William Boyd McCleary

William Boyd McCleary (born 30 March 1949) 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. Prior to his appointment as governor, McCleary served as High Commissioner to Malaysia from 2006 to 2010. 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.

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. 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.