Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon was sworn in on July 26, 2021, as Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. She is the 30th governor general since Confederation.

Mary Simon was born on August 20, 1947, in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Quebec), to Nancy May (Angnatuk-Askew), her Inuk mother, and Bob Mardon May, her father, who moved to the Arctic to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Ms. Simon gained national and international recognition for her work on Arctic and Indigenous issues and for her efforts in advocating for Inuit rights, youth, education and culture.

Ms. Simon began her career as a radio broadcaster with the CBC Northern Service (now CBC North) in the 1970s. Following this, she held a series of executive positions with the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (now Makivik Corporation) and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which centred on negotiating the first land claims agreement in Canada, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. As president of Makivik Corporation, she was directly involved with the implementation of the agreement, along with the protection and promotion of Inuit rights.

Along with fellow Indigenous leaders, Ms. Simon was also actively involved in the negotiations leading to the 1982 patriation of the Canadian Constitution, which formally entrenched Aboriginal and treaty rights in the supreme law of Canada.

She later joined the executive council of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (now the Inuit Circumpolar Council), for which she served two terms as president. In addition, she was commissioner of the Nunavut Implementation Commission and policy co-director of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

From 1994 to 2003, Ms. Simon served as ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, becoming the first Inuk to hold an ambassadorial position. During this time, she negotiated the creation of the Arctic Council. Concurrently, she served as ambassador of Canada to Denmark from 1999 to 2001.

Beginning in 2006, Ms. Simon served two terms as president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. In 2008, in the House of Commons, she delivered a response on behalf of Inuit to the formal apology on residential schools. She is the founder of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation and, until 2014, she was the chairperson of the National Committee on Inuit Education.

In 2017, as the Minister’s Special Representative, Ms. Simon delivered a report to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs on A new Shared Arctic Leadership Model, setting the stage for important policy and program development in support of the Arctic and its residents.

Among other distinctions, Ms. Simon is an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. She is also a recipient of the Governor General’s Northern Medal, the Gold Order of Greenland, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the Canadian Geographical Society and the Symons Medal.

Upon becoming governor general, Ms. Simon was promoted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Sovereign of these Orders at the time of installation, as Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.), and invested as Commander of the Order of Military Merit (C.M.M.) and Commander of the Order of Merit for Police Forces (C.O.M.).

Ms. Simon plays the accordion and loves nature and berry picking. She is anaana (mother) to a daughter and two sons, anaanatsiaq (grandmother) to 12 children and amauq (great-grandmother) to four children. She also has three stepchildren from her marriage in 1994 to Mr. Whit Grant Fraser, former head of the Canadian Polar Commission, former executive director of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and a long-time former CBC journalist.

The Honourable Janice Charette served as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, first from October 2014 to January 2016, returning in March 2021 on an interim basis, and then reappointed into the role on May 28, 2022. She retired from the public service in June, 2023 after serving nearly 40 years. Prior to rejoining the Privy Council, Charette was the High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In addition, Janice Charette has held several other senior leadership positions in the public service, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet (2013-2014), Associate Secretary to the Cabinet and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (2010-2013), Deputy Minister for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2006–2010), Deputy Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2004–2006) and Associate Deputy Minister for Health Canada (2003–2004).

Janice Charette attended Carleton University, where she received a Bachelor of Commerce degree. She was granted an honorary doctorate from Kingston University, United Kingdom in July 2018 and from Carleton University in June, 2023. In March 2021, Charette received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. She was twice honoured as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women.

Charette became a Privy Counsellor in September, 2023.

Leslie Woo is a tri-sector leader with over 25 years of experience building sustainable communities and shaping urban development in Canada’s fastest-growing urban region. Leslie was appointed CEO of CivicAction in 2020. For over two decades CivicAction has been mobilizing established and rising leaders to steward a future for the city and to actively respond to current urban crises. Before joining CivicAction, Leslie served as Metrolinx’s Chief Planning and Development Officer. An experienced planner, architect, and community activator, she is a 2023 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant awardee and named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017, a 2019 Toronto Power Woman by Bisnow, Spacing Toronto’s Transit Changemaker in 2016 and Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network’s inaugural 2015 Outstanding Leader. Leslie uses her voice and platform “shebuildscities” to amplify and celebrate other women city builders.

Jeremy Hewitt is Assistant Deputy Minister for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in the Government of British Columbia. In this role he works with the incredible team at the Climate Action Secretariat who are responsible for developing and delivering B.C.’s climate action agenda. This includes reducing carbon pollution and preparing for the impacts of a changing climate in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, local governments, business and non-governmental organizations. Jeremy first worked at the Climate Action Secretariat between 2007-2011 and has held positions with the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology and the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat. He was appointed to his current position in 2019.

