, Prime Minister Mottley and Leader of the Opposition Joseph Atherley nominated Mason as the first President of Barbados. The Parliament of Barbados elected Mason to the presidency on October 20, 2021, with three abstentions in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate. Barbados had declared its departure from the monarchy in September 2020.

Mason was sworn in on November 30, 2021, Barbados' 55th Independence Day. The ceremony was attended by Charles, Prince of Wales.

While Sandra Mason is nominally the head of the executive branch and Barbados' sole Head of State, her role, as with her previous role as Governor-General, is largely ceremonial.

Barbados

Mia Mottley

Sandra Mason