Cheryl Bazard is a Bahamian lawyer, politician and diplomat. She is the current Bahamian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and also served as a Senator from 2012 to 2017.
Early life and education
editBazard was born in Nassau, Bahamas. Bazard pursued a Associate's Degree in history at the College of the Bahamas. She continued her studies abroad, where she obtained her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Buckingham, in Buckinghamshire, England.
Bazard was admitted to the Bar of England & Wales and the Bahamas Bar in 1991.[1]
Later, Bazard obtained a Master's Degree in Financial Compliance Risk Management from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in California. She has also earned diplomas in Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance with distinction from the International Compliance Association in London.[2][3]
Professional career
editBazard served as counsel in the Office of the Attorney General from 1997 to 1998. She also served for a time as a stipendiary and circuit magistrate.[4]
Bazard also worked in the financial sector, where she served as Legal Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Regional Director of Compliance for CIBC and CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, as well as the Director of Compliance for Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited.[3] In 1999, Bazard, along with other compliance officers, founded the Bahamas Association of Compliance Officers (BACO) and she became its founding president.[4] Bazard served a second non-consecutive term as president from 2018 to 2020. Her contributions to the financial services sector were acknowledged with awards, including Compliance Officer of the Year in 2002 and the Bahamas Financial Services Board's Professional Excellence Award in 2003.[1]
In addition to her legal practice, Bazard has served as a lecturer at both the Eugene Dupuch Law School and the Bahamas Institute of Financial Services. In 2016, Bazard also served as Co-Executive Director of the "Vote Yes Bahamas" Campaign for the constitutional referendum on gender equality.[1]
Political career
editIn 2012, Bazard was appointed a Senator by Prime Minister Perry Christie and sworn in on 21 May 2012 in a ceremony at the Government House in Nassau.[5] In 2017, she ran for Parliament for the Progressive Liberal Party party for the St. Barnabas constituency in the 2017 general election. However, she was not successful in her bid for the seat.
In 2022, Bazard was appointed the Bahamas' Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mission to the European Union, receiving her letters of credentials on 18 October 2022.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Officers of the Bar Council – The Bahamas Bar Association". Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ KAW Management Services Ltd. (2016 April 8). https://www.kawmanagement.com/team-showcase/cheryl-e-bazard/
- ^ a b "Cheryl E. Bazard". KAW Management Services Ltd. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ a b Muller, Wouter H.; Kälin, Christian H.; Goldsworth, John G., eds. (2012-01-02). Anti-Money Laundering: International Law and Practice (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781119208969. ISBN 978-0-470-03319-7.
- ^ "10 Senators receive their Instruments of Appointment". The Bahamas Weekly. May 22, 2012. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ Rolle, L. (2022-10-19). "Six diplomats sworn in". The Tribune. Retrieved 2024-07-15.