??

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Maxine McClean????

Two senior officers in the Public Service and a veteran Trade Unionist are Barbados’ latest Ambassadors.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Maxine McClean today announced the appointments of Mr. Samuel Chandler and Ms. Sandra Phillips as the new Ambassadors of Barbados to Belgium and Venezuela respectively, and ??Mr. Joseph Goddard as the new Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Mr. Chandler joined the Public Service in 1971. For the past eleven years he has held the post of Permanent Secretary for Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, having previously served in that capacity in the Prime Minster’s Office, as well as the Ministries of International Trade and Business, Economic Affairs, and Trade Industry and Commerce. ??

Ambassador Chandler, who holds a B.A. in Economics and History from the University of the West Indies and a Masters in Economics from Fordham University, brings to his new assignment a wealth of experience in trade matters. For over a decade he has served as Government’s principal adviser on trade negotiations across the full spectrum of multilateral fora, including CARICOM, the Americas, the ACP/EU and the WTO. ??This will be his second overseas posting. In addition to Belgium Ambassador Chandler will be accredited to the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific Group and will also cover a number of European countries as non-resident Ambassador.

Ms. Phillips joined the Barbados Foreign Service in 1987, where she has served, with distinction, both at Headquarters and on overseas assignments with the Barbados Embassies in Caracas and in Brussels. She is currently the Head of the Ministry’s Strategic Analysis and Implementation Division, and Coordinator of the Council for Investment, Exports, Foreign Exchange and the Diaspora (CIEX), established by the Prime Minister in 2008. In addition to Venezuela it is anticipated that Ambassador Phillips will cover several other countries of Latin America on a non-resident basis, once the necessary arrangements have been completed.

Ambassador Phillips holds a B.A. in Spanish and Italian, a Diploma in International Relations from the University of the West Indies and a Masters in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ambassador Goddard has been a leader in the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and an active contributor to regional trade unionism for almost three decades. He is well known as a negotiator and committed advocate for the rights of public workers, and has written, lectured and represented on industrial relations nationally, regionally and internationally. He holds a Masters in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the London School of Economics, and is the recipient of several national and regional awards.

The new Permanent Representative will head Barbados’ UN Mission in New York where he will join a team of foreign service officers dedicated to the task of maintaining and enhancing Barbados’ profile as a model small developing state, known for its strong adherence to human rights and democratic governance and for its consistent representation of the development concerns and priorities of small states.

Ambassadors Chandler and Phillips will take up their assignments in August, while Ambassador Goddard is expected to assume office in New York on September 1st.

Pin It on Pinterest