Greater Ottawa Metropolitan Area
Ali Tejpar is a public policy executive and lawyer working at the intersections of technology, geopolitics, and law. As Director of Corporate Affairs at Microsoft Canada, he advises on complex policy and regulatory issues and leads external engagement with governments, industry associations, civil society, and academic institutions. Before joining Microsoft, Ali served as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister's Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor, advancing Canada's foreign and defence priorities and supporting the Prime Minister's international engagement through over 130 leader-level calls, 200 bilateral meetings, and 30 international visits and summits. He has also held senior policy and legal roles at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and completed his articling at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Ali holds a Juris Doctor/Master of Arts (Magna Cum Laude) dual-degree from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours with Distinction) from Queen’s University, where he graduated first in his class. He is certified in board governance and has been recognized with over 30 awards for leadership and public service, including being named The Peak’s Emerging Canadian Leader, a Rising 30 Public Affairs Leader, a Banff Forum member, an Ottawa Mayor’s City Builder, a Queen's University Chancellor's Scholar, and selected for the Government of Canada's flagship Recruitment of Policy Leaders program. His writing on artificial intelligence, global health law, and international trade has been published in academic journals and textbooks and featured at conferences worldwide.
• Leading Microsoft's corporate affairs, public policy, and external stakeholder relations with governments, industry associations, civil society, and academic institutions across Canada
• Advised the Prime Minister, the Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, and senior officials to advance Canada’s foreign and defence policy priorities • Supported the Prime Minister's strategic international engagement through over 133 leader and CEO-level calls, 210 bilateral meetings, and 32 outgoing visits and participation in various international fora, including APEC, ASEAN, G7, G20, NALS, NATO, OIF, UN, etc. • Coordinated a team of 36 people, including senior executives, analysts, and administrative staff, to deliver high-quality and impactful policy and communications products
• Advised the Prime Minister, the Clerk of the Privy Council, and senior officials on 35+ government priorities and Cabinet decisions on the economy, foreign policy, and national security (e.g., the $443 million Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the $400 million Pan-Canadian Genomics Strategy, the $1.44 billion investment in Telesat’s advanced low earth orbit satellite constellation) • Coordinated the Government of Canada's Medium-Term Planning and 2021 Election Transition processes, including Deputy Minister-level discussions on policy and regulatory coherence
• Launched the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), a global coalition of 300+ leading experts from governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia across 44 countries to advance the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence • Negotiated a $10 million Memorandum of Understanding to host the GPAI secretariat at the OECD • Led Canada’s domestic and international stakeholder engagement on digital policy and artificial intelligence, including participation at the G7, G20, OECD, and other international fora
• Represented Canada at the Arctic 5 Meetings with Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States to promote scientific cooperation in the Arctic Circle • Coordinated an interdepartmental project with the Canadian Hydrographic Service to updated Canada's coastal baseline coordinates in accordance with modern satellite imagery and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
• Advised on high-profile cases, including structuring a $200 million financing deal for a South American mining project, representing clients before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal on U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, and responding to public allegations of white-collar crime involving a major Canadian multinational company operating abroad