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For twenty-five years, Matthew Wilson has been involved in trade, development and diplomatic circles. He has walked in the corridors and sat at the tables where aspiring diplomats only dream of being. From his first role as a young Foreign Service Officer to Trade Negotiator, Deputy Aid for Trade Coordinator at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the first Caribbean member of a WTO Director General’s Cabinet and the first ever Chief of Staff at the United Nations International Trade Centre to his current role as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations and international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland. His Excellency Matthew Wilson has contributed extensively to areas of trade and development, innovation, human rights, diversity and inclusion. He tells us about his journey, the good and bad moments, how he believes he is adding value and his current focus as Ambassador:

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It is only now, with time and a bit of distance, that I have realised just how magical and formative my life growing up in Barbados was. Everyone knows the reality: a beach ten minutes away, climbing ackee and plum trees in the summer, eating mangoes in the sea, taking the ‘pick-ups’ to ‘town’ with grandparents and getting lost in the ceiling high bales of fabric in the shops in Swan Street. I could go on and on. Growing up in Barbados also taught me a love of nature, a love of the land and a love for the sea. No one who took daily sea baths, walked through sugar cane fields, and climbed mango trees, can turn a blind eye to what is happening with the climate crisis today. This is why I am so passionate about working on issues of sustainability because I know what we stand to lose.

“I became more aware of myself and my place in the world”.

I went to a primary school where I met some of my lifelong friends in that intimate setting punctuated by marble pitching, uno playing, ice block eating and end of term party days.

From there, I went to St. Michael’s School. At that time, my personality began to take shape and I became more aware of myself and my place in the world.

I was more conscious of inequalities and hierarchies, and I found my tribe and knew what I would stand for. It was also around this time that my moral compass began to really take shape and I realised that I was interested in things bigger than just me. I wanted to explore and experience.

My imagination was always bigger than my reality, which was good because it allowed me to think and prepare myself for experiences which at that time, may have still seemed so far out of reach. My time at Barbados Community College was also a turning point for me because of the way I was taught and how I learned. Trevor Marshall, our history teacher, taught us to question, be analytical and to own our voice. There were some powerhouses in our class that year, including the current Barbados Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Santia Bradshaw and Minister of Energy and International Business, Sen. The Hon. Lisa Cummins.

“I never doubted that we existed within a light of excellence”.

After community college, I was off to Trinidad for four magical years at The UWI St. Augustine campus. But those stories are for another time!

Everything I learned, everyone I met, and every experience I had, led me to where I am today. My academic career was not linear and I am grateful for that. From focusing on languages at secondary school to moving to law, history and economics at college; shifting to psychology and sociology at the undergraduate level to then completing two postgraduate degrees in international relations and development studies to last year completing an MBA – Essentials. It has been about getting the various skillsets from each of these subjects, rather than focusing only on the substance. I got the accuracy from the law, the structure from the economics, the critical analysis from the history, the creativity from art, the ability to turn my thoughts into language from literature, my understanding of people from psychology, my understanding of community interactions from sociology, and my knowledge of how countries interact from international relations. It is important not to let any skill or access to information go to waste. I also truly believe that through some gentle pushes from mentors, opportunity and luck, I have been able to bring all those skills together in my current profession.

My life growing up in Barbados has shaped and prepared me for the challenges of today.

I don’t take it for granted that I lived in a country where the leadership looked like me. I never questioned our capability as people of colour, and by extension my capability, to achieve excellence because I saw it all around me.

I saw it in the leaders around me, in my teachers, in the entertainers. I never doubted that we existed within a light of excellence.

“No greater opportunity than getting a seat at the table”

I became interested in the foreign service because diplomacy and international relations fed my need for wanderlust. They fed my need for exposure to diverse people, opinions and experiences. Diplomacy is one of the world’s earliest professions and it remains essential to this day. Working in the foreign service is an incredible opportunity to do good and to be good. Good diplomats have stopped wars, made funding possible and created development pathways for vulnerable groups.

There is no greater opportunity than getting a seat at the table. Sometimes it is given, sometimes it is taken. Sometimes you need to set up your folding chair until that seat becomes available.

The fact is that a diplomat is the face and voice of a country, community and an issue. He/she/they have been entrusted with the most precious of things, trust. A diplomat therefore must represent intelligently, reflect good moral judgement and do all possible to create opportunities for the country and its people.

“Bringing the views of 280,000 Barbadians to the table”

I have always been conscious of my role as a diplomat because I know that I must bring the views of 280,000 Barbadians to the table. It is an incredible privilege and opportunity to reflect the strength, confidence and competence of your country and your people. But beyond that, there is the opportunity to contribute to the global good and the global commons.

If you are committed and put mission over self, it is an incredible opportunity to make a difference.

Being part of a team that delivers is always where I am happiest. I remember a group of us young diplomats from the Caribbean, Central America, Africa and the Pacific, banding together fifteen years ago to get an important agreement through the WTO, working with my International Trade Centre (ITC) colleagues on various missions and events, to today collaborating with the Barbados team to successfully present our human rights record in the Human Rights Council. I love to co-create and co-deliver and for there to be shared glory and relief when the job is done.

