Orville A. T. (Tommy) Turnquest
O.A.T. (Tommy) Turnquest, CD,CBE, a former Parliamentarian and Cabinet Minister, is the Chief Executive Officer of Jack’s Bay Resort Development LTD. He is responsible for the coordination and execution of all development related activities for the project. Under the National Honours Act, on October 14, 2020, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Distinction (C.D.), and in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours 2020, he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE)
Tommy is Managing Director of Governors Trust Company Limited, a private trust company licensed under the Banks & Trust Companies Regulation Act of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. In 2017, he was appointed Chairman of Bahamasair Holdings Limited. He is also the President and Director of Green Pines Investments Limited, and a Director of several other companies, including Sunshine Holdings Limited, Eleuthera Properties Limited, and Woodlawn Gardens Limited.
Mr. Turnquest spent 20 years in frontline politics. He was first elected to Parliament in August 1992 and again in March 1997. Between 2002 and 2007, he served as Opposition Leader in the Bahamian Senate. Mr. Turnquest was re-elected to parliament as the representative for the Mt. Moriah Constituency in the 2007 General Election. He was also appointed Minister of National Security and Government Leader in the House of Assembly between 2007 and May 2012.
Mr. Turnquest has also served as Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Hurricane Relief Committee, and Minister of State for the Public Service and Labor. Other ministerial posts include Public Works, Public Service, Immigration and National Insurance, and Tourism.
Prior to entering frontline politics, Mr. Turnquest served as a senior banking official for 11 years with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). During that time, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB).
He is married to the former Shawn Carey, an educator, and the couple has three children.