Mark Entwistle

Mark Entwistle has had a rich and diversified professional career spanning four decades and across disciplines in diplomacy and international affairs, public policy issue management and advocacy, government relations and operations, political risk assessment, strategic communications, media relations and public affairs, and global business. 

He is currently Managing Partner of Privus Capital Inc., a strategic advisory and business development firm, as well as Canadian lead in joint collaborations with German partners to help create opportunity from free trade and investment between the European Union and Canada and Mexican partners to help diversify and strengthen the Canada-Mexico business relationship.

Entwistle was previously a Founding Partner of merchant bank Acasta Capital Inc. and Special Advisor to New York-based Teneo Strategy LLC. He has served as a director of both public and private companies.

Entwistle served for sixteen years from 1981-1997 as a professional Canadian diplomat. His Foreign Service career included assignments at the Canadian Embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel and Moscow, in the former Soviet Union, where he was responsible for bilateral relations between Canada and the then USSR. He was Ambassador of Canada to Cuba from 1993-1997.

Entwistle was, among other things, also formerly Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada, responsible directly for all aspects of the Prime Minister's relations with the media and the public communication of the policies of the Canadian federal government on all issues and across the full range of government departments and agencies. He was senior ministerial aide for Parliamentary Affairs to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, where he managed the relations between the Minister and all institutions of Parliament.

Entwistle has written and spoken frequently on the subject of Cuba as a recognized expert.

He holds a B.A. (Hons.) from the University of Ottawa and a M.A. in history from the University of Toronto, where he was also a Junior Fellow at Massey College.  

Updated January, 2024