Baroness Patricia new Commonwealth SG

Baroness Patricia Scotland was yesterday named as the new Commonwealth Secretary General (SG) replacing Kamalesh Sharma.

The sixth commonwealth Secretary General will take office on 1st April 2016. Other two contenders for the post were Mmasekgoa Masire- Mwamba from Botswana and Sir  Ronald Sanders from Guyana.

Baroness Patricia Scotland was born in Dominica in 1955, then moved with her family to Britain. She obtained her LLB in 1976, was called to the Bar in 1977 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991.

She received a life peerage and was created Baroness Scotland of Asthal in 1997. Baroness Scotland has held the position of Attorney General (2007 to 2010), Minister of State (Home Office) (Crime Reduction) (2007 to 2007), Minister of State (Home Office) (Criminal Justice and Offender Management) (2003 to 2007), and Parliamentary Secretary (Lord Chancellor’s Department) (2001 to 2003) in Government. 

Kamesh Sharma became Secretary General on 1st April 2008, after being appointed by heads of government at their meeting in Uganda in November 2007. Previous Secretaries- General have been Sir Don Mckinnon of New Zealand (2000-2008) Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990-2000) Sir Shridath ‘sonny’ Ramphal of Guyana (1975-1990) and, Arnold Smith of Canada (1965-1975).