New Governor named for Bermuda

HAMILTON, Bermuda, (CMC) – Bermuda is to have a new Governor. A statement from Government House Monday stated that John Rankin will succeed George Fergusson who left last month after four and a half years in the post.

I very much look forward to taking up the role of Governor and working in partnership with the elected government in the interests of the people of Bermuda. Bermuda has a well-deserved reputation as a vibrant place to do business and an attractive place to live or to visit. That vibrancy will be all the more evident as we approach the America’s Cup next year and Bermuda has the opportunity to showcase itself to the full on the world stage,” Ranking said in a statement.

Acting Governor Ginny Ferson will continue in the post until December, when Rankin is expected to arrive on the island. Premier Michael Dunkley said Bermuda is looking forward to welcoming the new head of the British Overseas territory.

We are pleased to see that the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) process of appointing a Governor for Bermuda has been completed. We note Mr Rankin’s wide range of expertise, which we consider could be an asset to Bermuda’s growth in the next few years.

Rankin joined the Foreign Commonwealth Office in 1988 as a legal adviser, working in both the United Kingdom and Geneva. He later served as the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Consul-General in Boston and served as the Head of the America’s Directorate. Before joining the FCO, Rankin practised as a solicitor in Scotland and was a lecturer in public law at the University of Aberdeen. Fergusson took up his post in Bermuda in 2012 shortly after losing an eye in a mugging in London.