Ronaele Dathorne-Bayrd

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) East Caribbean stands as a leading professional services firm in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, delivering a comprehensive suite of services, including Assurance, Tax, Advisory & Corporate. With a legacy spanning more than 150 years, PwC East Caribbean has solidified its position as the largest professional services firm in Barbados and St Lucia, with 13 partners and employing approximately 290 staff. As part of the expansive PwC global network – comprising more than 370,000 professionals across 149 countries – the firm leverages global insight to address local challenges, ensuring trust while delivering sustained outcomes for clients and stakeholders.

The Tax & Legal practice at PwC East Caribbean plays a pivotal role in guiding both local and international clients through the intricacies of corporate structuring and compliance. This extends to: advising on the establishment of various corporate entities, such as foreign currency permit holders and exempt insurance companies; acting as company secretary or registered agent, providing registered office services and maintaining statutory records; attending to amalgamations, share restructuring and re-domiciling of entities; as well as guiding boards on corporate governance best practice and procedure, supporting board and shareholder meetings to ensure management and control while ensuring adherence to anti-money laundering (AML) and other compliance regulations.

Demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable development, PwC East Caribbean became the first Barbadian-based professional services firm to sign the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in 2023. This move underscores the firm's dedication to aligning its operations with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ten Principles of the UNGC, focusing on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Leading the Tax & Legal (TLS) practice is Ronaele Dathorne-Bayrd. Based in Barbados, Mrs Dathorne-Bayrd brings more than 25 years’ experience and expertise. An Attorney-at-Law, she is also a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Canada, and holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Corporate & Commercial Law, with a specialisation in Corporate Governance. Beyond her leadership in TLS locally, Mrs Dathorne-Bayrd serves as the Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Leader for the East Caribbean firm and the TLS Leader for the Caribbean Region. Her experience includes advising numerous multinational clients on the creation, restructuring and operation of Barbados corporate entities, including classes of shares and the rights attached thereto, amalgamation or merger of entities, debt and equity inter-group financing and cross-border movement. She has acted for local, regional and international clients from inception, throughout the startup period and into the life of the entity. She has a wealth of experience in structuring, incorporation, external registration, re-domiciliation and dissolution proceedings, as well as in the sale, restructuring and amalgamation of local, regional and international entities. She often advises directors and shareholders on rights, duties, obligations and corporate legislation, practice and procedure – including those regarding dividend and capital adjustment matters, board and shareholder considerations and the creation and transfer of equity interests.