Michael Glenn-Art Lashley was appointed Consul General, Toronto for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in December 2003. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the Foreign Service of Trinidad and Tobago.

Prior to his appointment as Consul General, Mr. Lashley gained extensive experience in the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served as Director, European Affairs Division responsible for Trinidad and Tobago’s relations with the countries of Europe and with European Institutions; the relations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries and the European Union (ACP/EU); CARIFORUM/European Union relations; and the Latin American and Caribbean/European Union Cooperation Initiative (LAC/EU).

He currently plays a key role in the Diplomatic Mission that promotes CARICOM’S candidature for Port of Spain to be the location for the Permanent Secretariat of the FTAA.

Mr. Lashley also served as Director of Administration and Acting Director of Finance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he managed human resources and support services for the Ministry’s headquarters, the 14 overseas Diplomatic and Consular Missions and a total of over 350 staff members.

His career in management was significantly enhanced by his service in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) as that organization’s Head of Administration and Finance.

A leader committed to building bridges between linguistic and cultural communities, the trilingual Mr. Lashley was previously assigned to the CARICOM and Caribbean Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he planned and supervised the implementation of Trinidad and Tobago’s political and economic relations with CARICOM countries and the wider Caribbean region. As a Representative of his country, he assisted in fashioning the legal and multilingual terminology of the ACS Air Transport Agreement to ensure that the commercial interests of all parties were adequately preserved and protected within the parameters of international air transport law and practice.

Known as an innovative thinker and policy strategist, Mr. Lashley was the Diplomatic Counsellor at the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela where he was responsible for managing a broad range of issues affecting bilateral trade and investment opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuelan businessmen. He also played a pro-active role in the resolution of fishing crises between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

At the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, Mr. Lashley was at one time a Lecturer in French Language and Linguistics and later an Assistant Documentalist at the University’s Institute of International Relations.

Mr. Lashley joined the Foreign Service in 1977. He served in Guyana as Acting High Commissioner and as First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies in Europe, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Lashley’s undergraduate studies were completed at the Universite de Caen in Caen, France (French, Spanish, Literature and Linguistics) and his post graduate studies in International Relations at the Institute of International Relations of the University of the West Indies. He did his specialized training in export promotion and international trade negotiations in Japan and Chile respectively.

Mr. Lashley is married and has two daughters.

His interests are Public Affairs, International Relations, Personal Development and Personal Financial Management, Horticulture, Theatre, Music, Modern and Folk Dance and Literature.