Barbados’ government has formally confirmed the appointment of seasoned cross-sector professional Mackie Holder as the new Chief of Staff for the Office of the Prime Minister, a senior leadership role that will see him oversee core interagency coordination, accelerate the rollout of the administration’s national strategic policy priorities, and spearhead enhanced two-way communication between state institutions and local citizens.
Holder brings a uniquely diverse, decades-spanning portfolio of expertise spanning diplomatic affairs, public administration, strategic communications, and cross-jurisdictional political strategy to the high-profile post. His most recent prior posting, which he assumed in January 2024, was Deputy High Commissioner at the Barbados High Commission in London, where his core mandate centered on advancing targeted engagement with the large Barbadian diaspora scattered across the United Kingdom, addressing community needs, and strengthening cultural and economic ties between diaspora groups and the home island.
Before his London diplomatic assignment, Holder spent five years serving as Barbados’ Consul General in New York, where he cultivated deep, trust-based relationships with Barbadian communities across the entire United States, while leading a full suite of consular support services, national cultural promotion campaigns, and international trade and tourism outreach initiatives on behalf of the Caribbean island nation.
Across his long professional trajectory, Holder has held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, earning widespread industry acclaim as a highly skilled marketing and public relations practitioner. Within Barbados’ public service, he previously served as Hansard Editor, and operated as a close, trusted advisor to three separate successive Prime Ministers of Barbados. His professional skill set extends far beyond traditional diplomatic and administrative work, encompassing specialized experience in speechwriting, high-level communications consulting, grassroots political organizing, independent publishing, cultural event production, and large-scale event management. He has also lent his political strategy expertise to partner governments across the Caribbean and Atlantic region, including stints supporting policy and campaign teams in St Kitts, St Lucia, and Bermuda.
A lifelong, deeply committed patron and creator of Barbadian cultural heritage, Holder has spent nearly 20 years producing the iconic Wednesday 2000 Crop-Over masquerade band, earning multiple industry awards for its innovative, community-centered presentations at Barbados’ premier annual national festival. He is also an accomplished creative artist: his published works include the full-length poetry collection *Tears of the Heart*, alongside original plays, song lyrics, and a curated catalogue of magazines and cultural publications that have played a key role in elevating and preserving underrepresented facets of Barbadian artistic expression.
Holder holds a Master of Arts in Communications from the University of Wales, is an alumnus of Barbados’ renowned Harrison College secondary school, and has been honored with two of the nation’s most prestigious civilian distinctions: the Pride of Barbados Award, and the Gold Trident of Excellence.
Government spokespersons noted that the appointment of a professional of Holder’s caliber is a deliberate reflection of the Mia Mottley administration’s long-stated commitment to recruiting top-tier, experienced Barbadian talent both at home and in the global diaspora to streamline governance operations, build far more inclusive, responsive connections with both domestic citizens and overseas Barbadian communities, and accelerate progress on the nation’s long-term equitable development agenda.
Mackie Holder has been appointed Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mia Mottley
