She was born in Dominica and was their candidate for the post at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in 2015.

She is the second Secretary-General from the Caribbean and the first woman to hold the post.

Profile

• Patricia Janet Scotland was born on 19 August 1955 in Dominica
• Moved to the UK with her family, growing up in east London
• Trained as a lawyer and became the first black woman to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 1991. At 35 she was also the youngest woman ever to be made a QC
• The first black woman to be appointed Deputy High Court Judge, Recorder and Master of Middle Temple
• Joined the House of Lords in 1997 as Baroness Scotland of Asthal going on to serve as a minister in the Foreign Office, Home Office and Lord Chancellor’s Department
• Undertook major reform of the criminal justice system, including the introduction of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act
• Appointed Attorney General in 2007 – the first women to hold the post since it was created in 1315
• Founded the Eliminate Domestic Violence Global Foundation in 2011
• Appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to South Africa in 2012
• Elected as the Alderman of Bishopsgate in the City of London in 2014
• Awarded Eminent Caribbean Jurists Award in 2022

The role of the Commonwealth Secretary-General

The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for:

• promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s values
• representing the Commonwealth publicly
• the management of the Commonwealth Secretariat.