Biographical note

Nicolas Simard (BA, University of Quebec in Montréal, 1996; MA, University of Quebec in Montréal, 2000) joined the Canadian International Development Agency in 2004 through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders Program. At Headquarters, he has worked on international assistance policies for fragile states, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in developing countries and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. At Canadian Heritage, from 2006 to 2008, he led the development of an international strategic framework to promote cultural diversity and human rights. More recently, at Global Affairs Canada, Mr. Simard was director of Operations, Planning and Strategic Coordination for Sub-Saharan Africa. Abroad, he has served as counsellor (development) at the High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh, in Dhaka. Subsequently, he served as director of Planning and Evaluation and chief of staff to the administrator of La Francophonie, in Paris. He was ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Kinshasa, with concurrent accreditation as ambassador to the Republic of Congo (2017 to 2020), and chargé d’affaires in Nigeria, in Abuja (2020 to 2021).