During 53rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta Patricia Janet Scotland was elected as the 6th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations and will take office from April 1, 2016.
- She will be the first woman to hold the post.
- She also becomes the first British citizen to be elected as secretary–general of the Commonwealth.
- She will succeed Kamalesh Sharma of India whose 8-year tenure comes to an end in March 2016.
- She will receive a salary of nearly £160,000 as well as a four storey mansion in Mayfair.
About Patricia Scotland
1955 born Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal is a British barrister and jurist, who served in many ministerial positions within the UK Government, most notably as the Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland.
- She is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Dominica.
- She was the first black woman to be made a Queen’s Council in 1991.
- In 2014 she was appointed as the chancellor of the University of Greenwich.
- In 2005 she was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of East London in 2005.
About Commonwealth Secretary-General
It is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat which is the central body that has served the Commonwealth of Nations. Secretary-General can now serve a maximum of 2 four-year terms and its duties involve representing the organisation globally and also promote its values and principles mainly democratic standards and development.