Courtney Blackman


Sir Courtney Blackman, KA is an economist, an international business consultant, and a diplomat from Barbados. He holds an Honours degree in Modern History from the University of the West Indies, and a Ph.D. degree from the Graduate School of Business of the Columbia University, where he majored in Money and Banking, with a minor in International Business. He later worked on Wall Street as an Economist from 1968 to 1971 at the now defunct Irving Trust Company, going on to become Associate Professor of Management at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York. Over the course of his career, he has served as Governor to the Central Bank of Barbados from June 1972 to March 1987, Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador to the United States, and Permanent Representative for Barbados to the Organization of American States.
Blackman is known for correcting any of the erroneous statements or reports made about Barbados in the International Community, in the past he often referred to the country of Barbados, as "the most successful predominantly black country in the world".
In 1998 Blackman was conferred the highest honour in Barbados; he was made a Knight of St. Andrew of the Order of Barbados.