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Ridha Chilmeran
Government Relations | Artificial Intelligence
Ridha Chilmeran is an experienced professional specializing in government and stakeholder relations at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.1 He has been serving as the Manager of Government & Stakeholder Relations at Vector Institute since January 2022.1
Professional Background
Ridha has a diverse background in political advisory roles, advocacy, and public relations. His career highlights include:
- Current Role: Manager, Government & Stakeholder Relations at Vector Institute (2022-present)1
- Previous Positions:
- Manager, Government Relations & Operations at Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) (2018-2021)1
- Sr. Policy & Operations Advisor for the Hon. Laura Albanese, Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, Ontario Government (2016-2018)1
- Stakeholder Relations for the Hon. Ted McMeekin, Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing, Ontario Government (2014-2016)1
Education
Ridha holds two degrees from Brock University:
During his studies, he worked as a Teaching Assistant for Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses and completed an internship at the Ontario Ministry of Finance.1
Skills and Expertise
Ridha's expertise lies in:
- Government relations
- Stakeholder management
- Artificial intelligence policy
- Aerospace industry advocacy
- Political advisory
Recognition
In 2019, Ridha received the Babylon Award of Excellence from the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Canada, recognizing outstanding members of the Iraqi community in Canada.1
Personal
Ridha is bilingual, with native or bilingual proficiency in both Arabic and English.1 He is based in Milton, Ontario, Canada.1
Highlights
🚀 ✈️ Personal update 🌎 🛰
The best leaders care about you.
Caring doesn’t mean checking in on the project's status or if you showed up to work for the day, that’s management. What I’m talking about is genuine interest in your well-being, family life, and career growth.
To lead effectively, you must care more about people than the bottom line.
This is how Bill Y., Mike Mueller and Jim Quick (retired) lead at Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC).
After serving almost 4 years at AIAC, I am thinking about the hundreds of government meetings, cross-country tour, funding applications, webinars, international events, Summit... The question of “did we do the best we could for our members?” comes up a lot.
For me, the answer is yes. Countless email inquiries answered, government partnerships, and $1.75 billion in funding over seven years for the aerospace sector sounds right.
My time at AIAC was made special by the people I worked with. Mike Mueller, an amazing President/CEO, a mentor, and wonderful friend. I will forever be thankful to Bill Yetman for giving me an opportunity to serve industry leaders and for pushing me to excel professionally. And for being flexible as I grew up from a know-it-all 29 year-old into an always learning adult. It was also made special by amazing people like Christine Csversko aka the Queen of All Trades, Brigadier Generals Dwayne Lucas and Rick Pitre, Lynne Adamson aka Powerhouse, Joslyn Higginson our Policy Guru, Wendy and Patrick Girard for always getting us paid, and Brent Gebuza our future star! To all my friends in government from all political stripes, I look forward to working with you in a different capacity in 2022. Stay tuned for further updates!
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada is hiring!
Position: Manager, Member Engagement and Committees Location: Ottawa, ON Job Description: 50% staff liaison, 20% develop member engagement strategy, 20% assist GR team, 10% other activities as assigned. Candidates with a strong political background and great admin/comms skills are encouraged to apply! For more info please DM :)
