ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ

Appointment of Vice-President, Communications and Institutional Relations

Dear members of the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Philippe Gervais as Vice-President (Communications and Institutional Relations). In addition to Communications, the Vice-President’s portfolio will include Institutional Relations, encompassing both Government Relations and Public Relations. Mr. Gervais’ five-year renewable term will begin on August 1, 2024.  

The Advisory Committee for the Selection of the Vice-President conducted an extensive search within Canada and internationally, which benefitted from input from the ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ community. The Board of Governors accepted the recommendation at its meeting on July 8, 2024.  

A seasoned leader in communications and public affairs with more than 30 years of experience across the public and private sectors, Mr. Gervais has served in various governmental roles and worked as a public affairs consultant in the private and public sectors.  

In 2016, Mr. Gervais took up the position of Managing Principal for Navigator Ltd, a Canadian public affairs, crisis management, government relations and public opinion research company headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.  

Prior to joining Navigator, Mr. Gervais served as Vice-President of a national government relations firm, The Capital Hill Group Inc., for 22 years. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Special Assistant for the Minister of National Revenue, as Executive Assistant to the Federal Minister of Public Works and Government Services and as Political Attaché to the Deputy Premier and President of Treasury Board of Quebec.  

A corporate director, Mr. Gervais has served on boards in the technology, manufacturing and the not-for profit sectors. He lectures in the area of issues management, crises response and reputation recovery for the Institute of Corporate Directors. He earned a BA in Economics from the Université de Montréal in 1988 and a Graduate Diploma in Management from ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University in 2011.  

Please join me in congratulating Mr. Gervais on his appointment. I also take this opportunity to thank Susan Murley for serving as Interim Executive Director (Marketing and Communications) since September 2023. Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Committee, as well as everyone in the community who shared their comments and advice during the search process.  

Deep Saini 
President and Vice-Chancellor
ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University

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