Dame Cécile La Grenade
Dame Cécile Ellen Fleurette La Grenade, GCMG, DStJ, OBE, has been Governor-General of Grenada since her appointment by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2013. She is our first female Governor-General. Alongside her appointment, the Queen also made her a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, granting her the title Dame, as is tradition for Governors-General.
Dame Cécile was born in La Borie in the parish of Saint George on 30 December 1952. She was born into the prominent La Grenade family, which traces its ancestry back to Captain Louis De La Grenade, a wealthy free black landowner and military commander in 18th century Grenada. Through her father, Allen La Grenade, MBE, Dame Cécile is a paternal first cousin of former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Her maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Ollivierre-Sylvester, was the first woman to serve on the legislative council in Grenadian history.
Dame Cécile is highly educated, holding a bachelors degree in chemistry from the University of the West Indies, alongside a masters degree and PhD in food science from the University of Maryland. As an educated food scientist, Dame Cécile in 1992 took over the operation of the family business, De La Grenade Industries, which produces nutmeg products.
A successful businesswoman, she entered public service in the 2000s, first becoming a member of the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Steering Committee, in 2006. The following year, in 2007, she was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission by Governor-General Sir Daniel Williams, a post she held until 2010.
While in office, Dame Cécile has been a historic Governor-General. She opened the New Parliament Building in 2018, dealt with the constitutional issues surrounding the lack of an elected opposition in the 2018 election, hosted the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall (now the King and Queen) during their visit to Grenada in 2019, and saw the end of the historic reign of Elizabeth II in 2022. As the Crown’s representative in Grenada, she oversaw the proclamation of Charles III as King of Grenada. She represented Grenada at both the Queen’s funeral, and the coronation of the King, the latter alongside Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
