Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, FB, GCMG, DA, QC, LLD, born January 17, 1949, in East Point, St. Philip, Barbados, has been the first President of Barbados since November 30, 2021.

 

A trailblazer, she was the eighth and final Governor-General from 2018 to 2021, becoming the second woman in that role. Elected by parliament on October 20, 2021, she oversaw Barbados’ transition to a republic, ending the British monarchy’s role.

 

Mason began her career teaching at Princess Margaret Secondary School, later working at Barclays Bank. She earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill (1973), and a Legal Education Certificate from Hugh Wooding Law School (1975), becoming the first Barbadian woman admitted to the bar.

 

Her judicial career included roles as a High Court judge in Saint Lucia, the first female Court of Appeal judge in Barbados, and the first Barbadian on the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal. She served as ambassador to Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil (1993–1994). Mason, a mother to son Matthew, remains a symbol of Barbadian progress.