Cheryl Bazard



Cheryl Bazard is a Bahamian diplomat, politician and lawyer. She is the Bahamas' ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and served as a senator from 2012 to 2017.

Early life and education
Bazard was born in Nassau, The Bahamas. After high school, Bazard chose to pursue her Associate's Degree in History at The College of The Bahamas. Shortly thereafter, she decided to continue her studies abroad, where she obtained her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England. Then she was admitted to the Bars of England & Wales and The Bahamas Bar in 1991. Bazard obtained a Master's Degree in Financial Compliance Risk Management from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She also holds International Diplomas in Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance with distinction from the International Compliance Association in London.

Professional career
Bazard's legal career spans more than three decades. Bazard served as counsel in the Office of the Attorney General from 1997 to 1998 and as a stipendiary and circuit magistrate. She also worked in the financial sector, where she served as Legal Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Regional Director of Compliance for CIBC and CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, as well as the Director of Compliance for Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited.

In 1999, Bazard, along with other compliance officers, founded The Bahamas Association of Compliance Officers (BACO) and became its founding president. She served a second non-consecutive term as president from 2018 to 2020. Her contributions to the Bahamas' financial services sector were acknowledged with awards, including Compliance Officer of the Year in 2002 and the Bahamas Financial Services Board Professional Excellence Award in 2003.

In addition to her legal practice and compliance leadership, Bazard has served as a lecturer at both the Eugene Dupuch Law School and the Bahamas Institute of Financial Services. Furthermore, in 2016, Bazard held the post of Co-Executive Director of the Vote Yes Bahamas Campaign for the Constitutional Referendum on Gender Equality.

Political career
Bazard was sworn in as a Senator on May 21, 2012, in a ceremony at the Government House in Nassau. In 2017, Bazard was the Progressive Liberal Party political candidate for the St. Barnabas constituency in the general elections. Bazard was not successful in her bid to gain the seat. Bazard received letters of credentials as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mission to the European Union on October 18, 2022.