Biographical notes  (Anna-Karine Asselin | Arif Keshani | Martine Moreau)

Biographical notes

Anna-Karine Asselin (LLL [Civil Law], University of Ottawa, 1990; Barreau du Québec [Quebec bar], 1991) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1994. At Headquarters, Ms. Asselin served in the Legal Bureau twice, from 1995 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2004 in the UN Legal Operations Division and in the Criminal and Treaty Law Division. At the Privy Council Office, she served in the Machinery of Government Secretariat (1998 to 2001). Ms. Asselin was posted to Canada’s delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna as counsellor and program manager (politico-military) from 2004 to 2008. Upon her return, she held management assignments, including as deputy director in the Inter-American Relations Division. She served as minister-counsellor in Brazil (2011 to 2015) and was appointed as Canada’s ambassador to Panama (2015 to 2018). Most recently, she served as executive director for Canada’s UN Security Council Campaign (2018 to 2020) and has been director general for Consular Policy since 2020.

Arif Keshani (BComm, University of Calgary, 1996; LLM [International Law and International Relations], University of Kent, 2013) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999 and obtained his Certified Management Accountant designation in 2000. Mr. Keshani has held various positions in Ottawa, including director of financial policy and systems, departmental coordinator for the Management Accountability Framework and executive director, platform planning, engagement and results. Overseas, he served from 2002 to 2006 in Japan and from 2008 to 2010 in Türkiye, where he opened and led the department’s first regional emergency management office, covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also served in Belgium from 2010 to 2013 and as minister-counsellor and consul general in Japan from 2014 to 2019.

Martine Moreau (BA [Business Administration], HEC Montréal, 1986; MBA, HEC Montréal, 1997) was a corporate finance manager at Ernst & Young in Montréal before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1998. During her time at Headquarters, she served as executive director, regional network and intergovernmental relations; director general of the Foreign Service Directives Bureau; director, Europe-EU commercial relations and advocacy; director of Europe and Eurasia commercial relations; deputy director, European Union, Western and Central Europe; and director and deputy director in the Strategic Initiatives Division. She also served as trade commissioner in the divisions of International Financing; United States Business Development; and Trade Policy Intellectual Property, Information and Technology. Abroad, she served as trade commissioner at the Consulate General in Seattle from 2001 to 2004 and as Canada’s ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2018.