Rajani Alexander

Rajani Alexander's career in diplomacy spanned more than 30 years with Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency. She most recently served as Ambassador of Canada to Guatemala and High Commissioner of Canada to Belize.

Alexander began work as a development researcher in India. She co-negotiated poverty and unpaid work issues as gender equality advisor to the Canadian delegation at the 1995 UN Beijing World Conference on Women. She has served abroad as a senior diplomat in the Southern Cone (managing technology transfer programs in Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), Asia and Africa (Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia) and Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua). At headquarters her Directorships included Results and Accountability, and Pan-Africa programs.

Along with gaining broad geographic experience, Alexander focused on performance management, and participated in about a hundred recruitment and selection processes for foreign service officers and executives. She led on diversity and inclusion initiatives, including an Executive Interchange with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, founded by former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul. 

Prior to joining the public service, she was an independent consultant and instructor in Pacific, Asian and Gender Studies at University of Victoria, Simon Fraser, and Carleton University. At UVic she designed and managed Cooperative Education programs in over a dozen liberal arts programs. She earned a PhD in History and Government from the University of Notre Dame and holds an undergraduate degree in History Honours from Delhi University, India. 

November, 2024