WIRSPA is managed by a Board of Directors that consists of the head of each of the national rum producer associations. The Board of Directors act as representatives of the member associations to establish corporate management related policies and to make decisions on issues that affect its members and the region’s rum industry.
DIRECTORS
Margaret P. Monplaisir, MBA
Chairperson
Margaret has served on the Management team of the St. Lucia Distillers Group of Companies for the past thirty-seven years. Her career path and personal growth are intertwined with the growth and success of the Company. From 2013 until 2020, Margaret served as Managing Director for the Group, before she was appointed as CEO of the parent company, St. Lucia Distillers Ltd., which is a well-recognized enterprise in St. Lucia, manufacturing international award-winning rums, which are distributed throughout the world.
With an MBA in General Management from the University of the West Indies, everything Margaret knows about rum she learnt from working closely with the legendary Laurie Barnard, up to his passing in 2012. It is her wish that Laurie’s legacy continues and the products that he created are shared with the rest of the world.
Margaret has been attending WIRSPA meetings and participating in our activities since 2010 and is now serving her third term on the executive management committee. She has also marked another milestone in her career, becoming the first female chair of WIRSPA since its formation in 1971.
- Clement “Jimmy” Lawrence
Chairman, Spirits Pool Association (Jamaica) - Komal R. Samaroo
Executive Chairman, Demerara Distillers Ltd. - Antoine M.J. Couvreur
Managing Director, Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. - Aguie A. Lendor
Executive Director, Asociación Dominicana de Productores de Ron (ADOPRON) - Albert A. Bento
Managing Director, Antigua Distillery Ltd. - Steven F. Ma Ajong
Chief Executive Officer, Suriname Alcoholic Beverages N.V. - Ian A.J. Forbes
Chief Operating Officer, Angostura Limited - Nathalie D. Gardere
Managing Director, Société du Rhum Barbancourt - Perla Perdomo
Director, Travellers Liquors Ltd. - Graham Williams
Managing Director, Westerhall Estate Ltd. - Courtney Greaves
General Manager, St. Vincent Distillers Ltd.
PAST CHAIRMEN
Patrick J. Mayers, B.C.H, J.P1983 – 1985; 1992 – 1994; 1998 – 2007
Born in Barbados, Mr. Mayers was educated at Presentation College, San Fernando, Trinidad. On his return to Barbados, he started his working life as a junior overseer at the West India Rum Refinery Ltd in 1959, moving to James H. Inniss & Son Ltd. as a Salesman in 1962.
In 1971, James H. Inniss & Son Ltd. was merged with Hanschell Larsen & Co. Ltd. to become Hanschell Inniss Ltd., which was then acquired by J.N. Goddard & Sons Ltd. in 1974.
Mr. Mayers was appointed a Director and Divisional General Manager of Goddard Enterprises Ltd. in 1979 and he became involved with the Group’s efforts to widen their interests in the local and export rum trade. In 1984, he was appointed Managing Director of the West India Rum Refinery Ltd. He also served as a Director on the boards of several companies associated with Goddard Enterprises Ltd. and in 1994, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director.
After his official retirement from Goddard Enterprises Ltd. at the end of 2000, Mr. Mayers continued to serve as a non-executive Director of the company, until early 2009. He has also served as Chairman of the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC), a Director of the Central Bank of Barbados and the Barbados Export Promotion Corporation and Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association (WIRSPA).
Mr. Mayers’ association with the rum industry started in the 1950s and continued until his retirement from WIRSPA in 2007. His involvement in several trade and aid agreements, namely the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), Lomé Convention (Lomé IV), The Cotonou Agreement and the Canada/CARICOM Trade Agreement stands testament to his sterling contribution to the rum industry in Barbados and the region, which has benefited from his many efforts to ensure fair market access for Caribbean rum in extra-regional markets.
The 70-million-euro programme of assistance from the European Union to CARIFORUM members was delivered under Mr. Mayers’ chairmanship, a programme which is arguably one of the most successful in assistance the EU has given to any region.
The Government of Barbados awarded Mr. Mayers the Barbados Centennial Honour (BCH) in 2000, for his outstanding contribution to national and community life in Barbados.
- Komal R. Samaroo (Guyana)
2017 – 2023 - Dr. Frank W. Ward (Barbados)
2007 – 2017 - Roy Evon Brown (Jamaica)
1996 – 1998 - Dr. Yesu Persaud (Guyana)
1990 – 1992 - Lloyd Forbes (Jamaica)
1979 – 1983; 1988 – 1990 - Peter F. Campbell, O.B.E (Barbados)
1976 – 1979 - Tommy A. Gatcliffe (Trinidad)
1973 – 1976; 1985 – 1988; 1994 – 1996 - C. A. Bloomfield (Jamaica)
1971 – 1973