Accomplished former diplomat and alumnus appointed as Laurier’s chancellor

May 22, 2024
For Immediate Release

Accomplished former diplomat, corporate director and alumnus Nadir Patel has been appointed chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University.

The appointment was endorsed by the University Senate and approved by the Executive Committee on behalf of the Board of Governors on May 15.

Patel has strong ties to southwestern Ontario, growing up in Cambridge and attending Laurier, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduation, he began his career with the government of Canada at the Kitchener-Waterloo offices of Revenue Canada.

He currently serves as senior strategic advisor at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP and is a managing director at Fairfax Financial Holdings. He has extensive governance expertise, having served on several private, Crown corporation, and not-for-profit boards. Currently he sits on the board of directors of Canadian Tire Corporation, where he also chairs the audit committee, is chair of the Board for Jumpstart Charities, and serves on the board of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation.

Patel has held a series of high-level government positions throughout a long career in Canada’s public service. He is the former Canadian High Commissioner to India, a post he served in from 2014 to 2021, overseeing Canada’s largest embassy abroad. During this time he concurrently served as ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan. He has also 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, managing Canada’s presence in eastern China.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nadir Patel as Laurier’s next chancellor,” said Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of the university. “His global outlook and significant expertise in governance and diplomacy make him ideal for the chancellor role. As a Laurier alumnus who grew up in Ontario, he is a wonderful role model for our students.”

In 2011, Patel was named one of Laurier’s 100 alumni of achievement. In addition to his BA from Laurier, he holds a joint MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, London School of Economics and Political Science, and HEC (Paris) School of Management.

“I am honoured to have the privilege of serving as chancellor for Wilfrid Laurier University,” said Patel. “My career journey has been anchored by the belief that education and lifelong learning are the foundation for success and a future with boundless opportunities. Laurier has played an important part of that journey, and as an alumnus there is no better way to give back to an institution that has given me so much.”

As chancellor, Patel will participate in convocation ceremonies, conferring degrees and diplomas to graduates, and serve as a member of the Board of Governors and University Senate.

Patel’s four-year term begins July 1 and he will be formally installed as chancellor during fall convocation ceremonies in October. He succeeds Eileen Mercier, who has served as Laurier’s chancellor since 2016.

“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Eileen Mercier for her exceptional service as chancellor and her long-term commitment to Laurier since her time as a student,” said MacLatchy. “Laurier has benefited greatly from her expertise and generosity, and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship with her.”