Kirsten Hillman

Ambassador Kirsten Hillman is one of Canada's foremost experts on trade, diplomacy, and international affairs. Drawing on her 30-year career as a trade lawyer, policy expert and negotiator — and as one of Canada's longest serving Ambassadors to the United States —Hillman offers an insider’s look at the forces reshaping global trade and the Canada-US relationship. She shares insight into how to navigate these important transformations and effectively lead teams through complexity and volatility. Hillman has served as a close advisor to three Canadian Prime Ministers, holding some of the country's most senior diplomatic and policy roles. From 2020 to 2026, she served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States — the first woman appointed to the role — leading the Canada-US relationship through a period of profound volatility and transformation. Her tenure spanned three US administrations, two Canadian governments, and a pandemic, during which she was one of Canada’s foremost strategic vo