S.E.M. Pamphile C. Goutondji
Ambassador of Benin
Ambassador Goutondji is a career diplomat who joined the foreign ministry in 1983.
After completing a bachelor’s degree in 1976 and a master’s in international relations in Kiev in 1983, he joined the ministry and held increasingly responsible positions, including department head and assistant to the foreign minister. In 1992, he was named second secretary and took his first posting at the embassy of Benin in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1998. From 2002 to 2004, he served as chief of protocol for Benin and was later sent to South Africa as chargé d’affaires. In 2009, he became secretary general of the foreign ministry.
In 2010, he took a job teaching at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. He is a “chevalier de l’ordre du merite social du Benin” and is married. He speaks French, Russian, Spanish and German.
Nikolay Milkov
Ambassador of Bulgaria
Mr. Milkov studied
international relations in Sofia and completed his PhD in historical sciences in 1991. The following year, he began his career at the ministry of defence as a desk officer. From 1993 to 1997, he held various positions including international co-operation adviser and assistant head of the military intelligence directorate. From 1997 to 2001, he was director of the co-ordination and planning directorate at the foreign ministry, after which he became ambassador to Romania.
He returned to Sofia for one year as deputy minister of foreign affairs and then became consul general in New York. From 2010 to 2013, he served as the first permanent secretary of defence and later, chief of the cabinet of the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in the caretaker government.
Dr. Milkov is fluent in English, French and Russian and has a working knowledge of Spanish. He is married and has two children.
Spéciose Nzeyimana
Ambassador of Burundi
Ms. Nzeyimana joined the foreign ministry in 2002, after having taught school for two years. She began her career as a counsellor, first in international co-operation and then working with the first vice-president of Burundi. In 2009, she was sent to Russia as first secretary. She returned to the foreign ministry in 2012, before being appointed ambassador to Canada. She also completed two short tours as chargé d’affaires in Paris.
When the Burundi Senate approved her appointment, they described her as a “strong candidate” with “extensive experience.”
The ambassador studied languages and African literature at the University of Burundi and speaks French, Kirundi and English.
Marie-Anne Coninsx
Ambassador of the European Union
Ms Coninsx began her posting in Canada after serving as ambassador to Mexico.
The ambassador started her European Commission career in the legal service in 1984. From 1985 to 1996, she was a cabinet staff member of commissioners responsible for external relations and trade; internal market and relations with the European Parliament (EP) and development policy and relations with the EP.
Ambassador Coninsx has served as minister-counsellor in New York (1996 to 2000) and in Geneva (2000 to 2004). Prior to her posting in Mexico, she oversaw the relationship between the European Union and Latin America from 2004 to 2009.
Ambassador Coninsx studied law at Ghent University in Belgium and did post-graduate studies in international law and European law. Ambassador Coninsx is Belgian and is fluent in Dutch, French, English and German.
Fathi Mohamed Baja
Ambassador of Libya
Mr. Baja was a leader in the Libyan people’s revolution in February 2011. He helped draft the revolution victory statement and was a founding member of the Benghazi Council and Libya’s national transitional council, where he served as head of political affairs in charge of international relations. He represented Libya at the UN General Assembly when his group secured recognition as the sole representative of the Libyan people.
Mr. Baja has a master’s in political science from Boston University and a PhD in political science from Mohamed Fifth University in Morocco. After completing his education, he became a lecturer at several universities, including Tahdi University, Africa University and Benghazi University, a position he left last year to become Libya’s ambassador to Canada.
Mr. Baja is married with three children.
Marcin Bosacki
Ambassador of Poland
Sept. 24, 2013 was a landmark day for Mr. Bosacki. In addition to being named Polish ambassador to Canada, he was awarded the Bene Merito distinction for enhancing Poland’s international standing.
Between 2010 and 2013, Mr. Bosacki served as the foreign ministry’s spokesman, presenting Poland’s positions during such key events as the EU Council presidency in 2011, negotiations on the new EU budget and the Arab Spring. In addition, he issued warnings to Polish tourists travelling abroad. Under his direction, the ministry also launched a new, integrated foreign affairs website with more than 150 web portals for Polish diplomatic missions around the world. Mr. Bosacki also added social media to the ministry’s communications toolkit, which earned the ministry third place in the prestigious Twiplomacy ranking of the world’s best-connected institutions in July 2013.
Pisan Manawapat
Ambassador of Thailand
Mr. Manawapat has a master’s of science in economics with a major in international relations from the University of London and he also attended Thailand’s National Defence College in 2003.
