BY SHEENA FORDE-CRAIGG | FEB 23, 2024
Consul General Lorenzo Harewood (seated, second from left) with staff of the New York Consulate. Seated (left to right) – Consul Angela Kinch; Vice Consul, Julianne Walrond; and Beverley Miller-Coppin. Standing (left to right) – Lynette Callender-Heaven; Michael Watts; Margo Parris; Jalissa Medford; Michael Straker; and Linda Watson-Lorde. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade)
Barbados’ new Consul General to New York, Lorenzo Harewood, effectively assumed in-office duties on Monday, February 19.
During his first meeting with staff, Mr. Harewood outlined his vision for how the mission would engage with the diaspora during his tenure. He also spoke about the important work of the mission, how he felt about his new post, and his plans.
“I am honoured that Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kerrie Symmonds, have invested their confidence in assigning me this duty on behalf of Barbados,” the Consul General said.
Mr. Harewood highlighted that the work of the consulate is extremely important for facilitating matters related to citizenship and immigration for the diaspora and other relevant parties. In addition, he said it has been essential, over the years, in identifying business and philanthropic opportunities that have benefitted Barbadians.
“The New York Consulate, in collaboration with the Barbadian Associations and other key stakeholders, has done an excellent job over the years of preserving and extending our cultural reach. Key to my assignment, among many other priorities, will be the strengthening of the Consulate’s understanding and appreciation of the specific qualities (skills, interests, and other resources) that are possessed by our diaspora, and representing those traits in a way that we can strategically access,” the Consul General stated.
In sharing his vision for operations at the consulate, Mr. Harewood said it included improving communication across the mission’s diaspora with those states that fall under its purview. Those states are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Michigan, and Illinois.
He stated that he also aims to strengthen collaboration with key institutional and individual stakeholders dedicated to developing Barbados, as well as to build the capacity of staff and relevant associations to ensure that the consulate remains fit for purpose in delivering on its various operations.
In the areas of business facilitation and culture, Mr. Harewood identified the strategic approach of establishing multiple Sister-City Agreements with select cities, thereby enabling an environment where businesses in Barbados and the USA can take advantage of each other’s expertise and notable competitive advantages, in a way that benefits both economies.
On his first day in office, and in keeping with his intentions of a team-centric approach, the Consul General broke with tradition and commissioned the creation of a staff group photo to be placed on the wall of the consulate.
Explaining why the photo was commissioned, Mr. Harewood said: “The consulate is made up of many dedicated and talented persons that we do not often get a chance to see, hear about, or appreciate. This is the least that I could do to establish and make that a permanent fixture to remind us of their contributions.”
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