But the thing of which I am probably most proud, is the work on diversity and inclusion that I initiated with several like-minded colleagues at the ITC. Launching a diversity and inclusion group, developing a strategy, having outreach events on persons living with disabilities to the rights of LGBTQI +, addressing racism in the workplace and being a real advocate for gender equality, are some of the initiatives that have remained foremost on my mind because through them we are educating, making small changes and giving people permission to speak up and share their experiences and pain.

Diversity is critical and makes everything better. From culture to colour to ethnicity to gender to different opinions: with shared respect and a people-centred approach to problem solving, diversity can drive positive transformation.

The world is a much richer place when we chose love, inclusion and understanding. It is as simple as that.

If you adopt a people-centred and humanist approach to your life, you can’t feel comfortable seeing others excluded.

But there have also been lighter notes. I will never forget falling dramatically slowly out of a chair in the middle of a Ministerial ceremony in Nepal, climbing waterfalls with the former WTO Director General Pascal Lamy in Vanuatu, escaping floods in Fiji with former Executive Director of ITC Arancha Gonzalez, crossing from the River Gambia to Senegal along the same route that many of my enslaved ancestors did, climbing Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan and many other amazing experiences with colleagues. These are some of the memories that add the icing to the cake.

“Having a voice for those who may be voiceless”.

For me, this has been a journey of hard work, incredible experiences, working with committed and fiercely intelligent people but also one with some challenging times.

I have had to face racism, gaslighting, serious illness, duplicity; you name it! This is why I will underscore that if you wish to become a diplomat, do it for the impact, not for the money or the fame. Perhaps those two things may come afterwards but do it because you are passionate about creating space for your country or your community and having a voice for those who may be voiceless.

This profession is not for the meek or for those who want to keep their heads down. This profession is for those who want to take up space and when they get that space, also provide opportunities for others. It is for those who want to engage in serious but difficult multi-disciplinary work.

Throughout this journey, I have had multiple sources of inspiration. I can start with my parents. Never have I seen two more active and happy retirees. I am also inspired by brave, smart, fearless people who want to do good and make a change. There is a whole cadre of young people in Barbados now who are involved in issues around mental heath, human rights, constitutional reform, rights of persons with disabilities and more. They inspire me so much in their bravery and willingness to put themselves out there for causes that are bigger than them.

My Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Mia Mottley inspires me with her fierce intelligence and drive. The former WTO Director General Lamy and former ITC Head, Arancha Gonzalez are also on the list. I am equally inspired by the way the current heads of the WTO, United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and ITC; all women in these roles, are guiding their respective organisations.

Former Ambassadors like Peter Laurie, Teresa Marshall, Lolita Applewhaite, Gail Mathurin, Trevor Clarke, Michael King, who have walked this path before me, inspire me greatly. Many of my contemporaries like Ambassador Jackman in the Barbados Mission in New York, my colleagues here in Geneva and many former workmates at ITC and WTO encourage me with their commitment to do good and make a difference.

My ‘BF soul circle’ cannot be omitted. My friends motivate me and keep me centered and laughing

“Put your ego aside, what you are doing is bigger than you!”

To the aspiring diplomat, here are some lessons I have learned and wish to highlight:

• You never stop learning, so keep learning. Constantly seek out knowledge, whether from doing short courses, reading newspapers and blogs every day, asking questions or brainstorming with others. This is how you stay fresh, interested and interesting.
• You will never know everything and that is ok. You are not supposed to be good at everything. But if you are good at surrounding yourself with the right people and can harness their knowledge and skills effectively as a team, then you have won.

• Give people a chance. But then don’t! Many of us have our actions misinterpreted or our words and intentions misconstrued. Give people a chance to show you who they are. Take note of the noise around people but make your own decision. If that person turns out to be as rotten as the noise said they were, run for the hills! But, you would have given them a chance. Who you have around you matters. Who you work with matters also.

• Seek mentors. I owe so much to a group of men and women who had walked this path and who said ‘come let me guide you’ or ‘let me give you this opportunity’. Find mentors that truly want to support those coming behind them and that give unselfishly and importantly. Be that mentor for those coming after you.

• Put your ego aside! What you are doing is bigger than you. When you are gone, it will continue. So, while you are doing it, put your ego aside and work for the impact and not the glory. Embrace the fact that you are replaceable but when you are there, give 100%!

• Embrace work-life balance. Listen to your body when it says it needs a break. Don’t be shamed into not taking that vacation, not going to that concert or not putting that photo of you laughing on social media. Measure yourself against yourself and listen when you say ‘I need this break’ because if you don’t, you will resent your job, resent the people around you and burn out far too fast.

To the teenager reading this and confused about your future and your career, take this in. Don’t put pressure on yourself or allow anyone to put pressure on you. Take the first step. The worst thing is to take no action at all. Your first job may not be your ideal job but treat it as if it is. Learn, network, hone your skills and become ready for that next stage. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Just learn from them and pivot quickly.

Lastly, don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from. Choose carefully who you have around you and what information and opinions that you allow to permeate your sense of self.

We are living in both a magical and scary time. Choose the magic!

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Matthew told us that he has learned never to try to look into a crystal ball. However, in ten years, he wants to continue being happy and healthy, making a difference and laughing.

*Image provided by Amb. Wilson