DeLisle Worrell
Dr. DeLisle Worrell is a Barbadian economist who served as Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados from November 2009 to March 2017. Born in 1945, he earned a BS in economics from the University of the West Indies in 1967, and both an MA and a PhD in economics from McGill University in 1975, specializing in econometrics.
Worrell spent much of his early career at the Central Bank of Barbados (1973–1998), where he founded the bank’s Research Department and rose to deputy governor (1988–1998). He helped shape monetary policy during Barbados’ 1991 economic crisis. From 1998 to 2008, he worked at the International Monetary Fund as a technical adviser on monetary policy, financial stability, and stress testing. He then led the Caribbean Centre for Money and Finance (CCMF) as executive director (2008–2009).
In 2009, he returned to Barbados to lead the Central Bank, serving two terms as governor; he was reappointed in 2014. In March 2017 he was removed from the post after disagreements with the Finance Minister and the bank’s board. His dismissal was upheld by the Barbadian courts in March 2017. Deputy governor Cleviston Haynes became acting governor and later took over as governor in July 2017.
After leaving the bank, Worrell founded DeLisle Worrell & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in economic modeling and forecasting, and he serves as its president. In June 2018 he joined the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s Financial Policy Council. He is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and has co-chaired the Financial Stability Board’s Regional Consultative Group, Americas.
Worrell has written on money and banking, exchange rate policy, and the economics of small open economies. His works include Policies for Stabilization and Growth in Small Very Open Economies (2012) and Small Island Economies (1987). He is married to Monica Drayton.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:53 (CET).