Alex Himelfarb

Board Member

Alex Himelfarb was a senior executive with the federal government for almost 30 years, serving in a number of departments including as Assistant Secretary, PCO, Associate Secretary, Treasury Board, and Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage.

He was appointed Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet in 2002, serving three Prime Ministers. In 2006 he was nominated as Ambassador of Canada to the Italian Republic with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Albania and the Republic of San Marino, and as High Commissioner for Canada to the Republic of Malta.

He is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he obtained a PhD in Sociology. He was a professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick from 1972 to 1981 and the Director of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs at York University from 2009 to 2014.

He now serves on several non-governmental boards, including the Atkinson Foundation and as chair of WWF Canada. A father of three and grandfather of two, he splits his time between Ottawa and Toronto with his wife and Portuguese water dog.

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