Michelle Chawla has been appointed as director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts for a five-year term.

Chawla will assume the role on June 26, Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced on Monday (May 8). She’ll take the reins from Simon Brault, who has been heading the Canada Council since 2014 and was reappointed for a second term in 2019.

Currently the Council’s director general of strategy, public affairs and arts engagement, Chawla is “responsible for the executive leadership and direction of a wide range of functions including communications, strategic planning, international coordination and cultural diplomacy,” said a news release.

She has been with the Council since 1995 and her previous roles have included corporate secretary and director of strategic initiatives, secretary-general for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and head of arts services.

Chawla, who is a member of the Sikh community and comes from a Punjabi-Quebecois background, is “fluently bilingual” and “passionate about working in an environment where all voices are heard and respected through arts and culture,” said the release.

Her appointment at the Crown corporation and public art funder, which is under the Canadian Heritage portfolio, was made by the Governor in Council.

“Michelle Chawla’s impressive leadership and extensive experience in various senior roles at the Canada Council for the Arts makes her uniquely qualified for this position,” said Minister Rodriguez in a statement.

Rodriguez also paid tribute to Brault, thanking him “for his exemplary leadership and vision at the helm of the Canada Council.”

Photo by Christian Lalonde