Biographical notes

Alexandre Côté (BA Hons [International Studies], Glendon College, York University, 1995; MA Economics [Development Administration and Management], University of Manchester, 2002) started his career as a junior professional officer with the UN Development Programme. He served for a decade with UN and civil society organizations in Burkina Faso, Canada, Haiti, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa before joining Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2008. Overseas, he has served as regional commercial counsellor in Mozambique and regional commercial counsellor in Senegal, and he served concurrently as political counsellor and head of cooperation in Haiti. At Headquarters, he has served as deputy director for the Americas and Europe on the Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, managing the Global Peace and Security Fund, and as deputy director for South America relations, overseeing political and economic relations with Chile, Colombia, Peru and the Pacific Alliance. Most recently, he was director of the Trade Commissioner Service’s Manitoba and Saskatchewan Regional Office. 

Aly-Khan Rajani (BA Hons [Political Science and International Development], University of Toronto, 2002; MPA [National Security], Royal Military College of Canada, 2013) worked for several years with UN-Habitat, CARE International and CARE Canada in humanitarian emergency coordination and development program management before joining the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2007. During his time at Headquarters, Mr. Rajani has been senior adviser on the Afghanistan Task Force, seconded to the Privy Council Office, senior analyst for donor relations, senior adviser to the president of CIDA and departmental liaison to the Office of the Minister of International Development. Overseas, he has served as head of cooperation in Cairo and Beirut; as head of advocacy and public affairs, as well as acting head of political and economic affairs for Mumbai, in New Delhi; and as ambassador to South Sudan. Most recently, he was director of regional planning, policy and coordination for Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.