Pedro Barata is Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre, a forward-thinking hub dedicated to researching, testing, evaluating and building innovative skills solutions to help job seekers and employers in Canada navigate labour market changes.

Grounded in a commitment to inclusion, Pedro has advised all levels of government on social and economic policy and implementation related to skills and workforce development, poverty reduction, income security reform, seeking breakthroughs on housing and homelessness, and immigration reform.

Pedro’s work and extensive volunteer activities in the non-profit sector span two decades, focused on impact strategies, public policy, community building and communications. His career path has traveled through United Way Greater Toronto, the Atkinson Foundation, Family Service Toronto, Social Planning Toronto and the City of Toronto.

Pedro holds a Bachelor of Arts from York University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto.

Pedro is available for interviews with members of the media. He is an expert in:
• Skills development
• Workforce development
• Social policy
• Economic policy
• Poverty reduction
• Community initiatives

Dr. Ellen Choi is an Assistant Professor in HRM/OB in the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University. Dr. Choi is an organizational psychologist with training in the fields of Social Psychology and Organizational Behaviour. She received her PhD from the Ivey School of Business in 2017, and her MSc from the London School of Economics in 2012. Her research interests revolve around workplace wellbeing and mental health. In particular she studies the effects of mindfulness training on stress, attention, emotion regulation, errors, authenticity, resilience, and performance under pressure. Dr. Choi teaches in the area of organizational behaviour on topics such as leadership, training and development, motivation, and decision-making.

Prior to graduate school, Ellen traded in commercial real estate for 8 years with CBRE. She is also a yoga instructor, executive meditation coach, and delivers mindfulness workshops and keynote addresses to corporate audiences.

Twitter: @ellenchoimind

Dan has been part of Nightingale Housing since its earliest days, having seen the company through all stages of its evolution and myriad of challenging situations. With experience at Nightingale in various roles and a proven track record in developing a strong team culture, Dan was appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer in 2022. The position allows him to steer the direction of Nightingale’s future whilst also providing the opportunity for a generational leadership change, to build on the learnings of the past six years and consolidate the gains as the organisation plans a large slate of new developments across the country.

Shannon Salter is Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service. She previously served as Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister Responsible for Housing for British Columbia. Prior to that role, Shannon was the Chair of the Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada’s first online tribunal resolving small claims, condominium disputes, and motor vehicle accident disputes for almost 8 years. She is also an adjunct professor at the UBC Allard School of Law, teaching administrative law and legal ethics and professional regulation. She earned her BA and LLB from UBC, and her LLM from the University of Toronto. Ms. Salter was a BC Supreme Court judicial law clerk before practicing civil litigation at a large Vancouver firm. She has served as a vice chair of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal, vice president of the BC Council of Administrative Tribunals, a director of the BC Financial Services Authority and a Law Society of British Columbia disciplinary hearing panel member. She is a board member of the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII).

In 2021 Ms. Salter was named an ABA LRTC Women of Legal Tech Honouree, and was previously named one of the 25 Top Most Influential Lawyers in Canada, one of Canada’s New Law Pioneers by the Canadian Bar Association and an Access to Justice All-Star by the National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSLAP). She received the Adam Albright award for outstanding teaching by an adjunct professor in 2016. Ms. Salter is also a fellow of the National Centre for Technology and Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts and a visiting professor at the Sir Zelman Cowan Centre in Victoria University in Melbourne. Ms. Salter is a frequent speaker at international conferences on online dispute resolution, administrative law, legal education, and the future of law and technology.

As City Manager and CAO, Shari Lichterman oversees the operations, services and programs delivered by the corporation.

In her 9 years at the City, she has served as Commissioner of Corporate Service and Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Community Services, and Director of Recreation.

Before joining the City of Mississauga, Shari served as Vice-President at Canlan Sports and spent a decade as co-owner of a consulting and management firm providing services in Canada and the United States.

She has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Carleton University, as well as designations as a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.

Cathie O’Toole, as of January 1, 2023, is the first female Chief Administrative Officer of Halifax Regional Municipality, since amalgamation. Cathie is known for her inspiring, collaborative leadership, and has a proven track record of effective financial and operational management.

Cathie brings more than three decades of leadership and public sector experience to the role. Most recently she was the General Manager of Halifax Water, a role she had held since 2019. From 2011-2019, Cathie was the Director of Corporate Services/CFO for Halifax Water. Prior to joining Halifax Water, she worked with the Halifax Regional Municipality for 10 years in a variety of roles, including Director of Finance/CFO and Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management.

