Lindsay de Sausmarez
Lindsay de Sausmarez | |
|---|---|
| President of the Policy and Resources Committee of Guernsey | |
| Assumed office 1 July 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Lyndon Trott |
| Member of the States of Guernsey | |
| Assumed office May 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 December 1977 |
| Party | Independent |
| Education | Durham University University of New South Wales |
Lindsay de Sausmarez (English pronunciation: /dəˈsʌməreɪ/ də SUM-ə-ray[1]) (born 1977 or 1978) is a Guernsey politician serving as the President of the Policy and Resources Committee (the head of government) since 1 July 2025.
Her maiden name was H. Lindsay Henderson.[2]
Early life and education
De Sausmarez is the daughter of Tim Henderson,[2] a retired executive of HSBC Bank.[3] Born in 1977, by her own account she was born in Asia.[4][5] Her father is from Guernsey while her mother is from Scotland, and as she grew up she spent time in many countries, while living in Guernsey during the summer.[4] She lived for five years in Sri Lanka, attending an international school there,[4] where her father was chief executive of HSBC Sri Lanka,[3] then returned to Europe to attend Ardvreck School at Crieff. Her parents moved to Guernsey full-time when she was 16, when her father became chief executive of the Leopold Joseph (Channel Islands) Bank,[6] and at this time she was still studying in Scotland.[4] She attended Durham University from 1996 to 1999, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English literature.[4][7] She later moved to Australia, where in 2002 she was writing film reviews in Sydney, noting that at Durham she had developed a particular interest in French and Italian films.[8] She attended the University of New South Wales from 2003 to 2004, graduating with a master's degree in theatre.[4]
De Sausmarez lived in Australia for five years and worked for several film companies, as well as on a farm.[4] However, she said they were low-paying jobs and that "I would often hold down two or three jobs at a time to make ends meet".[4] She struggled to pay high rent and said that "At times I was living on nothing but apples and reduced-for-quick-sale bread"; at one point she became homeless when her landlord terminated her tenancy, and she then lived with friends.[4] She later moved back to Guernsey and became a freelance writer and a producer for Specsavers.[4] In August 2007 her short film Dolly, about a shop window mannequin, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.[9]
Political career
In the 2016 general election, de Sausmarez ran as an independent candidate and won a seat to the States of Guernsey, receiving 1,808 votes (53.8%).[10] She ran for re-election in 2020, retaining her seat with 8,645 votes (35.1%).[10] In the States of Guernsey, she served as President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure and Vice President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security.[11] She was re-elected again in the 2025 general election with 10,721 votes (54%), more than 1,300 votes over the second-placed candidate.[10]
On 1 July 2025, she was elected by the States to be President of the Policy and Resources Committee of Guernsey – a position also known as the chief minister, and effectively Guernsey's head of government – becoming the first woman to hold the position.[12][13] She had decided to stand for election less than a week beforehand.[5]
Personal life
Lindsay Henderson & Rollo de Sausmarez both played touch rugby for Guernsey.[14] In 2007, they were engaged and living in Guernsey.[15] They later married[2] and now have four children together.[4] They live in Saint Martin.[5]
References
- ^ Lindsay de Sausmarez becomes first woman to hold States’ top job. Guernsey Press. Youtube
- ^ a b c "Rollo T. H. de Sausmarez" in Burke's Peerage, volume 1, page 1111
- ^ a b "Sports", The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), Sunday, September 17, 2006, accessed 17 August 2025
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "POPPY'S POLITICIANS: Guerilla warfare, homelessness and horizons". Balliwick Express. 12 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "Lindsay De Sausmarez makes history as Guernsey's first female Chief Minister". ITV. 1 July 2025.
- ^ "Tim Henderson, non-executive director", in Macau Property Opportunities Fund annual report 2009, p. 26
- ^ "September 2025". Class Notes. Durham University. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Lindsay Henderson, "La Baie des Anges", CTEQ Annotations on Film, Issue 21, July 2002, sensesofcinema.com, accessed 16 August 2025
- ^ Straight 8 film 'Dolly' a hit at Cannes!, BBC Guernsey, 14/08/2007, accessed 17 August 2025
- ^ a b c Webb, Luke (21 June 2025). "Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez's election success". Balliwick Express.
- ^ "Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez". Government of Guernsey. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Guernsey - The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Fernandez, John (1 July 2025). "De Sausmarez becomes first female chief minister". BBC.
- ^ Katrina Bray, "Guernsey Touch Selects Island Teams", BBC News, July 2007
- ^ OLD NORTHAVIAN ASSOCIATION 2007 Newsletter, Northaw School, Norman Court, West Tytherley, p. 14