Born in Scotland into a modest Christian family, Her Excellency Miss Betsy Mathiesonhas lived in Bahrain since 1980. She is a proud mother of two sons.

Betsy is the Founder and Chair of ‘This is Bahrain”, an NGO established in 2010, to promote ‘the humble Bahraini way of life” focusing on religious freedom and peaceful coexistence.

In 2018, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, created the ‘King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence’ (KHGCPC) appointing Betsy as Deputy Chair.

In this capacity, Betsy developed a leadership fellows programme in conjunction with Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England. She also created the ‘King Hamad Cyber Peace Academy” to combat online bullying, hate speech, extremism, racism, discrimination, violence and radicalisation.

A prolific writer and advocate of religious freedom as the most fundamental of human rights, Betsy is the author of ‘A Brief History of Christianity in Bahrain’. She is passionate about youth empowerment through education, both academic and vocational. Betsy is especially committed to providing maximum opportunities for disadvantaged young people to ensure equality of advancement for all.

Passionate supporter and member of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs in Bahrain since 1981 under the leadership of John Mullins and then Khalid Almoayed, her initial period of membership was suspended for a few years due to work commitments in Saudi Arabia.

On the completion of this contract leading to a return to Bahrain in 2010, she was soon appointed Chargée de Presse. Promotion to Chancelier followed in 2018 and now, with the retirement of Khalid Almoayed, Betsy has stepped up to be Bailli Délégué. We wish her well leading the Bailliage.

Marie Jones
International Vice President