Mr. Simon Kennedy

Bio

Mr. Kennedy began his career with the public service in 1990 and has served in a variety of progressively senior roles in seven different organizations, several as the deputy minister. Prior to his current assignment, he served as Deputy Minister of Health from January 2015, where among other achievements he led implementation of the government's initiative to legalize and regulate cannabis, including passage of the Cannabis Act. As the Canadian lead on the bi-national Beyond the Border Working Group, he negotiated with the White House the 2011 Canada-U.S. Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. He also served as the Prime Minister's personal representative, or "Sherpa," to the G20 from 2012 to 2014.

He holds degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University and Syracuse University and is a graduate of INSEAD's Advanced Management Programme. Mr. Kennedy received his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and is co-chair of the ICD Ottawa Chapter. He has served on the boards of a variety of organizations, including the Ottawa Community Foundation, Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, among others.