Backgrounder – Biographical note – Sonya Thissen

Sonya Thissen (BA [Business Administration], University of Western Ontario, 1992; BA Honours [Political Science], University of Western Ontario, 1993; MA [International Affairs], Carleton University, 2000) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1995 from Industry Canada. At Headquarters, she has worked on investment promotion, science and technology partnerships, natural resource sectors, clean technologies and arts promotion. She has also held management positions in public diplomacy, education relations and geographic coordination. While on a temporary assignment, she was the executive director of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation, which recognizes lifetime artistic achievement and celebrates excellence in the performing arts in Canada. From 2009 to 2013, she served as deputy chief of protocol of Canada responsible for high-level visits, including those related to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Overseas, she has served in France (2013 to 2016) and the United Kingdom (2016 to 2021). Most recently, she served as director general, Pan-geographic Policy Bureau.