On Saturday, May 17, 2025, The Fletcher School, one of the world’s leading graduate schools of international relations, presented Barbados’ Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates H.E. Dr. Annalee C. Babb with the 2025 Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award for her “remarkable career” and “truly exemplary leadership at the intersection of the public, private, and intergovernmental sectors”.
According to Dean Kelly Sims Gallagher, Ambassador Babb represents the “quintessential Fletcher alumna” whose “dynamic career devoted to service, innovation, and local and global impact is an inspiration”.
In recognising the ambassador’s work, the Fletcher Dean expressed the hope that it might continue to inspire the next generation of international leaders among Fletcher’s alumni.
In her acceptance, Ambassador Babb shared brief remarks about what she called “the alchemy of transformational leadership”. She thanked her Fletcher family for its foundational role in her becoming, and for presenting her with such a “cherished recognition”.
The Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award was established in 2014 to celebrate “exceptional Fletcher alumnae who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the public, private, and NGO sectors”.
Ambassador Babb has served as Digital Transformation Sherpa in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. She was also the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy and the Special Advisor to the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Smart Technology, leading the team developing COVID-19 public health emergency management tech solutions.
She is also the founding CEO of Invest Barbados. (PR/GIS)
Caption: Chair of the selection committee, Maureen Alphonse-Charles (left), presents Barbados’ Ambassador to the UAE, Dr. Annalee C. Babb, with the 2025 Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award while Senior Director of Development & Alumni Engagement, The Fletcher School, Colonel Skip Nordhoff, looks on
