April 6, 2009
No. 90
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments:
Stewart Beck becomes Consul General in San Francisco (United States of America).
Stephen Brereton becomes Consul General in Atlanta (United States of America).
Louise Léger becomes Consul General in Miami (United States of America).
Marta Moszczenska becomes Consul General in Buffalo (United States of America).
Nadir Patel becomes Consul General in Shanghai (People's Republic of China).
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Biographical notes on the appointees follow.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx
Biographical Notes
Stewart Beck (BA/BPHE, Queen’s University, 1975; MBA, Queen’s University, 1979) joined the Department of External Affairs and International Trade in 1982 and served abroad in the United States (San Francisco and Miami), Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. In 1999, he was appointed consul general to Shanghai. In Ottawa, he has held a number of positions, including deputy director of the Korea, Taiwan and Indochina Division; director general of the North Asia Bureau; and director general of the Services for Executives Bureau. He is currently assistant deputy minister for the International Business Development, Investment and Innovation Branch. He and his spouse, Brenda, have three sons. Mr. Beck succeeds Marc Lepage.
Stephen Brereton (BA Honours, Queen’s University, 1978) joined the Trade Commissioner Service in the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce in 1979 and has since served abroad in Havana, Yokohama, Tokyo and Brussels. At Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in Ottawa, he served as a trade policy officer with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Division of the Trade Policy Bureau; deputy director, U.S. Trade Policy Bureau; departmental assistant to the minister of industry and international trade; deputy director, Investment Trade Policy Division; director, Trade Controls Policy Division; and director of the Investment Trade Policy Division. He is currently consul general in Buffalo. He and his spouse, Carolyn, have two sons, James and William. Mr. Brereton succeeds Brian Oak.
Louise Léger (BSc [Economics], Université de Moncton, 1980) joined the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce as a trade commissioner in 1981. Her career at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has included postings to Colombia, Switzerland and Israel. In 1995, she was appointed ambassador to Panama, and in 2001 ambassador to Costa Rica, with concurrent accreditation to Nicaragua and Honduras. In Ottawa, Ms. Léger has held the positions of deputy director of the Eastern Europe Commercial Relations Division; executive director and deputy director general at the Summit of the Americas Bureau; and director general, Trade Commissioner Service (Operations). Ms. Léger is currently director general of the Trade Commissioner Service, Client Services Bureau. Ms. Léger succeeds Marcy Grossman.
Marta Moszczenska (BA, Carleton University, 1981) joined the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce in 1977 as a commercial officer. In 1985, she became a foreign service officer with the Department of External Affairs and International Trade and later served abroad in Milan and in Boston as a trade commissioner. In Ottawa, following several assignments in trade policy and with the Program for Export Market Development, she served as departmental assistant to the Minister for International Trade and as deputy director, Trade Development Liaison and Special Projects Division. From 1994 to 1996, she was director, Rotational Administrative Personnel Division. Between 1996 and 1999, she served as counsellor (commercial) and consul at the Embassy of Canada in Indonesia. From 1999 to 2002, she served as Canada’s ambassador to Hungary, with concurrent accreditation to Slovenia. From 2002 to 2006, she was director of the Central European, Baltic and Eastern Mediterranean Division. She is currently ambassador of Canada to Romania, with concurrent accreditation to Bulgaria and Moldova, and high commissioner to Cyprus. Ms. Moszczenska succeeds Stephen Brereton.
Nadir Patel (BA, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1993; MBA, New York University Stern School of Business, London School of Economics and Political Science, HEC Paris School of Management, 2009) began his career in 1990 at Revenue Canada Customs, Excise and Taxation, serving in progressively more senior positions in the department’s offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and Montreal until 1996. From 1997 to 2003, he served in the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency as departmental assistant to the minister; director of ministerial services; agency adviser to the minister; and secretary to the Board of Management. In 2003, he transferred to the Privy Council Office, serving as chief of staff to the national security advisor to the prime minister, associate secretary to the cabinet, and deputy minister to the deputy prime minister. From 2005 to 2006, he served as senior policy adviser to the clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet. In 2006, he was appointed by the minister of international trade and the minister of transport to his current position as Canada’s chief air negotiator. Mr. Patel succeeds Susan Gregson.
