Marion Vernese Williams GCM, is a Barbadian economist, banker, accountant and diplomat. She is a recipient of the Gold Crown of Merit.

Early life and education

Williams was born Marion Mottley, the daughter of two Barbadian teachers, Rudolph and Cledlene Mottley. She was educated at St George's Primary School, St Michael's School, and from the age of 12 at Queen's College. She earned a degree in Economics in 1968 from the University of the West Indies, and later a Master's in Economics as the first postgraduate in the field at the university's Cave Hill campus. In 1995, she earned her Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Surrey, with a thesis on prudential regulation and

economic liberalisation Economic liberalization (or economic liberalisation) is the lessening of government regulations and restrictions in an economy in exchange for greater participation by private entities. In politics, the doctrine is associated with classical liber ...

Career

After her bachelor's degree, she worked for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority, the precursor of the Central Bank of Barbados, where she was eventually appointed Research Director. In 1973 she joined the Central Bank, where she held numerous senior and managerial positions and was appointed Governor in 1999.Alt URL
/ref> During her tenure leading

monetary policy Monetary policy is the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a nation to control either the interest rate payable for very short-term borrowing (borrowing by banks from each other to meet their short-term needs) or the money supply, often a ...

of Barbados, then- Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson credited the team led by Williams as helping the Barbadian economy emerge relatively unaffected by the financial crises affecting other parts of the globe.Alt URL
/ref> Upon her retirement in 2009, Thompson announced that he had appointed her as the Barbadian

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

. Williams assumed the post on 1 February 2010, and presented her credentials to the UN Office Secretary-General, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, four days later.

Personal life

She is married to Clyde Williams; they have two children.

Publications

* ''Liberalising a Regulated Banking System: The Caribbean Case'', Ashgate Publishing, 1996, . *

Awards

* Gold Crown of Merit * Honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

, University of the West Indies ( Cave Hill)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Marion Vernese Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Governors of the Central Bank of Barbados Barbadian economists University of the West Indies alumni Alumni of the University of Surrey Permanent Representatives of Barbados to the United Nations Queen's College (Barbados) alumni Barbadian women ambassadors Women economists 20th-century economists 21st-century economists