William Boyd McCleary

William Boyd McCleary
Governor of the British Virgin Islands
In office
20 August 2010 – 1 August 2014
MonarchElizabeth II
PremierRalph T. O'Neal
Orlando Smith
Preceded byV. Inez Archibald (acting)
Succeeded byV. Inez Archibald (acting)
Personal details
Born (1949-03-30) 30 March 1949 (age 75)
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Viceregal styles of
William Boyd McCleary
(2010-2014)
Reference styleHis Excellency
Spoken styleYour Excellency

William Boyd McCleary CMG CVO (born 30 March 1949)[1] is a retired member of HM Diplomatic Service originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In September 2010 he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the British government, to represent the Queen as Governor of the British Virgin Islands, and to act as the de facto head of state in the Territory.[2] Prior to his appointment as governor, McCleary served as High Commissioner to Malaysia from 2006 to 2010.[2] In 2008 he was presented by Malaysian activists with a memorandum condemning the Batang Kali massacre in which the Scots Guards executed 24 unarmed civilians.[3]

Shortly after his arrival in the British Virgin Islands, the territory was damaged by Hurricane Earl. Although at the time of his appointment, there was a degree of tension over constitutional matters between the United Kingdom and the British Virgin Islands, McCleary won plaudits in the local press for his deft handling of the situation.[4] Currently, he is on the advisory board of OMFIF where he is regularly involved in meetings regarding the financial and monetary system. Previously, he was also one of the patrons of the British Theatre Playhouse, a company aiming to produce British theatrical plays and musical shows.[5]

References

  1. ^ McCLEARY, (William) Boyd, Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012; online edn, Nov 2012; accessed 14 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Change of Governor of the British Virgin Islands". Government of the British Virgin Islands, London office. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  3. ^ Doyle, Kevin (11 December 2023). "No justice: 75 years after a British massacre in colonial Malaya". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Governor issues all clear for VI, except for Anegada". 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  5. ^ "British Theatre Playhouse - Patrons - Professional theatre production company incorporated in Singapore in 2004 but is internationally focused with a solid British connection - SISTIC". Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.

Offices

Preceded by Governor of the British Virgin Islands
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by High Commissioner to Malaysia
2006–2010 		Succeeded by