As the first Global Executive Conversation of our 40th year, Her Excellency Kirsten Hillman, Ambassador of Canada to the United States participated in a conversation with Barbara Humpton, Chair of the Economic Club’s Global Initiative and CEO of Siemens USA.
Appointed in 2020, Ambassador Hillman is the first woman to serve as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States. She has guided the bilateral relationship through three U.S. administrations and the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating complex policy challenges while promoting Canada’s interests and shared North American priorities.
Over her 30-year career with the Government of Canada, Ambassador Hillman has held senior roles in diplomacy, policy, and law, both domestically and abroad. She played a key role in modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement, now the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and served as Canada’s Chief Negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Prior to this, she practiced law with the Department of Justice in Ottawa and at a private firm in Montréal.
She was recognized in the Maclean’s magazine 2022 Power List and named one of Washington’s most powerful women by the Washingtonian in 2021 and 2023. In 2025, Ambassador Hillman was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Canada.
