DANIEL QUAN-WATSON, ICD.D

As a Deputy Minister and Chief Executive Officer with the federal government for nearly 15 years, Daniel had one of the most senior, varied and accomplished careers possible in Canada's public service.  He managed multi-billion dollar budgets, organizations with thousands of staff, and complex national operations and conflicts in some of the highest profile environments in Canada.

 

He spent decades at the centre of nationally significant policy transformation, litigation resolution, conflict management, human resources issues, and environmental conservation matters.  For nearly 30 years, he has been at the core of leading historic change in Canada's understanding of and relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.  He has been a negotiator, policy leader and architect, developed major legislation, been the instructing client for multiple historic constitutional litigation files defining Indigenous rights, and was the Deputy Minister responsible for leading the Government of Canada's reconciliation agenda from 2018 to 2023.  He has worked in every province and territory in Canada, has been the head of an international association and has presented on several occasions at United Nations, OECD and other international events.

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Daniel has extensive governance board experience, as a member or Chair of major insurance plans, a scientific institution, regulatory bodies, international organizations and a broad range of not for profit entities.  He holds a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

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Daniel was the first ever Deputy Minister in the Government of Canada to be of Chinese-Canadian ancestry and became a national voice on anti-racism and inclusion issues.

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Daniel is a pilot, rides adventure motorcycles, sang with a philharmonic choir and works in English, French and Spanish.

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Daniel has won multiple awards and was named a Chinese Canadian Legend in 2023 by the Chinese Canadian Legends Association.