Former CEO of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority Annette Mark, was handpicked for the role over Shafia London, the top performer in a recruitment process over two years ago, says Tourism Minister Kishore Shallow.
Shallow lifted the lid on the process that produced Mark as the CEO, saying a previous “robust” recruitment exercise had been “circumvented” and the successful candidate “hand-picked” instead.
Shallow made the disclosure on Monday during a press conference in Villa, where he announced the appointment of London as CEO of the SVGTA, effective 1 July, on an initial three-year contract.
The minister framed London’s selection as part of a deliberate effort to restore transparency and merit to senior appointments in the tourism sector.
“We are about being transparent with the people,” Shallow told the media, as he outlined how London first emerged as the top candidate nearly two years ago.
His comments suggest that London was overlooked for the position at a time when her husband, Grenville Williams, was attorney general in the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government, before he went on to run as a candidate for the party in the November 2025 general election.
Mark was appointed CEO of the SVGTA effective Aug. 12, 2024, under the ULP administration, with North Leeward MP, Carlos James, as tourism minister.
Before her appointment, Mark served as the executive director of Invest SVG, the agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Her move to the SVGTA amounted to a leadership swap between two state agencies, as she replaced Glen Beache, who had been CEO of the SVGTA for over a decade.
Beache, a former tourism minister, became CEO of Invest SVG amidst alleged tension between him and James, also of the ULP, the same party under which Beache served as an MP and tourism minister from 2005 to 2010.
Shallow told the media on Tuesday that London had originally applied for the SVGTA CEO position in a previous round of recruitment, which he described as “very robust, comprehensive” and led by an external agency.
That agency, which included Trinidadians, had identified London as the leading candidate at the time, the minister said.
However, he went on to say that just before an agreement could be finalised with London, the process was derailed.
“Just before an agreement was reached, the process was, should I say, circumvent[ed] — was circumvent[ed] — and someone else was hand-picked. That’s the reality. I say it as is,” Shallow stated.
“I understand that the agency then, who I had a very lengthy discussion with, … did not favour the then selectee,” he said.
Shallow did not name the former CEO during his remarks, nor did he go into detail about who intervened in the process or on what basis the eventual appointee was chosen.
Mark campaigned openly for the ULP in the November 2025 general elections, including for James, whom Shallow, of the New Democratic Party, unseated in North Leeward on his first outing at the polls.
Sources have told iWitness News that Mark offered her resignation as CEO of the Tourism Authority after the election.
However, after Shallow was appointed minister of tourism, Mark reportedly attempted to rescind her resignation, saying she could work with the minister.
However, her resignation took effect without the ministry responding to her alleged attempt to rescind it.
Meanwhile, Shallow told the media that when the CEO position became vacant again in December, he moved quickly to revisit the outcome of the previous search and reconnect with London.
“I engaged Ms London, ascertaining her availability and willingness, interest still in becoming the CEO,” Shallow explained.
“… I will just say she responded favourably,” he added, noting that her earlier ranking as the top candidate in the aborted process weighed heavily in favour of her selection.
But Shallow stressed that even then, London’s appointment was subjected to another round of checks and consultations, which he presented as part of an effort to avoid any suggestion of political favouritism.
“That still had to go through another layer, another process,” he said. “We went through … exchanges, engagement with the Attorney General, the Honourable Louise Mitchell, with our esteemed chair [of the board of SVGTA], Shelly Ann Fraser, myself, and of course, by the time we were done, now we informed our Prime Minister, Honourable Dr. [Godwin] Friday, of the entire process.”
Shallow said the prime minister was “quite happy to give Ms London full blessings and approval”.
The minister described London as a “most capable, astute Vincentian business and civic leader”, emphasising her academic and professional credentials and suggesting that the government was “fortunate” to have secured her services.
London, a 2003 national scholar, is pursuing a doctorate in business administration.
She holds a Master of Business Administration with distinction from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill; a Master of Science in biochemical engineering from University College London; and a First-Class Honours Bachelor of Science from UWI, St. Augustine.
London laid the foundation for her career in local economic development as Executive Director of the SVG Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
From there, she built a highly successful corporate career, beginning as the marketing manager at St. Vincent Brewery Ltd. and ultimately rising to senior regional leadership.
She also advanced to executive roles within the Banks Holdings Limited Group in Barbados (parent company of Banks Breweries and PINEHILL Dairy), serving successively as group marketing manager, group commercial manager, and country head.
As country head for AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, she oversaw multi-market operations across Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica, driving revenue growth and market expansion.
Her strategic insight and operational excellence earned her the title of Top ABI Business Leader in the Caribbean and Latin America in 2022.
Following a merger and acquisition, London served as general manager within the SLU Group of Companies (a member of the KOSCAB group), leading operational performance and business transformation initiatives.
Most recently, she served as first vice president of the Barbados Manufacturing Association and SVG’s technical representative to the Caribbean Private Sector Organization.
Shallow described London as “a most capable, astute Vincentian business and civic leader…
“Shafia brings a wealth of administrative and marketing expertise and will be an invaluable asset to the tourism authority as we continue to accelerate the growth in what is really an increasingly competitive tourism industry.”
Shallow hinted that London could easily have been lost to opportunities elsewhere.
“I know some are going to want to know how we were able to land such a high-value professional, right? And that’s why I keep saying we are fortunate,” he noted.
Shallow suggested that London’s appointment as CEO of SVGTA is the logical conclusion of a process that should have been respected from the outset.
Shallow presented the new CEO as both the best-qualified candidate and the beneficiary of a corrected wrong.