Ray Boisvert joins as an associate in Ottawa

OTTAWA (November 5, 2014) — Top-ranked public relations and public affairs firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada (H+K) is pleased to announce that Ray Boisvert has joined the firm as an associate in its Ottawa office. A well-respected thought leader in the security space, he will be moderating a panel on counter-terrorism today during the SecureTech conference at the Ottawa Convention Centre.

Ray—an intelligence practitioner with nearly three decades of experience in risk-mitigation strategies and solutions—works with H+K’s procurement and trade group to identify and explore new opportunities to advise clients on national security assessments within the foreign investment review regime. He is also an expert on data management and protection.

“Widely viewed as one of the foremost experts on security and cyber resilience, Ray is an important addition to our team,” says Jackie King, general manager of H+K Ottawa. “We are excited to work with someone of Ray’s calibre, learn from his extraordinary experience and share his unrivalled security and intelligence knowledge with our clients.”

Ray entered the private sector after spending more than 28 years with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), from which he retired in 2012 as assistant director for intelligence. At CSIS, Ray led the principal counter-terrorism sector during an era of tumultuous international security challenges that involved Canadian security interests in such places as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, West Africa and Europe. He was responsible for developing a refocused set of broad-based knowledge-acquisition tools, intelligence assessments and dissemination programs.

Prior to his remarkable career with CSIS, Ray served five years in federal law enforcement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), mostly in federal drug enforcement.

A respected thought-leader in the Canadian security space

Today, Ray will act as a moderator during the SecureTech conference at the Ottawa Convention Centre—Canada’s leading public safety, emergency management and security showcase, hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries. He will lead the Counter-Terrorism Panel: Building Canada’s Resilience Against Terrorism, which begins at 10 a.m. EST. The panel will discuss state-sponsored terrorism, espionage and sabotage.

Panelists include: Supt Wade Oldford, director, national security group, federal policing criminal operations, RCMP; Phil Lightfoot, director of border technology, CBSA; Neal Owens, senior business/program management, Batelle – CBRNE protection; and Carey Larsson, head of the CBRNE hazards section, CSSP.