Team and Contact Information

BIOGRAPHY

THE HONOURABLE PHILIP EDWARD !BRAVE” DAVIS, QC PRIME MINISTER OF THE COMMONWEALTH AND MINISTER OF FINANCE 

PHILIP EDWARD ‘BRAVE’ DAVIS is perhaps best known now as a politician, serving as  Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party, and Member of Parliament for CAT ISLAND,  RUM CAY AND SAN SALVADOR.  

What many may not know is that he entered politics late in life.  

Professionally, he is known both locally and internationally as an acclaimed Corporate  and Human Rights lawyer, a highly distinguished legal educator, a passionate  sportsperson, a sponsor of many sporting activities, and a Toastmaster.  

Mr. Davis received his early education at the Old Bight All Age School, Cat Island, and the  Eastern Junior & Senior Schools and St. John"s College in New Providence.  

After a brief stint in banking, he articled as a Law Clerk in the Law Chambers of Wallace Whitfield & Barnwell.  

His appointment as Queen"s Counsel, the highest possible honour which is conferred on  those practicing law in the English legal system anywhere in the world, came in  recognition of both his highly successful legal practice, but also his contribution to legal  education.  

A leading litigation lawyer, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis has an impressive record in the Courts of  Appeal, with perhaps more appearances before the UK Privy 

Council than any other Bahamian lawyer.  

A former Member of the Council of Legal Education for CARICOM he has made an unprecedented contribution to legal education in the Caribbean region. Mr. Davis  twice served as Vice-President of the Bar Council before becoming President of the  Bahamas Bar Association in 1995.  

Since 2002, he has been Managing Partner of the law firm which bears his name: Davis  & Co.  

In 1970 Mr. Davis became a Member of Toastmaster Club 1600, a non- profit  organisation established to develop leadership skills through  

listening, thinking and speaking. He served as its President in 1979, and as Division  Governor ofToastmasters for The Bahamas in 1989. 

A keen sportsman interested in baseball, softball, 

swimming and athletics, Mr. Davis served as Vice-President of the Bahamas Swim  Federation from 1986 to 1990, and was President of the Sea Bees Swim Club from 1980  to 1990.  

He is married to Ann-Marie Davis. His six children inherited their father"s passion for  sports, hard work and patriotism, going on to represent the Bahamas at the CARIFTA  Games.  

During his first term in parliament, Mr. Davis chaired the National Insurance Board for a  number of years, which is why he is able to speak so authoritatively on the economic  affairs of the country.  

During his tenure there, he introduced a number of fundamental reforms, which put the  National Insurance Board in the position it is today, where it is currently providing  support to thousands of Bahamians.  

During the last administration of the Progressive Liberal Party, from 2012-2017, Mr.  Davis ran a super-ministry, the Ministry of Works. His portfolio covered everything  relating to the physical infrastructure of The Bahamas, as well as oversight of  Bahamasair, BEC, and the Water & Sewerage Corporation.  

In no small way this is why he has the reputation for getting things done.  

Since May 2017, he has been Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party. On September  16th, he was Elected the fifth Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,  where he also serves as Minister of Finance.  Prime Minister Davis was given an  Honorary Doctorate from Middle Tennessee State University. The Honorary Doctorate is  the most prestigious degree conferred to recognise people whose career reflects  sustained, exceptional achievement in fields of scholarship, public service or other  endeavours. The University has reportedly only conferred five in its 111-year history. 

Prime Minister Davis has become a leading voice for Small Island Development States  on matters of Climate Change and sustainability. As Prime Minister, he has repositioned  The Bahamas as a global leader in Digital Assets with the launch of the country's White  Paper on the Future of Digital Assets. Mr. Davis is also recognised for his government's  bold initiatives in laying the framework for the Administration's policy on the launch of  its Carbon Credits Exchange regime.

The Honorable Michael B. Halkitis was born on February 1st, 1969, in Nassau, Bahamas. He  attended St Augustine’s College and Mr. Halkitis began his post-secondary education at the  College of the Bahamas and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the  University of Western Ontario. Mr. Halkitis qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst in 1995. 

Mr. Halkitis was first elected to The Parliament of The Bahamas in 2002 and again in 2012. He  currently serves as Minister of Economic Affairs and Leader of Government Business in The  Senate. 

His portfolio responsibilities include Promotion of Financial Services, Small Business  Development, Ease of Doing Business, Consumer Protection and International Trade. 

Under his many years of leadership, the Bahamas’ Ministry of Finance was not only brought  into the modern age through the digitization of its operations, but also through the  implementation of major taxation reforms which have been applauded for their seamless  integration. Currently, he oversees the nation’s trade, financial services industry, aims to  improve our country’s ease of doing business, and directs our country’s digitization efforts. He  will play an important role in helping to stabilize the country’s finances.

Mr. Wilson was appointed Financial Secretary on January 1, 2016. He holds a
Bachelors of Science degree (Hons.) in Economics from the University of the West
Indies and a Master’s degree in Economics from Florida State University.

Mr. Wilson has over 30 years of experience in the Ministry of Finance having
served in various capacities including Deputy Financial Secretary and Head of the
Economics Unit.

Ms. Cartwright was appointed to the post of Budget Director with effect from 1st October, 2018. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Ms. Cartwright has more than 30 years of experience in the Ministry of Finance, and previously held the position of Senior Director of Finance in the Revenue and Budget Sections.

Ms. Christine M. Thompson graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Science in
Finance from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and was bestowed the
distinguish Graduate Finance Award. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from
State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in
Economics and Business.

Ms. Thompson begun her illustrious career in the Ministry of Finance in 1993 were she
matriculated from Assistant Economist to her present day positon as Senior Deputy
Director of the Economic Unit. Her duties in this position includes providing policy
advice to the Minister of Finance on the many and varied issues under the purview of
the Ministry of Finance, liaising with the international development institutions and debt
management.

During her career at the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Thompson has sat on numerous
committees that had responsibility for achieving many milestones for Government. One
of particular note is the committee responsible for bringing a second
telecommunications company to The Bahamas. Ms. Thompson has also been a
member of the Board of Directors at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the
past 7 years and a member of the Board of Directors at the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) for 3 years.

Joycelyn Gilbert is an experienced professional with over 20 years of expertise in Government Financial matters.

In her most recent role as the Director of Revenue, Gilbert has consistently delivered results by implementing coordinated revenue activities that ensure revenue projections are achieved.

Gilbert served as Senior Director of Finance, Macro Fiscal Unit, after serving in the Budget
Section for many years. She holds a Master of Business Administration Degree, specializing in Financial Management, City University, Seattle, Washington, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Bethune Cookman University, formerly known as Bethune Cookman College.

She is a certified youth leader and has a Taylor University Trauma Informed Care Certificate in collaboration with the Government. Joycelyn Gilbert is a Certified Grief Counselor by The
American Academy of Grief Counseling, a division of the American Institute of Health Care
Professional and she is a published author.

Please direct mail to:

Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre,

West Bay Street

P.O.Box N-3017

Nassau, N.P., Bahamas