When Governor Sir John Vereker asked Carol Ann Bassett to serve her country as an independent Senator, she was shocked.

"I was never interested in politics, so it came as quite a surprise," she explained at an interview this week.

But she agreed with Sir John's view that her business background would benefit the Upper Chamber and, she says, there are enough "politician type people" in the Senate in any case.

The 48-year-old mother of three does have lots of politicians in the family - she counts former United Bermuda Party (UBP) Education Minister Jerome Dill and former Progressive Labour Party (PLP) MP Julian Hall as first cousins, and her husband Roddy Bassett was once very active in the UBP.

Her mother, Marion Smith, who died in 1999 was "staunch PLP" she said.

Her own political philosophy is "yet to be developed" but she described herself as "more liberal" when it comes to social issues.

"Anything we can do to make life easier for the ordinary Bermudian - a lot of people are struggling from pay cheque to pay cheque. That's where (my interest in) housing and education comes in - it affects the ordinary Bermudian more than anything."

Besides 26 years experience in the insurance industry, Senator Bassett has years of community service under her belt - she is member of the Pension Advisory Committee, Chairman of Life Companies Association of Bermuda, Deputy Chairman of Bermuda Small Business and Development Corporation and president of Swan's Running Club.

She was also one of the first members of the Committee for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE), a past president of Bermuda Toastmasters Club and the Venturilla Foundation and an active member of Mount Zion AME church.

Sen Bassett, a senior vice president for BF&M Group, said the call from Government House came weeks before the "kerfuffle" about the representation of women in the legislature.

"Men and women do think differently," she said when asked why it's important to have her gender represented in the Senate.

She does not necessarily expect male Senators not to be sensitive to women's issues, though. But "if a woman's issue comes up and you need somebody to champion it, a woman with her experience could probably be more successful talking about what the bill is about."

She feels no pressure being the only woman Senator. "It's not unusual being the only woman in an organisation," she said.

"I have had a lot of women call me and say 'I know exactly where you're coming from'."

Asked her specific interests, Sen. Bassett reeled off a list of social issues - healthcare, education, youth, housing, child development and seniors.

"As a runner - as someone who is out and about on the Island, I'm very concerned about the environment as well," she added.

"It's amazing the amount of trash on the Island and as a runner I come across a lot of it."

It cannot be disputed that the success of international business has exacerbated Bermuda's social problems, she said.

"Just look at the paper everyday and see what the rents are like - they're astronomical. They definitely cannot afford that type of rent. But you cannot argue that international business has benefitted a lot of Bermudians who are living that type of lifestyle and doing quite well."

She expects that Senate debates will be relatively easy to handle - having delivered dozens of presentations in the business world.

"You're sitting on a round table and it's probably something like a business meeting," she said.

Asked about her success in the business world, Sen. Bassett said she did not initially even consider that she would enter the ranks of senior management when she chose insurance as a career.

But her success at industry courses she took over the years improved her confidence and some four years into the industry she began to aim higher. Six years after that she was promoted to assistant manager - the rest was more or less an easy uphill climb and she's now one of three women senior executives (out of a total of ten) at Bermuda Fire and Marine.

"Way back then... it just didn't seem to be something that was possible. It was a certain type of person and that person did not look like me."

On race relations, Sen. Bassett is optimistic. While divisions still exist, she said, youth-centered groups and activities are leading the way in banishing those divisions to the history books.

"Go to where there are a lot of young people and you clearly see that - they hang together and they play together. So I think younger parents and younger kids are going to change it as the older generation dies off."