Cathie has a Master of Business Administration from Laurentian University and a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University. Cathie is a Chartered Professional Accountant and has been recognized as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) of Nova Scotia. Cathie is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and currently services on a number of Boards.

John Weigelt leads Microsoft Canada’s strategic policy and technology efforts. He helps individuals and organizations across Canada innovate with technology while avoiding the unintended consequences that might arise. John has contributed to many technological efforts that established the foundation for the electronic services we take for granted today and he continues to lead efforts to evolve technology standards and policy. His extensive experience in technology, business and policy provides him with a unique perspective of our technology enabled economy.

Jennifer has been working at the intersection of economics, finance, and social impact for over 20 years and has led multiple studies for corporate, government, and not-for-profit clients across a wide range of industries. She has deep experience in the specific are of social equity, human rights, social-based data, and the complexities of social measurement and reporting. Jennifer has an extensive skill set in helping clients with multiple, often competing, stakeholders with developing and implementing ESG strategy and business transformation, ESG measurement and impact analysis, as well as cost/benefit impact methodologies and strategies. This work brings together elements of economics, statistical modelling, cost accounting, and game theory/incentive alignment.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Jennifer was the Canadian National Lead Partner for Economic Services as well as the Global Lead of ESG Advisory at KPMG.

Jennifer holds a BA in International Relations from McGill University and MA and PhD degrees in International Political Economy from the University of Michigan.

Frances McRae was appointed Deputy Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth effective July 18, 2022. Previously, she served as Chief Administrative Officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and prior to that was Assistant Deputy Minister of Small Business and Marketplace Services at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Assistant Secretary of Public Service Renewal at the Privy Council Office. She has worked in various parts of Canada, including Moncton, New Brunswick for several years and Calgary, Alberta, besides the National Capital Region. Frances grew up in a large farm family, and she and her husband Michael have two children who are now teenagers.

Frances McRae a été nommée sous-ministre de Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada (FEGC) à compter du 18 juillet 2022. Auparavant, elle était dirigeante principale de l’Administration de la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC) et, avant cela, elle était sous-ministre adjointe responsable du Secteur des services axés sur le marché et les petites entreprises à Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada (ISDE) et secrétaire adjointe du renouvellement de la fonction publique au Bureau du Conseil privé. En plus de la région de la capitale nationale, elle a travaillé dans diverses régions du Canada, notamment à Moncton (Nouveau-Brunswick) pendant plusieurs années et à Calgary (Alberta). Frances a été élevée sur une ferme au sein d’une grande famille, et elle et son mari Michael ont deux enfants maintenant à l’adolescence.

Paul LaFleche was appointed to the Executive Deputy Ministers' Committee on September 14th, 2023 to tackle the Provinces most pressing challenges and develop social, economic and energy solutions. Prior to this appointment he was Deputy Minister for the Departments of Seniors and Long-Term Care, and Municipal Affairs and Housing; Deputy Minister of Transportation and Active Transit; the Department of Lands and Forestry; and the Deputy Minister of the former Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Mr. LaFleche is an experienced senior executive and strategic advisor in government, academia and economic development. He practiced as a geoscientist in the university, government and private sectors as a professor, research scientist and consultant.

He was appointed Secretary to the Nova Scotia Executive Council in 2003 and Clerk in 2004. He was appointed Deputy Minister of the Nova Scotia departments of Agriculture and Fisheries & Aquaculture in 2007. While Deputy Minister for TIR, from 2016 to 2018 Mr. LaFleche served as Chair, Council of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, and in 2018 served as Co-Chair, Council of Deputy Ministers Infrastructure and Chair of the Council of Deputy Ministers of Public Works.

Mr. LaFleche has also served as President of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Nova Scotia and is a licensed vocational education teacher with a Diploma in Adult Education from the Nova Scotia Community College. He holds Masters and Doctorate degrees from McGill University, a Bachelors of Science from Loyola College, Concordia University and a Masters in Public Administration from Carleton University. He is a Fellow of Geoscientist Canada.

James Gordon is the Managing Partner, Government and Public Services at Deloitte Canada and Chile. His work, and the team he leads, are dedicated to supporting public service organizations in preparing for a prosperous and inclusive future. Through his portfolio, he serves clients across all levels of government, as well as crown corporations, boards, commissions, and higher education institutions.

With over 20 years of experience as a trusted executive advisor, James has a strong appreciation of the challenges that government stewards face when balancing environmental, economic, and social outcomes and the need for robust policy as these priorities converge. He understands the strategic shifts that are shaping citizen expectations and the important role that public service renewal plays in creating sustainable and meaningful service delivery experiences. A strategist and a collaborator, James has a track record of supporting executive teams with implementing their mandate and driving change agendas to improve public outcomes.

