Ambassador Anna Biolik is one of three new directors elected at the AGM. She is among North America’s foremost experts on Central Asian business and diplomacy. She recently retired as Regional Director and Senior Trade Commissioner in the Pacific Regional Office of DFAIT (Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada). She was Canada’s first resident Ambassador in Mongolia where she opened a full-fledged embassy in 2008. She previously served as Ambassador of Canada to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, as Consul General in St. Petersburg, and as Senior Advisor to the Governor General of Canada.

After retiring from DFAIT, she established a business consultancy based in Vancouver and Victoria, BC, and joined the NAMBC. She began her international relations career in the 1990s as a member of the Trade Commissioner Service. Her knowledge of the Russian language, led her to senior assignments in Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia. From 2006-2008, Dr. Biolik was Director of the Centre for Learning for International Affairs and Management (CFSD) of the Canadian Foreign Service Institute (CFSI). From 2004 to 2006, while Canadian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, she was concurrently accredited to the Kyrgyz Republic and to Tajikistan.

Prior to advising the Governor General for five years on international relations and protocol, Dr. Biolik was European Marketing Manager for Canada Post and Senior Manager at Investment Partnerships Canada. She has extensive expertise in international commerce. Over the years, working closely with Canadian companies in emerging markets in particular, Dr. Biolik has become a highly-regarded strategic business advisor in a broad range of areas including export and investment strategies in international markets, innovative networks increasing business effectiveness in a foreign political environment and consultations and negotiations with foreign institutions and officials. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies from the University of Montreal, an MA (French Studies) and a BA (Literature and Philology from the Jagellonian University of Cracow, Poland. She is member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and its program of Public Service without Borders.    

Ambassador Anna Biolik