As the seventh child of hotel worker Cedric Laing , (1/23/2010). and former Senator
Naomi Seymour
Naomi Seymour (born 12 August 1938) is a retired Bahamian politician who served as a member of the Bahamian Senate in the 1990s.
Personal life
Her son Zhivargo Laing served as a cabinet minister and member of the house of assembly. he grew up on
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is roughly in area and approximately long west to east and at it ...
. He attended Lewis Yard Primary School and Hawksbill High School before moving to Nassau, where he attended the
College of the Bahamas
The University of The Bahamas (UB) is the national public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with campuses throughout the archipelago. The main campus is located in the capital city of Nassau, on the island of New ...
(COB). Later, he was enrolled at the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
, Canada, graduating with a Bachelor of Art's Degree in Agro-economics., (1/23/2011). Laing went on to pursue graduate courses at
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
, concentrating on business administration.
Career
After returning to the Bahamas in 1989, Laing served as an investment analyst in the Bahamas Investments Authority, located under the Office of the
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. As a public officer, he represented the Bahamas overseas on several occasions and pursued an in-service training award in Japan. He also served as a diplomatic officer at the Embassy of the Bahamas in Washington, D.C., and as a representative of the Bahamas at the
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
(OAS). He previously served as the president of the College of the Bahamas (COB) Union of Students and a youth minister of Calvary Temple Baptist Assembly of God Church on Grand Bahama. He also founded "Youth Who Care", a community-based organization, and later served as its President. In 1993, he was appointed by the government as a member of the Consultative Committee on National Youth Development. He was sworn in as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture in March 1997 and appointed Minister of State for Education and Youth in January 2000.Zhivargo Laing on bahamas.gov.bs (1/23/2011). Laing is the Chairman of the Board of Governors at the
Caribbean Development Bank
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is a development bank that helps Caribbean countries finance social and economic programs in its member countries through loans, grants, and technical assistance. The CDB was established by an Agreement signed ...
and the Governor of the
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...
.Zhivargo Laing on businessweek.com (1/23/2011).
He is married to Zsa Zsa LaRoda. They have three sons and a daughter. He has written a weekly column called "Straight Up Talk" for ''The Tribune'' (Nassau) and hosted "Public Affairs Corner", a talk show, on Mix 105.9 FM. He currently operates a private consulting firm.
Bibliography
He has also published three books:
*''College, Career and Money – A Guide for Teens and Young Adults'' (with David Burrows), Pneuma Life (2004)
*''A Trust Out of this World'', Thompson-Shore (2004)
*''Who Moved My Conch – Understanding Free Trade Agreements'', Media