James serves on Deloitte’s national executive and the global GPS executive team. Previously, he has held numerous client account leadership roles, as well as leading the national Operations Transformation team and the global Operations Excellence offering. James is a passionate member of his community, having served on conservation and performing arts boards, and plays an active role in his kids’ local sports teams.

Erica Iannotti a leader in Deloitte’s climate equity and environmental justice practice supporting the public sector on an equitable energy transition. Prior to Deloitte, she led innovation programs for the State of New York focused on scaling hardware climate tech startup companies. She is a successful, serial climate tech entrepreneur and a long time environmental justice champion. Erica started her career at General Electric where she worked for 10 years launching and scaling GE’s renewable energy business. She has a background in mechanical engineering, an MBA from Cornell University, and resides in New York with her husband and two kids.

Mr. Sohi is responsible for the reliable and efficient operation of the province-wide power system, the administration of Ontario’s real-time electricity markets and the continued development of electricity market designs.

Mr. Sohi previously served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Business Development and Strategy at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), where he was accountable for commercial business functions including business development, acquisitions and electrification. As part of his focus on implementing OPG’s long-term strategic plan, he and his team delivered a growth strategy aimed at broadening OPG’s business within Ontario and beyond.

In addition to his SVP role at OPG, Mr. Sohi also served as President and CEO of Global First Power, leading Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor project. He joined OPG’s predecessor company, Ontario Hydro, in 1991. Over the years, he held roles of increasing responsibility in several technical functions, corporate functions, asset management, high-voltage substation operation and maintenance, and hydroelectric plant operations at locations across Ontario.

Mr. Sohi has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University. He serves as a Director on the Board of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC), and has also served as a council member of the Generation Sector Council at the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) and a member of the Thermal Generation Interest Group (TGIG) at the Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation (CEATI).

Nadia Shaikh-Naeem oversees the DIGITAL’s $350 million portfolio of technology innovation projects. A community builder at heart, she sees the potential of technology as a catalyst for social change. Nadia is excited by the technological advancements that are taking Canadian organizations at the forefront of global innovation. She excels at setting strategic vision, bringing together businesses, academia, community and government agencies to solve society’s biggest challenges, and geeking out over breakthrough technologies. Prior to joining Digital, Nadia worked on a wide variety of technology-centric projects across North America, Europe, and Asia with a focus on digital transformation and international development. When she’s not working, you can find her hiking, listening to a podcast or tinkering with a recipe.

As the City of Toronto's Chief People Officer since August 2022, Mary's mission is to make the City a great place to work. Mary has extensive experience as a human resources executive, leading complex business change and operations in complex union and non-unionized environments. As a leader, she brings her innovative approaches to modernizing organizations, while championing engagement and collaboration at all levels.
Prior to joining the City, Mary led both HR and business transformation for the Toronto Transit Commission as its Chief People Officer and at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority as Vice President, CHRO. Navigating through the pandemic, she faced complex business continuity challenges while effectively managing ongoing business disruptions. As Vice President, CHRO, at Unity Health Toronto for eight years, Mary was responsible for the integration of its network of hospitals with over 11,000 employees, leading a transformative people strategy, focusing on wellness and driving service effectiveness. Prior to that role, she was Vice President of HR for Loblaw Companies Limited, as well as Manulife Financial, US Division and Global Talent.

Mary excels in building strong and trusting relationships with stakeholders at every level. She has been described as an “organized trailblazer”, focusing on growth and change while reflecting the needs of the business, its strategy, and internal and external pressures.

Mary obtained her degree in Sociology from Glendon College at York University, along with a Certified Human Resources Executive designation (CHRE). Mary served on the Board of Directors for the Human Resources Professionals Association and currently sits on the HR Committee of the Board of Directors for Pickering College.

Doug Woodworth is an Executive Director at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and has been a practitioner and advocate for data and advanced analytics for over 25 years. He started his career with the Department as a Labour Market analyst and progressed to more senior roles focusing on the use of analytics to improve the quality of programs and services. His experience ranges from managing service delivery to working in fraud detection to innovation. He built and lead an advanced analytics function focused on identify high risk non-compliant transactions for Canada's largest statutory programs (Employment Insurance, Canada Pension and Old Age Security). He worked in the Chief Data Office at ESDC where he was responsible for data governance, enterprise analytics program, and key elements of the Department’s first enterprise data strategy. He was also responsible for implementing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) capabilities to support the Departmental response to COVID. Today, Doug is a leading an Innovation function in support of Benefit Delivery Modernization at ESDC and is mandated to identify and test AI capabilities that will help progress toward the Department’s service transformation goals.

