Bermuda To Get First Female And Black Governor

HAMILTON, Bermuda June 13, 2020 (CMC) – Bermuda is expected to get its first female and first Black Governor, later this year, it was officially announced, yesterday.

Government House said Rena Lalgie, who is married with two children, will succeed John Rankin in December.

Lalgie, who is currently the Director of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in the United Kingdom Treasury, said, in a statement, that she is “immensely proud” to serve Bermuda, as its first female and Black Governor.

“The island rightly has a reputation as a beautiful place to live, and a great environment, in which business can flourish. It is a first-class, legal jurisdiction with some of the highest international standards in combating financial crime.

“I am conscious that this announcement is being made in challenging times. As Bermuda looks to the future, I will work, in earnest, with the elected government, through the exercise of my duties, to support and promote the island’s strengths and resilience,” she said, adding that “my family and I are looking forward to contributing, fully, to life in Bermuda, as we get to know the people and culture”.

Lalgie has worked in the UK’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, including as the Deputy Director for the information economy and cybersecurity. She served as a Justice of the Peace for eight years, until 2015, and was the Head of the Counter-terrorism and Security Review in the UK Treasury, from 2007 to 2008.

Government House said Rankin, a Scotsman, who took up the Bermuda post in December 2016, will transfer to another appointment in the UK’s diplomatic service.