Diplomatic appointments

News Release

January 16, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments:

Marc-André Blanchard to become Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York, effective April 1, 2016.

Angela Bogdan to become Consul General of Canada in Sydney (Australia), effective immediately.

Marie-Louise Hannan to become Ambassador of Canada to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta (Indonesia), effective immediately.

Susan Harper to become Consul General of Canada in Miami (United States of America), effective immediately.

David MacNaughton to become Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America (Washington, D.C.), effective immediately upon presentation of credentials.

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Biographical notes

Marc-André Blanchard (Bachelor [Law], University of Montréal, Masters [Public International Law], London School of Economics and Political Science, Masters [Public Administration] and Masters [International Relations, majoring in International Business Law], from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University) was most recently Chairman and CEO of McCarthy Tétrault, one of the largest Canadian law firms, and also advised companies on strategic issues and public policy issues. During his tenure as President and CEO of the firm, he made significant changes to the practice of law, including by implementing a growth agenda and providing an innovative services model. In 2014, McCarthy Tétrault was named among the most innovative firms in Canada and the second most innovative in North America by the Financial Times. In 2013, Mr. Blanchard was named among the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine, and Catalyst Canada awarded him the Entrepreneur Recognition Award for his leadership in diversity. Mr. Blanchard has received many other awards and accolades highlighting his expertise and leadership. Mr. Blanchard is actively involved in his community in various capacities. He is a Board member of the Conference Board of Canada, the Canadian Heart Disease Foundation, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, of WoodGreen Foundation, and the Advisory Board of Glendon College. He is also an active member of the United Way campaign of the University of Montreal, United Way Toronto, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1992. Mr. Blanchard is married to Monique Ryan and they have two children, Laurent and Adrien.

Angela Bogdan (Bachelor of Arts [International Relations and History], York University; Bachelor of Education [Special Education], York University; Masters [Strategic Studies], York University) joined External Affairs Canada in 1984, serving first as Vice-Consul in Melbourne, then returning to a position at headquarters as Trade Program Officer for Europe in the Overseas Division of the Defence Marketing Bureau. Ms. Bogdan’s subsequent assignments in Ottawa have included Head of Nuclear Planning and Strategic Issues in the Defence Relations Division, Director of the Global Partnership Program, and Inspector General. Abroad, Ms. Bogdan has served as Deputy Political Advisor to the Canadian Delegation to NATO in Brussels, and as Political Counsellor in Warsaw. In 1999 she was appointed Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, and from 2006 to 2009 held the position of High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Ms. Bogdan most recently served as Chief of Protocol and Departmental Champion for Women. She is married to Gary Firth and they have four children.

Marie-Louise Hannan (Bachelor of Arts [Joint Honours, Linguistics and East Asian Studies], McGill University; Masters [Linguistics], Université de Montréal) was appointed Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Consulate General in Sydney, Australia in January 2013. She joined the Canadian foreign service in 1997 and has previously represented Canada on postings to Malaysia (1999-2001), Taiwan (2001-2005) and the United States (Boston, 2005-2009), as well as assignments to China and India. In Ottawa, Ms. Hannan has worked on the China desk, as Director of Trade Commissioner Service Renewal and as senior policy advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister for International Business Development, Investment and Innovation. From 2011-2012, she worked at Canada’s Privy Council Office as a foreign policy analyst. Ms. Hannan previously worked as a researcher in computational linguistics at the Centre for Information Technology Innovation in Montréal and at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. She studied Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University and is fluent in Mandarin. Ms. Hannan is married to Gareth Jones and they have one child.

Susan Harper (Master of Business Administration, Ivey School of Business, Western University; Bachelor of Arts with Honours [Math, English] Queen’s University). Prior to joining External Affairs Canada in 1983, Ms. Harper taught at both Cambrian College in Sudbury, and George Brown College in Toronto. With the department, she held trade positions in Yaoundé, Paris and Buenos Aires before becoming Ambassador in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2001. Her most recent position abroad was as Minister (Economic) of the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C. from 2008-2009. At headquarters she was Director General, Trade Controls and Technical Barriers from 2009-2013, and most recently, Director General and Senior Arctic Official.

David MacNaughton most recently held the job of Chairman and CEO of StrategyCorp, a public affairs, communications and management consulting firm. His extensive and comprehensive career has spanned both the public and private sectors. As an entrepreneur, he transformed the government relations consulting industry by building an organization that comprised government relations, public opinion research and public relations, operating in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, and employing more than 250 people. After selling his business in 1989, he became CEO of Canada’s largest government and public relations firm, and subsequently North American CEO of the world’s largest public relations firm. From 1996 until 2003 he was president of a company specializing in private-public partnerships and a senior advisor to one of Canada’s leading investment banks. His public sector experience includes work at both the federal and provincial levels of government. At the federal level, he spent six years as a top advisor to the Minister of Transport, Minister of Industry, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. From October 2003 until joining StrategyCorp, he served as Principal Secretary to the Premier of Ontario. In that role he focused on bringing private sector principles of sound business management to the Ontario government. His responsibilities as Principal Secretary included a particular emphasis on energy, budget and asset management, and private financing initiatives. Active in community affairs, Mr. MacNaughton has served on the boards of the Toronto International Film Festival, the North York General Hospital, the Stratford Festival, the National Ski Academy, TV Ontario and the Toronto French School. Mr. MacNaughton has also served on the Board of Directors of Iogen Corporation of Ottawa and was Chairman of the Board of Comcare Ltd, and Chairman of Aereus Technologies.

Hon. Stéphane Dion Global Affairs Canada Government and Politics