The chairman of an insurance company group has been appointed as an independent member of the Senate, it was announced this morning.

John Wight, the chief executive officer at BF&M, will fill the seat vacated by James Jardine, who stepped down after almost nine years in the Upper House.

John Rankin, the Governor, reappointed Joan Dillas-Wright and Michelle Simmons to act as independent senators.

He said: “I am grateful to Mrs Dillas-Wright and Mrs Simmons for their continued commitment to serve on the Senate and to Mr John Wight for his willingness to join them as independent senators.

“Each of them brings their own unique experiences to the work of the Senate which I believe will be of value and I wish them well in their future duties.

“I would also again take this opportunity to thank Mr James Jardine for his distinguished service to the Senate between 2011 and 2020.”

Ms Dillas-Wright was first appointed as an independent senator in 2008 and Ms Simmons joined the Upper House in 2017.

Mr Wight has 35 years of experience in the financial services sector in Bermuda and Canada.

He became president and chief executive of BF&M in 2005 and chairman in 2019.

Mr Wight said: “I’m honoured to be asked to serve Bermuda in the capacity as an independent senator and equally honoured to be accepting.

“I think it is very important for individuals in the Senate to be able to provide their personal views on matters that they believe to be in the best interests of Bermuda.

“I’d like to thank the Governor for his confidence in me and I am eager to get started in this new and exciting role for me.”

He is a past president of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, the Bermuda Insurance Institute and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda, which awarded him a Fellowship for his distinguished service to the profession and to Bermuda.

He is also a council member of the Bermuda Stock Exchange and a director of the Financial Intelligence Agency Board.

*UPDATE: This article has been updated to include comments from Mr Wight.