Saint Lucia TEPA Board Members

Ronald Ramjattan is the CEO/Founder of Baron Foods Ltd., one of the region’s leading agro-processor. Born in August, on the planet of the majestic Leo, Ramjattan grew up in Georgetown, Guyana with his five sisters. With the attainment of a Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemistry from the University of Guyana, coupled with a vast knowledge and experience in the food manufacturing industry, the ever impassioned Ramjattan took the voyage upstream, leaving his home in Guyana to devote his energies in founding his very own food processing plant in November of 1991. Guided by his drive for quality and excellence in his every endeavour, he began with a staff of 23 personnel producing a range of 12 products. Today Baron Foods Ltd., Ramjattan’s very brainchild of 1991, manufactures over 150 products inclusive of sauces, condiments, salad dressings, flavors, spices and exotic fruit beverages, all of which are internationally acclaimed and certified against the most stringent food safety standard globally; the FSSC 22000 V3 standard. Ramjattan’s stellar leadership has foreseen Baron Foods Ltd’s perpetual mission of providing innovative Caribbean-style foods products of the highest quality and superior presentation. This leadership has, over the years, earned this aspiring businessman several coveted awards, both regionally and internationally. Ronald Ramjattan, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in October, 2014 at Buckingham Palace. He is also President of the St. Lucia Manufacturer’s Association, as well as a member of various civic and charitable organizations and is a generous philanthropist.

Dr. Alison Gajadhar holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (First Class Honours) in Pure Chemistry and Food Chemistry from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Given her exceptional performance in this field of study, she was the proud recipient of the University Dean’s Prize for best performance in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences in all three campuses. Subsequently, she was awarded a University Scholarship by UWI where she continued to pursue her lifelong passion and attained the Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry with High Commendation from UWI, Jamaica in 1999.
Dr. Gajadhar also holds a Certificate in Chemical Metrology from Jamaica, an Advanced Certificate in Quality Management and Productivity from the Productivity Standards Board Academy of Singapore and a Certificate in Project Management from the Project Management Institute of Pennsylvania. In addition to public and private sector administration, her areas of expertise include standardization, conformity assessment, quality management systems and technical barriers to trade (TBT).
A familiar face to many, Dr. Gajadhar has worn many hats having served in various capacities in both the public and private sector. From 2001-2007 she served as Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) with responsibility for defining the strategic direction of the Bureau. Following which, she lectured on Quality Management for the Advanced Certificate Level Program for Project Management Professionals. Up until 2014 she served as Special Adviser on Technical Barriers to Trade for the CARICOM-Canada Trade Negotiations. From 2007-2012 she operated as Managing Director of Ecosun Inc. and AMK Inc., while undertaking some major consultancy work funded by the European Union and US-Aid which included among others, implementation of ISO9000 Quality Management System within the Ministry of Commerce. During the period 2007-2011, she also served as an Independent Senator in the Parliament of Saint Lucia.
In 2012 Dr. Gajadhar had a shift in career and joined the Government Service. Since then she has served as Permanent Secretary with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport.
On March 28th 2015 she was appointed as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs. With the Ministry’s core mandate being private sector development, she brings to the Ministry her wealth of knowledge and experience from the private sector as well as an understanding of the challenges impacting the development of the business sector. Since joining the Ministry Dr. Gajadhar has commissioned a diagnostic review of the Ministry to help improve its strategic operations to better serve its clients.
In addition, Dr. Gajadhar has served and continues to serve on many Boards of Directors in the public and private sector, both at the national and regional level, and she is a proud mother of 3 beautiful girls.