Douglas Lynch

Sir Douglas Lynch, KA, CMG, QC (born 1926) is a Barbadian retired businessman and lawyer, former member of the Privy Council of Barbados and a director of the Central Bank of Barbados.

He was born in Barbados of Cyril Aubrey Lynch and his wife Frances (née Webster, of York). His grandfather was James Challenor Lynch of Barbados, a financier and merchant, and his great grandfather was James Alsop Lynch, founder of merchants and later insurance brokers James A. Lynch and Company of Bridgetown, Barbados.

Their ancestors were Hamlet Mayers Lynch and John Richard Lynch, both of whom were signatories to several petitions concerning slavery in Barbados before and after 1800.

Sir Douglas is one of five children and is a twin of his brother Michael. His elder siblings are James, Betty and Richard.

Sir Douglas was educated at the Lodge School (Barbados), then when the family moved to England before the war came continued his education at St. Olave's School, the junior section of St Peter's School, York, followed by a voluntary period as an Officer in the service of the British Army in the Far East during World War Two. After demobbing, he attended University in the UK where he earned his qualifications as an attorney, and took the career choice to be a Solicitor.

Sir Douglas returned to his island of birth and entered the practice of law. There he met and was drawn into the world of public service with fellow lawyer (and ex-RAF pilot) Errol Walton Barrow, who founded the Democratic Labour Party and who subsequently became the island's first Prime Minister after Independence.

Sir Douglas was the first person to be formally admitted to the party,^[1] and himself stood for election, but was defeated in his first and sole attempt to gain political office, but remained a powerful background figure in the Democratic Labour Party with Barrow rarely making any decisions on business or financial without consulting him.^[2]

Sir Douglas came to serve in such public offices as a member of the Barbados Privy Council and was a founding director of the Central Bank of Barbados^[3] after the independent nation decided it needed its own currency, helping guide the succeeding national governments through various financial crises.

Among many posts held in the private sector he was also a director, and vice-chairman, of the island's largest insurance company, the Barbados Mutual Life Assurance Society (known by all locally as simply "The Mutual").^[3]

At one point Sir Douglas accepted a position as Director of the island's largest company - which was in fact a head office and holding company for the island's then six largest companies - Barbados Shipping And Trading ("BS&T"). As Director he assumed the responsibility for computerising the company's records and accounts in an era when data entry was achieved with punched cards.

Through BS&T, Sir Douglas introduced the first mainframe computer to the island, attending courses at places of higher education such as MIT in the USA as to its operation and maintenance, and also oversaw its installation and teething problems.

He also oversaw the purchase and start-up of BS&T's entry into the Tourism sector with the purchase of the Almond Beach Club Hotel (then the failing Heywoods Hotel) from the government, which transformed into the Almond Beach Resort chain.

In time, Sir Douglas rose to become Joint Managing Director, followed by promotion to Chairman^[4] and then Chairman and Joint Managing Director upon the retirement of his predecessor.

Upon his retirement, Sir Douglas returned to the practice of law, and entered partial retirement in February 2009 at the age of 82.

Sir Douglas is married to (Lady) Amanda, with five children - James, Gillian, Richard, Andrew and Suzanne, and he still resides in Barbados.

References

1. ^ 30 years and onward: in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary. Democratic Labour Party. 1985. p. 6. OCLC 13519235. 
2. ^ Morgan, Peter (1994). The life and times of Errol Barrow. Caribbean Communications. p. 28. OCLC 32104227. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Beckles, Hilary (1989). Corporate power in Barbados: the Mutual affair : economic injustice in a political democracy. Lighthouse Communications. p. 53. OCLC 20979035. 
4. ^ "Menard: 'Silly for me to push them'". The Montreal Gazette: p. 4. 1 March 1975. 

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Name	Lynch, Douglas
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Date of birth	1926
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