Dame Sandra Mason | |
|---|---|
 Mason in 2019 | |
| 1st President of Barbados | |
| Assumed office 30 November 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Mia Mottley |
| Preceded by | Office established Elizabeth II (asQueen) |
| 8th Governor-General of Barbados | |
| In office 8 January 2018 – 30 November 2021 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Freundel Stuart Mia Mottley |
| Preceded by | Philip Greaves (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sandra Prunella Mason (1949-01-17)17 January 1949 (age 76) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of the West Indies, Cave Hill (LLB) Hugh Wooding Law School (LEC) |
| Occupation |
|
Dame Sandra Prunella MasonFBGCMGDASC (born 17 January 1949) is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who is serving as the firstpresident of Barbados since 2021. She was previously the eighth and finalgovernor-general of Barbados from 2018 to 2021, the second woman to hold the office. On 20 October 2021, Mason waselected by theParliament of Barbados to become the country's first president, and took office on 30 November 2021, when Barbados ceased to be aconstitutional monarchy andbecame a republic.
Mason was a practicingattorney-at-law who has served as a High Courtjudge inSaint Lucia and a Court of Appeal judge in Barbados, and was the first woman admitted to thebar in Barbados. She served as chair of theCARICOM commission to evaluate regional integration, was the first magistrate appointed anambassador from Barbados, and was the first woman to serve on the country'sSupreme Court. She was the first appointee from Barbados to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal. In 2017, she was appointed the 8th governor-general of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was awarded the Dame Grand Cross in theOrder of Saint Michael and Saint George. On assumption of the office of Governor-General, she became the Chancellor of theOrder of National Heroes,Order of Barbados and theOrder of Freedom.[1][2]
Sandra Prunella Mason was born on 17 January 1949[3] inSaint Philip, Barbados.[4] After studying at St. Catherine's Primary School until age nine, she attended secondary school atQueen's College,[5] then began teaching at the Princess Margaret Secondary School in 1968.[6] The following year, she worked atBarclays Bank as a clerk. Mason enrolled in theUniversity of the West Indies at Cave Hill, where she earned aBachelor of Laws.[3] Mason was one of the first graduates of the Faculty of Law from UWI, Cave Hill, completing her education in 1973.
In 1975, she obtained aLegal Education Certificate fromHugh Wooding Law School inTrinidad and Tobago, becoming the first woman attorney-at-law from Barbados to graduate from the school.[5] She wasadmitted to the bar on 10 November the same year,[7] becoming the first woman member of the Barbados Bar Association.[3] She is aSoroptimist and Patron of SI Barbados.[8]
Beginning in 1975, she worked in Trust Administration for Barclay's and transferred to several different posts within the Barclay's company until 1977.
In 1978, Mason began working as the Magistrate of the Juvenile and Family Court and simultaneously tutoring in family law at UWI. She stopped tutoring in 1983 and continued working as a magistrate. In 1988, Mason completed theRoyal Institute of Public Administration inLondon's course on Judicial Administration.[3] She served on the UNCommittee on the Rights of the Child from its 1991 inception until 1999, holding the vice chair from 1993 to 1995 and chair from 1997 to 1999.[9]
Between 1991 and 1992, Mason served as chair[3] and was one of the two women appointed to the 13-memberCARICOM commission charged with evaluating regional integration.[4] She left the family court in 1992[3] to serve as an ambassador to Venezuela, and was the first woman magistrate from Barbados to serve in that position. Between 1993 and 1994 she also served as ambassador toChile,Colombia andBrazil.[5] Upon her return to Barbados[7] in 1994, Mason was appointed Chief Magistrate for Barbados, and in 1997 became the Registrar of theSupreme Court.[10]
In 2000, Mason completed studies on Alternative Dispute Resolution at theUniversity of Windsor inWindsor, Ontario, Canada, and then completed a Fellowship with theCommonwealth Judicial Education Institute inHalifax, Nova Scotia, in 2001, as well as a course in Advanced Dispute Resolution at UWI.[3] She continued to serve as Registrar of the Supreme Court until 2005, when she was appointed as Queen's Counsel to the Inner Bar of Barbados.[3] In 2008, Mason was sworn in as an Appeals Judge[10] becoming the first woman to serve on the Barbados Court of Appeals.[3] For three days in 2012, she became the acting Governor-General of Barbados[11] and the following year was the first Barbadian appointed to membership in theCommonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT). The Tribunal operates among members of theCommonwealth of Nations to resolve issues concerning contract disputes.[4] With that appointment,Loop News named her one of the 10 most powerful women in Barbados.[12]
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In 2017, Mason was appointed as the eighth Governor-General of Barbados, with a term beginning on 8 January 2018. Simultaneously with her appointment, Mason was also appointed a Dame Grand Cross in theOrder of Saint Michael and Saint George.[13]
In 2020, Mason, in her official capacity announcing government policy in theThrone Speech, written by the government of Prime MinisterMia Mottley, stated thatBarbados would become a republic, abolishing theBarbadian monarchy.[14] She was then expected to be nominated as a candidate to be the first president of Barbados, then to be elected by the two houses of parliament, and to assume office on 30 November 2021.[15][16][17]
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On 12 October 2021, Mason was nominated by Prime MinisterMia Mottley and Opposition LeaderJoseph Atherley to become the firstpresident of Barbados.[18] On 20 October she waselected by both houses without opposition.[19] Mason took office on 30 November 2021,[20][21] the 55th anniversary ofIndependence. While she is nominally chief executive and is the sole head of state in Barbados, in practice her role is mostly ceremonial, much like her previous role as Governor-General.[22] She made her first official visit toKenya in June 2022.[23]
As president, Mason represented Barbados at thestate funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and at thecoronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.[24][25]
Mason has kept her family life largely private. She is known to have a son named Matthew, who is an attorney-at-law.[28]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor-General of Barbados 2018–2021 | Position abolished |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byasQueen of Barbados | President of Barbados 2021–present | Incumbent |
| Barbados (1966–2021) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Related | ||
* Served as acting governor-general of Barbados | ||
