Biographical note

Shawn Steil (BA [Anthropology and Environmental Science], McGill University, 1997; MEDes, University of Calgary, 2004) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2002. In Ottawa, he has served as director for foreign policy planning and executive director for Greater China. In 2004, he began back-to-back postings in China, first in Beijing, with responsibility for foreign policy and relations with Mongolia, then as head of the consulate in Chongqing. From 2011 to 2014, he served as head of the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, and as senior trade commissioner for Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. In 2014, he was appointed ambassador to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.