He began his foreign service career in the ASEAN Department and his first posting was to Washington (1986-1990). He returned to headquarters briefly before being posted to Malaysia as minister-counsellor. He became director of personnel and deputy director-general of East Asian Affairs before becoming minister and deputy chief of mission in Japan (1999-2002).
In February 2002, he was named director-general of international economic affairs (2002-2004). He served as ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU (2007-2011) and to India (2011 to 2013).
He is married to Wanchana Manawapat and has one daughter.
To Anh Dung
Ambassador of Vietnam
Mr. To graduated in international relations and international law from Kiev University in 1988.
He became a desk officer in the department of Southeast Asia, South Asia and the South Pacific in 1991 and, in 1993, he became an attaché at the embassy in the Philippines.
From 1997 to 2000, Mr. To was secretary to the deputy prime minister at the ministry of foreign affairs and in 2000, became assistant to the director general at the ministry of foreign affairs. In 2001, he became a deputy director-general, a post he held until 2005 when he became minister-counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Sweden.
In 2008, he became deputy director-general of the office of the deputy chief of the foreign ministry and in 2009, was promoted to director general before being sent to Canada.
Mr. To speaks Vietnamese, Russian and English and is married with two children.
Non-heads of mission
Algeria
Ali Saidi
Counsellor
Angola
Adriano Fernandes Fortunato
Second secretar y
Australia
Stephanie Aeuckens
Attaché
Barbados
Suzette Antoinette Simpson
Attaché
Belgium
Marc Frans Mouton
Counsellor
Brazil
Carlos Henrique Silva Seixas
Naval attaché
Brunei Darussalam
Fadzllyani Annuar
Second secretary
China
Xiaoxia Wang
First secretary
Yang, Yundong
Counsellor
Yu, Benlin
Minister-Counsellor
Zeng, Hui Attaché
Zhang, Chao
Third Secretary
Colombia
Santiago Wills Valderrama
Counsellor
Côte d’Ivoire
Adama Oulai
First secretary
Cuba
Deborah Leticia Ojeda Valedon
Minister-counsellor
Czech Republic
Josef Lacko
Attaché
European Union
Karsten Mecklenburg
Counsellor
France
Jean-Christophe D. Auffray
Counsellor
Laurent Jean Marie Bitouzet
Attaché
Germany
Sabine Finkenzeller
Attaché
Guinea
Lounceny Conde
Counsellor and chargé d’affaires
Adama Kouyate
First secretary
Italy
Angelo Matassa
Attaché
Gabriella Saponaro
Attaché
Giorgio Taborri
Counsellor
Japan
Hiroe Takiguchi
Second secretary
Kazakhstan
Gulnaz Altynbayeva
Third secretary
Kenya
Sambu, Lily Chelangat Minister & chargé d’affaires
Libya
Fawzi .M.S. Abusaa
First secretary
Mohamed Algamodi
Counsellor
Giuma Alrujbani
Second secretary
Mexico
Mario Enrique Figueroa Matuz
Second secretary
Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe Gonzalez
First secretary
Raul Martinez Gonzalez
Deputy military and air attaché
Mario Rodriguez Montero
Minister
Niger
Nana Hadiza Abani
Attaché
Qatar
Mirdef Ali M. A. Al-Qashouti
Second secretary
Romania
Silvana Bolocan
Second secretary
Gabriel Petric
Counsellor
Russia
Evgeny Belykh
Attaché
Sergey Besedin
Attaché
Alexey Budennyy
Attaché
Igor Molyanov
Defence attaché
Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Abdullah A. Alghamdi
Attaché
Homoud Nawar M. Alnemer
Attaché
Khalid Khider A. Alnowaimy
First secretary
Abdullah Lafi S. Alotaibi
Attaché
Bader Abdullah R. Alruwayshid
Attaché
Nabeel A.S. Najjar
Counsellor
Spain
Francisco Xavier Gisbert Da Cruz
Counsellor
Turkey
Hayrettin Dursun
Attaché
Serkan Ozdemir
Second secretary
United Arab Emirates
Ibtisam Saleh A. A. Alali
Third secretary
Jamal Khalfan J. K. Alzaabi
Attaché
United States Of America
Michael James Berry
Attaché
Judith Lynne Bryan
Minister-counsellor
David Anthony Henry
First secretary
Ryan Francis Korpi
Attaché
Danielle Hana Monosson
First secretary
Jonathan David Rice
First secretary
Christopher Edward Tejirian
Second secretary and vice-consul
Steven Edward Zate
Minister-counsellor
