Simone Claxton

Simone Claxton is the President and Founder of The Sapphire Miriam Foundation (sapphiremiriamfoundation.org), named after her thirteen (13) year old daughter Sapphire Miriam. The organisation was formed out of a passion for empowering single mothers and youths, especially teen girls. By profession, she is a Tourism Consultant/Business Development Trainer/coach and the owner of Simone Claxton Destination Management & Consultancy (simoneclaxtonconsultancy.com) which specializes in business development training/consultancy and tourism related services mainly educational tours (however this aspect of the business has ceased a couple years ago as a result of the pandemic). 

She graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2008 with a MSc. International Hospitality and Tourism Management (Distinction) and is also the holder of a BSc. (Hons.) International Tourism Management. During her studies she conducted research and produced two (2) theses – the first on Sustainable Tourism certification in Tobago and the other on Destination Management in St. Kitts. She returned home in July 2010, after living and working within the United Kingdom for eight (8) years and is a certified British Travel Agent (ABTAC). In addition to being widely travelled (Europe, USA and the Caribbean), she has worked within numerous customer service roles abroad and thus shares a great appreciation for cultural diversity and a passion for first class customer service.

Miss Claxton is also involved in Events Management and specializes in personal and professional development events/workshops for young persons. She has had the privilege to partner with the Office of the Prime Minister – Child and Gender Affairs in 2016 to bring its well reputed Defining Masculine Excellence programme to Point Fortin. She has assisted in the hosting of a number of leadership and developmental programmes entitled Boys to Men (Sponsored by Massy Foundation) for young men within the South Western Peninsular, under her NGO - The Sapphire Miriam Foundation.  Her passion for empowering youths has led to the development and execution of her very own girls empowerment programme entitled “Dream Big Girls Empowerment Program” in the Vessigny/La Brea (south Trinidad) in 2019.  The program has been successfully executed online since 2021 empowering teen girls from territories all over the Caribbean including Suriname and Guyana, with some girls being awarded   entrepreneurial scholarships (training, mentoring and funding for business startup) in 2021 and 2022.

She has done Entrepreneurial/Business plan training for NEDCO from 2013-2014 as well as from mid 2022 – January 2023 and also worked as an Entrepreneurship tutor for YTEPP for three (3) cycles from 2016 - 2017. As a result of her passion for agriculture,  she has gained certifications and expertise in the field of Agri Business Management (1 & 2) , Marketing of Value-added Products in Agriculture etc over the past couple years from the Ministry of Agriculture (Trinidad) and various certifications from PCS Nitrogen Model Farm/Nutrien Farm.

In 2018, her NGO successfully completed a Carifesta Cultural Camp in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, which was partly sponsored by Caribbean Gas Chemicals Ltd and Vessigny Antillies Credit Union at its Learning Resource Centre in Vance River.

As a result of her passion for health and wellness, she and her daughter (Sapphire Miriam) have created their own brand of hand made natural soaps and body products named Sapphire M.