Biographical notes - diplomatic appointments

Mark Allen (BA Hons [Political Science and French], University of Western Ontario, 1993; PhD [International Relations], University of Cambridge, 1997) began his public service career as a development officer at the Canadian International Development Agency. He has served as Canada’s permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, as director of international relations at Transport Canada and as executive director of human rights and Indigenous affairs at Global Affairs Canada. As a foreign service officer, he has served in Rwanda and the United Kingdom and has advised on Canada’s relations with the Middle East.

Richard Arbeiter (BA [North American Studies], McGill University, 1998; MA [International Affairs, Conflict Analysis], Carleton University, 2000) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2001. Mr. Arbeiter has contributed to Canada’s engagement on a broad range of international peace and security and global economic issues, including as director of the Policy and Advocacy Division of the Afghanistan Task Force, G7/G20 sherpa assistant and director of the International Economic Relations and Summits Division, director general of the Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion and director general of the International Security Policy Bureau. Mr. Arbeiter has also served abroad at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, in New York City, and at the embassy to Chile.

Antoine Chevrier (BA [Economics], Laval University, 1993; MA [International Relations], Laval University, 1996) started working with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 1997. At Headquarters, he was director of the Haiti Bilateral Development Program, as well as director of the transition team in charge of amalgamating CIDA with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2013. In 2014, he was appointed director general of the Geographic Coordination and Mission Support Bureau. He has served abroad in various positions, including, from 2009 to 2013, director of the development program at the embassy to Peru and Bolivia. From 2002 to 2006, he assumed various functions, including chief of staff in the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development at the Organization of American States, in Washington, D.C. Most recently, Mr. Chevrier served as high commissioner in Mozambique, Malawi and Eswatini.

James Christoff (BA [Political Science], Concordia University, 1991; BPR, Mount Saint Vincent University, 1993; MPA, Royal Military College of Canada, 2017) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. Mr. Christoff worked for the Team Canada Division from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, he was press secretary and spokesperson in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2007 he joined the Afghanistan Task Force and in 2008 was assigned to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as senior public diplomacy officer. He returned to Ottawa in 2009 as director of communications for the Afghanistan Task Force. From 2011 to 2014 he served as political counsellor at the embassy in the Philippines and from 2014 to 2016 as political counsellor at the high commission in Kenya and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi. Following graduation from the National Security Programme at the Canadian Forces College in 2017, he served as deputy high commissioner in Nigeria.

Micheal Danagher (BA, University of Ottawa, 1983; MBA, McGill University, 1986) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1987. At Headquarters, he has served as director general, regional trade operations and intergovernmental affairs; as executive director, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania commercial relations; and in several other assignments. His positions overseas have included assignments at the high commission in Lagos (1989 to 1991) and the embassies in Seoul (1993 to 1997 and 2009 to 2013), Hanoi (1999 to 2003) and Budapest (2003 to 2006).

Louis-Pierre Émond (BAA [International Marketing], Laval University, 1997; MBA [International Business], Laval University, 1999) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. Abroad, he worked in Tokyo (2002 to 2005) and was consul in Nagoya (2005 to 2007) and senior trade commissioner in Lima (2009 to 2012) and São Paulo (2014 to 2018). At Headquarters, he worked in the Executive Services Division, was deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa Division and worked in the Western Europe Division, where he focused on the Canada-France commercial relationship.

Paul Gibbard (BA [Anthropology], University of Calgary, 1983; MA [Development Studies], University of East Anglia, 1985) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1992. In Ottawa, he has held assignments related to policy planning, the Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. cross-border issues, Indigenous affairs and the Arctic. He has also worked in the Privy Council Office, which provides support to the prime minister and Cabinet. At Canadian missions abroad, Mr. Gibbard has served in Costa Rica; Cuba, as head of the political-economic section; Venezuela, as ambassador; and, most recently, Rome, as head of the political, economic, public affairs and advocacy sections. He has also worked in Mexico’s Foreign Ministry as part of an exchange program with Canada.

