KINGSTON, Jamaica — Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has announced the appointments of new Jamaican Heads of Mission in Mexico, India and Belgium.

They are Ambassador-designate to Mexico Sharon Saunders, High Commissioner-designate to India Jason Hall and Ambassador-designate to Belgium Symone Betton-Nayo.

Ambassador Sharon Saunders has been a member of the Jamaican Foreign Service for over 38 years and is presently the Under-Secretary with responsibility for the Diaspora, Protocol and Consular Affairs Division in the ministry. Her previous assignments include that of High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago with multiple accreditations in the Caribbean; Deputy High Commissioner at the Jamaican High Commission in London and Minister-Counsellor in the Embassy of Jamaica in Brussels and Permanent Mission to the ACP and EU.

India High Commissioner-designate Jason Hall recently completed his tour of duty as Jamaican Ambassador to Mexico. Prior to that assignment, the ministry said he served in both the public and private sectors for over 26 years and has significant managerial experience in marketing, tourism, business development and public relations. His previous roles include that of Deputy Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board, management roles at Jamaica Freight and Shipping Company and JAMPRO and more recently he served as Vice President of Marketing at Supreme Ventures Limited.

Likewise, Ambassador-designate Symone Betton-Nayo is a career diplomat with over 25 years of service. According to the ministry, she is currently the Director of the Trade Agreement Implementation and Coordination Unit in the Foreign Trade Division. She has served as Minister-Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations and its specialised agencies in Geneva, and the Embassy of Jamaica and Mission to the EU in Brussels, respectively.