BRIGADIER (ret’d) Mark Phillips and Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Monday, were officially appointed as Prime Minister and Vice President, respectively, by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who hailed them as “exemplary” leaders that will help guide Guyana’s prosperous future.

Phillips and Dr. Jagdeo’s appointments signal the first two major appointments under President Ali’s new administration.

These appointments come one day after Dr. Ali was officially sworn in as the ninth President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

The President emphasised that the appointments of the Prime Minister and Vice President were made under Articles 101 and 102 of the Constitution.

He said: “These appointments are evidence of placing the reigns of our nation’s development in the most capable hands, hands that have been tried, tested and proven annals of public service.”

Speaking after swearing in Phillips, the President said: “His name is synonymous with duty and public service. When called to serve, he has never faltered. He embodies the spirit of discipline, loyalty, and steadfast commitment.”

He pointed to the decades of selfless service to the people of Guyana that the retired Brigadier has placed.

Phillips served as the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) from 2013 to 2016.

Phillips has two Postgraduate Diplomas: one in Advanced Defense and Security Studies from the Inter-American Defense College in Washington D.C., and another in Defence Studies from the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He also earned a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Public Management from the University of Guyana and a Master of Science in Public Sector Management from La Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.

He was first employed as an Acting teacher at the Linden Foundation School, then as a Laboratory Analyst with the Bauxite and Alumina Labs of GUYMINE in 1980.

In December 1980, he joined the Guyana Defence Force as an Officer Cadet and travelled to the United Kingdom for military training on the Standard Military Officers’ Course Number 26 at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in September 1981. Trained in Brazil, he served as a Special Forces Officer and he is an accomplished Parachutist and Jumpmaster.

Thereafter, he held appointments at the tactical and operational levels of the Guyana Defence Force and retired as Brigadier and Chief of Staff in October 2016, having served for over 36 years. He is a recipient of the Military Service Star (MSS), the highest national military award in Guyana.

Immediately following his retirement in October 2016, Brigadier Phillips was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Kansas, USA. This honour is bestowed upon graduates who have achieved the highest military office in their respective countries.

Speaking on Dr. Jagdeo’s decades of service to the Guyanese people, President Ali emphasised that the Vice President stands committed to the country.

Dr. Ali said, “His story is one of unparalleled achievement. As a former Minister of Finance, he stewarded our economy with a keen and brilliant mind. As President of this Republic for twelve remarkable years, he set the stage for the prosperity we are now realising.”

Further, President Ali spoke on the Vice President’s guidance, which enabled him to ably lead Guyana from 2020 to 2025.

He said that Dr. Jagdeo’s command and knowledge of governance is a resource “we are incredibly blessed to have at our disposal.”

“Dr. Jagdeo, your continued service is a gift to the nation, and we are all beneficiaries of your wisdom and boundless energy,” President Ali said.

Dr. Jagdeo previously held the office of the Minister of Finance before being elected to serve as the President of Guyana from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011.

He was the first Head of State to relinquish office in accordance with the two-term limits he signed into law during his presidency.

He also holds a number of global leadership positions in the areas of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Green Energy.