His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards TC, CMT, PH.D, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Former Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, he is the recipient of two National Awards: The Trinity Cross (TC) - Trinidad & Tobago’s highest national award, and the Chaconia Medal of the Order of the Trinity (CMT), Gold.

George Maxwell Richards took the Oath of Office as President on March 17th 2003 and was inaugurated for a second term on March 17th 2008. He is Professor Emeritus in Chemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of the West Indies.

He was born in San Fernando, Trinidad, in 1931 and received his primary education there before winning an exhibition to Queen’s Royal College in Port of Spain.

President Richards obtained a BSc in 1955 and an MSc in 1957 in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and a Ph.D at the University of Cambridge in 1963.

From May 1950 to September 1951, he was a Staff Trainee (Exploration, Production & Refining) at United British Oilfields of Trinidad Ltd., Point Fortin, Trinidad, a precursor to Shell Trinidad Ltd.

From 1957 to 1965, the President held a number of managerial posts at Shell Trinidad Ltd. and then joined the University of the West Indies as a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering.

In October 1970, he was appointed Professor of Chemical Engineering and lectured until May 1985. He also held the post of Deputy Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor from August 1980 to May 1985.

President Richards became Acting Principal in October 1984 and held this post until May 1985, when he was appointed Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor. He held this position until November 1996.

His Excellency has served on the board of a number of companies in Trinidad & Tobago, including the Trinidad Publishing Company, Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company and the National Gas Company, and has also served on the boards of several service organizations including the National Training Board, the National Advisory Council and the Institute of Marine Affairs.

He served as Chairman of the Salaries Review Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (1997-2003)

The President is married to Dr Jean Ramjohn-Richards, a medical specialist. Their Excellencies have two children.

Recent Academic Awards & Activities

President Richards was named Alumnus of the Year – 2003, University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology (UMIST) and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, London, in 2003.

He was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Pembroke College, the University of Cambridge in November 2004 and the Degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on him by the University of Sheffield on January 4th 2005.

President Richards was a Featured Plenary Speaker at the 7th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 11-14th 2005, and, in November 2006, was the Featured Speaker at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

In November 2005, President Richards was named Chancellor of the new University of Trinidad & Tobago.

In November 2006, the President was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of the West Indies.

In July 2007, His Excellency received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, in recognition of his academic discipline of Chemical Engineering as well as public service in Trinidad & Tobago.