News
| Jul 30, 2021

UWI congratulates alumnus Philip Pierre on becoming St Lucia prime minister

/ Our Today

administrator
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has congratulated Philip J. Pierre, who was sworn in as St Lucia’s eighth prime minister on July 28.

Pierre, an economist and UWI alumnus, led his political party to win the country’s recent general election.

In a statement, The UWI said its community was “filled with great pride” to have yet another member of its alumni assuming the high office of prime minister in the Caribbean region.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor of The UWI.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor of The UWI, expressed his personal congratulations to Pierre on his “resounding victory” in the election, adding: “The citizens of St Lucia have demonstrated very clearly their desire for your leadership”.

The vice-chancellor assured the new prime minister the backing of The UWI and said he looked forward to an opportunity to discuss ways in which the regional university could continue to support St Lucia’s development.

Pierre holds both a Bachelor’s degree (hons) in Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from The UWI.

St Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre. (Photo: Facebook @PhillipJ.Pierre)

Before entering politics, he began his career in teaching. He then served as a trainee manager at J.Q. Charles Limited; an audit clerk at Coopers and Lybrand; an audit senior at Panell Kerr Forster and financial controller at Stanthur Company Limited. He was also director of the National Research and Development Corporation (NRDF). He later moved on to become chief executive of his own company, Phillip J. Pierre Business Services Ltd.

He joined the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) in 1985 and entered representational politics in 1992. This is his sixth win as parliamentary representative in the Castries East constituency that he has represented since 1997. He has held several positions in the SLP, including chairman and, during the Dr Kenny Anthony-led government of 2011 to 2016, he served as deputy prime minister, and acted as prime minister on several occasions. He became Leader of the Opposition in 2016 following Anthony’s resignation.

Tags
alumnus congratulations general elections Philip Pierre Prime Minister Sir Hilary Beckles St Lucia University of the West Indies UWI

Comments

What To Read Next

News JAM May 12, 2026

Health minister says over 40 Cuban healthcare workers remain in Jamaica

Reading Time: 2 minutesMinister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton has announced that more than 40 Cuban healthcare workers who were previously part of a bilateral arrangement between Jamaica and Cuba have opted to remain in Jamaica and are now working under individual contracts.

Speaking with journalists at the Ministry in New Kingston, Dr Tufton said that prior to the recall of Cuban medical personnel, about 278 doctors were engaged under the programme.
News JAM May 12, 2026

Southern region to benefit from $39M pre-hurricane mitigation programme

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe National Works Agency (NWA) is in the final stages of preparing a $39 million programme dedicated to drain cleaning and bushing in the Southern parishes of St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon. This initiative forms a central part of the Government of Jamaica’s (GOJ) islandwide Pre-Hurricane Mitigation Programme.

Manager, Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw says that the agency is now actively engaging Members of Parliament across the parishes to finalize the programme of works. This collaborative effort is an important aspect of the programme as it ensures that the representatives are involved in the identification of some of the locations to be targeted.