Ambassador Louise Blais was Canada’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2017-2021.  During this time since, she also served as Vice President on UNICEF’s Executive Board.

Louise Blais began her professional career as an Art Theft Analyst at Interpol. She then managed the Development Program at the National Archives of Canada before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1996.

As a senior diplomat, she served abroad in Washington and Tokyo and as Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Embassy in Paris helping coordinate Canada’s participation in the 2011 G8 in Deauville and the G20 in Cannes. During this period, she was also the Director of the Canadian Cultural Centre.

In Ottawa, at Global Affairs Canada, she held the positions of Director of the Public Diplomacy Division where she oversaw Canada’s International outreach and Executive Director of the Rotational Staff Division. Ms. Blais and her team were responsible for the deployment of over 2000 employees world-wide. In 2014, the Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed her Consul General of Canada in Atlanta.

She has served on numerous philanthropic boards including the Helen Hayes Awards in DC, the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Board of Advisors of the Atlanta Ballet. She is an alum of the BMW Foundation’s Trans-Atlantic and World Young Leaders Forum and a member of their Global Responsible Leaders Network.  She currently sits on the Arts & Artists International Board.

She is on the Advisory Boards of the Canadian Forum for Impact Investment and ADC Technologies  and she is a Distinguished John Robson Lecturer at Emory University.  Ambassador Blais is the recipient of many honors including a Distinguished Leadership Award from the Business Council of Alabama.  And a media commentator on foreign affairs and economic development.

Among her personal commitments, Ambassador Blais has been dedicated to the advancement of women entrepreneurship and has led her team to launch the first ever North America Summit of Women in Business.  Louise Blais holds a B.A. from McGill University. She is married to Peter Falkner and together they have two sons.