Leadership

His background includes government, academia and business. He served in a number of portfolios as a Deputy Minister in the Ontario Government, including Intergovernmental Affairs, Francophone Affairs and also Deputy Minister responsible for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games held in Toronto in 2015.

He served in the federal government as Director of Policy and Research for Prime Minister Jean Chretien. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Ontario Universities and as Assistant Vice-President of Bell Canada. He was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., and an Adjunct Professor at Glendon College, York University.

Mr. Genest is an active volunteer with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and is Chair of the Board of the National Gallery of Canada. He is also Chair of the Board, Ontario Region and a Board Member of Business for the Arts. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Coalition for a Better Future. He is a past Member of the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

A champion of diversity, he has been honored for his advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQ community, including serving as the Deputy Minister Champion of OPS Pride. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In June 2022, Mr. Genest was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.

He holds a B.A., Honors (cum laude) in English and Philosophy from the University of Guelph, an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School where he was the Valedictorian. He has also completed the Rotman School of Management, Institute of Corporate Directors - Directors Education Program, where he was also the Valedictorian.