January 21, 1975 – Gail Christian was born to Franklyn and Verlyn Christian who hail from Grays Farm and Swetes respectively.
Her early education included attending the Pilgrim High School before entering the Antigua Girls’ High School.
Upon completion of her secondary education, Gail attended the Antigua State College before moving on to Holborn College in London, England where she obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Wolverhampton) with Second Class Honors (1994- 1997). While a student at University she served as President of the Debating Society and a finalist in the school’s Moot Competition. Following this, she completed the Commonwealth Bar Course with BPP School of Law in London, England (1997-1998) and a Legal Education Certificate with Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas (1998-1999). In 2017 she obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in International Relations and World Order from the University of Leicester in England.
Christian was called to the Bar in Antigua in 1999 and served as Crown Counsel II within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (1999-2001), then as Associate Council with Lockhart, Mendes and Company (2001-2002). From 2001 to 2003, she served as a member of the Antigua Port Authority Board and then from 2002 to 2004, she served as in-house counsel for the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board as well as counsel for the St. John’s Development Corporation. In 2005 she opened her private practice, Montgomery Chambers where she continues her private practice.
Gail’s spirit of activism began burning from a tender age. She recalls finding herself envisioning a different landscape for her home community of Grays Farm as a child. Christian describes it as an ‘inescapable obsession’ that fueled her desire to serve and eventually enter the political foray. Her late grandmother, Leah Williams, seemed to have recognized her potential since out of all the grandchildren, she would always hand-pick Gail to share her stories of hardships she faced in the political landscape of her time. This obsession drove her ultimate goal of becoming directly involved in community development and her political career.
The passion to contribute to the transformation of her beloved Grays Green community would lead to Gail accepting to serve as a senator in 2002, at the age of 27 in the Sir Lester Bird led Antigua Labour Party’s administration. During this time she also served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Social Transformation.
At 34 years old in 2009, Gail propelled her political aspirations further by contesting the St. John’s Rural West seat on the ABLP ticket in the general elections. Though unsuccessful in that bid she garnered 1,753 (43.7% of the votes, losing Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. Her leadership capacity did not go unnoticed as she was appointed minority leader in the Senate until her resignation in 2013. In 2018 Gail returned to the Upper House as a Senator in the Gaston Browne led Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) Administration.
Gail would make another attempt at elective politics in 2023 gaining 44% (1,614) of the total votes cast (3,635) in the constituency of St. John’s Rural West falling to UPP’s candidate Richard Lewis.
Other notable professional appointments include Principal, Montgomery Chambers Inc. (2005 to present), Non-resident Ambassador to the United Mexican States (2015 – 2017), Deputy Speaker- OECS Assembly (2015), Tutor of Law and Governance – University of the West Indies (2017).
Throughout her illustrious career to date, Christian has engaged in a vast array of professional training exercises including CIWIL Women’s Transformational Leadership (Trinidad and Tobago), Women Parliamentarians Conference (Nassau, Bahamas), WIPO Training Workshop (Washington DC) and Women’s Political Participation Conference (Georgetown, Guyana and Basseterre, St. Kitts). She also served as President of the Parliamentary Caucus in Antigua and Barbuda, Chairman and First Vice-Chairman of the ABLP, and currently serves as legal counsel for Halo Foundation and Team Antigua Island Girls. She is an appointed notary public in Antigua and Barbuda and was called to the Bar in Montserrat in 2018 and is listed among the notable 21st-century women politicians.
Outside of her legal and political exploits, Christian engages in her civic duty by giving back to the community through gestures such as being an annual Optimist Petite Show sponsor and supporting the various sporting and cultural bodies of Grays Green. She admits that she loves to cook and enjoys family and fellowship. A source of fulfillment for her is seeing those she loves happy.