Michael Sabia

Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Michael Sabia

Biography

Main bio

Michael Sabia is the President and CEO of Hydro-Quebec. He served as Canada’s Deputy Minister of Finance from 2020-2023. He was the Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy from February to December 2020, and continues to serve as a Munk School Distinguished Fellow. 

From March 2009 to January 2020, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he oversaw the strategic direction of CDPQ and the global growth of the organization. 

Before joining CDPQ, Sabia held numerous senior positions with BCE, including President and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada International. From 1993 to 1999, he occupied various roles with Canadian National Railway, including Chief Financial Officer. He spent the preceding decade working as a senior official in the Government of Canada, as the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet and in senior positions in the Department of Finance. 

Sabia is a member of the Canadian government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth and Chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. He is a member of the board of the Mastercard Foundation, a trustee of the Foreign Policy Association of New York and a member of the Canada-Mexico Leadership Group and the Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council. 

He is committed to community involvement, including recently co-chairing the capital campaigns of Université de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal. 

Sabia obtained a Bachelor of Arts in economics and politics from the University of Toronto and holds graduate degrees in economics and politics from Yale University. 

He is an Officer of the Order of Canada. 

Updated July 2023