Samina Sami has had a distinguished career in the public sector. With a career spanning more than 26 years, Samina has held leadership roles in the community sector, with the Ontario government, and in higher education. She has overseen diverse portfolios, including public safety, social policy, education, economic development, and human rights. She was also amongst the first female, racialized senior instructors at the Ontario Police College. She has brought an enthusiastic commitment to equity and inclusion throughout her career and her teams have won several public sector awards for innovation and service excellence, including the provincial Amethyst award.

As the Chief Executive Officer of COSTI, Samina leads an innovative social impact organization that provides services in employment, skills training, settlement, and social services for immigrants and refugees and other diverse communities. COSTI provides services in over 60 languages through 18 offices in the GTA. Prior to assuming her role at COSTI in July 2022, Samina was inaugural Executive Director, Community Safety, at York University, where she played a critical role in advancing the institution's mission and impact.

Driven by a passion for collaboration and innovation, Samina works with diverse communities on issues of justice, public policy and social development, using an equitable lens. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Toronto and an Executive MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She is also pursuing a doctoral degree, focusing on leadership and public administration.

Zachary Spicer is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University, where he also serves as the Head of New College. He previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Government of Ontario and the Director of Research and Outreach with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and continues to serve on the Institute’s national Board of Directors. He began his career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Brock University and completed post-doctoral fellowships with the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. He received his PhD from the Department of Political Science at The University of Western Ontario.

As a leader of our Infrastructure and Sustainability & Climate Change practices, Mieka’s focus is at the intersection of the public and private sectors, where collaboration is critical to achieving strategic objectives and developing solutions to complex problems.

Offering financial, strategic, and commercial advice, Mieka works with clients striving to build a resilient, inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable future. She specializes in infrastructure and climate change policy and strategy, public-private partnerships and commercial arrangements, and investment strategies.

Deanna is a Senior Manager at Deloitte Canada bringing a decade of experience transforming Canada’s public services. Deanna has spent the bulk of her career working in Canada’s housing sector and therefore has deep subject matter knowledge about the legislation, regulation, policies, and programs that surround it both from a supply and demand perspective. She worked as a business improvement leader at Toronto Community Housing Corporation for five years, and since becoming a consultant has worked across Canada to enable thoughtful growth and development via better housing policy and programs alongside municipalities, the private sector, provincial ministries and non-profit organizations alike.

Tene Knibbs is a Partner with Deloitte’s Consulting practice, with a focus on working with Chief Financial Officers, corporate services leaders and their teams to enable initiatives to modernize how enabling functions support their organizations. With over 20 years of experience, Tene has deep expertise in developing and implementing strategic and tactical recommendations in diverse aspects of the corporate services organizations, including, innovative finance transformation strategies, integrated, insight-driven performance management; transactional efficiency; modernized, human-centred service delivery models; and digital enablement through leading technology and tools, including robotic and intelligent automation. Tene has dedicated her career to primarily serving public sector clients, both in Canada and abroad. She is also a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion, where she plays leadership roles for several Deloitte initiatives focused on removing systemic barriers to inclusion and is also a coach and mentor to several team members across the firm.

Christiane Fox was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, effective January 27, 2024.

Prior to her appointment, Christiane held several deputy minister roles across the public service. She was the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from July 2022 to January 2024, the Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada from September 2020 to July 2022, the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs from November 2019 to September 2020, and the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth from June 2017 to November 2019. She is also the Deputy Minister Champion of the Federal Youth Network.

Christiane has also held several positions at the Privy Council Office, including Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Communications and Consultations; Director of Operations, Policy, in the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Relations Secretariat; and Director General of Communications.

Christiane started her career as a communications advisor at Industry Canada (now Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada), where she worked in communications and in science policy. She also spent a year with the Competition Policy Review Secretariat as Director of Communications and Consultations.

Christiane has a B.A. in Mass Communications and Psychology from Carleton University and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Master’s Certificate Program in Public Administration.

Neil Desai is a corporate director and executive with extensive experience in the public and private sector. Most recently, he served on the leadership team of Magnet Forensics, a Canadian technology company that develops digital investigation software used by more than 4,000 police, national security and other public and private organizations in over 100 countries. There, he helped lead the growth of the company, from a start-up to its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2021 and $1.8-billion sale in 2023. Neil is a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and entrepreneur-in-residence with the Rogers Cyber Catalyst. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Policy Forum, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Innovation Asset Collective, Solace Power, ClearRisk and is a past director of YMCA Canada. Neil previously served in the Government of Canada in senior roles at Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office.