Stefanie McCollum (BA [Business Administration] Argosy University, 2008) is a career public servant with a variety of management experience. She worked in the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of Secretary of State, Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency before joining Foreign Affairs Canada in 2005. She served abroad in San Francisco, Cairo, Bucharest and São Paulo before returning to Ottawa in 2016. She then worked as the director of the Emergency Watch and Response Centre. In 2017, she added the role of director of MCO (management and consular officer) renewal, supporting Global Affairs Canada’s MCO community of foreign service professionals. 

David Metcalfe (BA [Sociology], University of British Columbia, 1988; MBA [International Management], University of Ottawa, 2000) joined the Canadian International Development Agency in 2007. His work since then has focused on establishing effective partnerships and programming, particularly in fragile and conflict affected contexts, including those of Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza and the broader Middle East region. Between 2007 and 2013, he held director- and director general-level positions responsible for Canada’s bilateral development assistance in Afghanistan. In 2013, he became director general responsible for bilateral development assistance in Europe and the Middle East, during which time he oversaw the selection and management of investments to reduce poverty, address vulnerability and build capacity for growth in those regions. Since 2017, he has reported directly to the deputy minister of international development, serving as director general of international assistance operations.

Lilly Nicholls (BA Hons [Political Science and Sociology], Carleton University, 1987; MA [International Political Economy], York University, 1989; PhD [International Development], London School of Economics and Political Science, 1998) has 30 years of international experience, including work as an economist with the UN in Central America and New York City, as an adviser for civil society networks and as a lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Carleton University on global poverty reduction, gender equality and aid effectiveness issues. She joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as a senior economist in 1999. At CIDA, she was a senior analyst in the Andes Division (2001 to 2005), head of aid in Cuba (2005 to 2007), director of planning in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force (2007 to 2010) and director of mainland Southeast Asia (2010 to 2013). Her most recent assignment was as Global Affairs Canada’s director of international assistance research and knowledge.

Kevin Rex (BA [Political Studies], Queen’s University, 1995; MA [Public Administration], New York University, 1999) joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2000. In Ottawa, he served in the Privy Council Office and, later, in CIDA’s Afghanistan Task Force as acting director of policy; during both assignments he concurrently served as an officer in the Army Reserves. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2009 as a deputy director in the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force. He was appointed director of the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Division in 2016. Assignments overseas include Canada’s mission to the UN in 2003 and Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2006. He worked in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and Nepal following the 2015 earthquake. He was awarded the Humanitas Medal for his work in Haiti. In 2012 he was posted to Belgrade as political counsellor.

Lisa Rice Madan (BComm Hons, Queen’s University, 1987; MPA, Queen’s University, 1989) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1992. At Headquarters, she has served as the director of the Southeast Asia and Oceania Relations Division (2010 to 2012) and the Mission Support Division (2016 to 2018). She has also served as deputy director of the South Asia Division and two Team Canada task forces and has held numerous other positions in the areas of international business development, trade policy, investment promotion and corporate policies and planning. Overseas, she served as the first secretary, political and development, in Canberra (2005 to 2006), the Canadian exchange officer in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2006 to 2009) and the political and public affairs counsellor in Singapore (2012 to 2016).

Leslie Scanlon (BJ, Carleton University, 1986) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1990. She served in federal regional offices as a trade commissioner: Industry Canada in Halifax (1990 to 1991), and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in New Westminster (1996 to 1998). Overseas, Ms. Scanlon served in Tokyo, where she was second secretary, fisheries and agri-food (1992 to 1996), and in Paris, where she was minister-counsellor, communications and public affairs (2007 to 2011). Her most recent positions include director general assignments: client relations and mission operations, Foreign Service Directives and consular operations.

Lisa Stadelbauer (BA [Administrative and Commercial Studies], University of Western Ontario, 1988) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1990. Her first assignment abroad was in 1992 to Tel Aviv, and she later served in Hanoi as counsellor and then in Oslo as counsellor and consul. From 2011 to 2015, she served as ambassador to Zimbabwe and Angola and high commissioner in Botswana. In Ottawa, she has served in a number of functions, including director of the Eastern and Southern Africa Division, deputy to Canada’s Africa personal representative to the G8 and, from 2015 to 2017, director general of the Pan-Africa Bureau. Her most recent assignment was in the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat of the Privy Council Office.