Nadir Patel is a strategic business advisor, corporate director and former Ambassador. He is currently a managing director at Fairfax Financial Holdings, senior strategic advisor at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, and on the board of directors of Canadian Tire Corporation where he also chairs the audit committee. Nadir currently serves as Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, as well as board Chair at Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and is director on the board of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
Prior to his current roles, Nadir held several senior government positions over a distinguished career in Canada’s public service. Most recently, he served as Canada’s longest-serving High Commissioner for the Republic of India, with concurrent accreditation as Canada’s Ambassador to Nepal and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan. He also previously served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and as Canada’s Consul General in Shanghai. He brings a wealth of experience in strategic policy and planning, governance, risk management, and international relations, and has served on the boards of several public, private, crown corporation, and not-for-profit organizations.
Nadir holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, London School of Economics and Political Science, and HEC (Paris) School of Management, and a BA from Wilfrid Laurier University.