Christyn Cianfarani appointed President of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries 

Ottawa, September 22, 2014 – The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Christyn Cianfarani as President of the Association, effective today.

Ms. Cianfarani joins CADSI following 17 years at CAE Inc. where most recently she was Director of Advanced Training Solutions and Government Relations. She has also held the position of Director of Government Programs, Research and Development, and Intellectual Property in addition to managing over her substantial career a wide range of portfolios from product and project management to bids and proposals. Before joining CAE Inc., she served in the Royal Canadian Navy as a MARS officer.

Ms. Cianfarani takes over the leadership of CADSI at a time of significant change. Traditional defence markets here in Canada and internationally have experienced budget cuts. New markets are emerging in the Middle East and in Asia-Pacific. The Government of Canada has reformed its approach to defence procurement with the introduction of the Defence Procurement Strategy (DPS).

“Christyn’s appointment is good for our industry, good for the government and good for CADSI,” said Mike Greenley, chair of CADSI’s Board of Directors. “Her knowledge, experience and enthusiasm are exactly what we need to guide us through these challenging times.”

“I am thrilled to have been selected to lead the dialogue for our industry,” said Ms. Cianfarani. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in industry and with our many government partners—National Defence, Industry Canada, Public Works and Government Services, and Foreign Affairs, Development and Trade—as we set a new, strong agenda for our sector.”

Ms. Cianfarani is widely recognized as a strong advocate for the greater defence and security industrial base while at the table collaborating with federal ministers, deputy ministers and senior staff to create policy and processes to operationalize the DPS. 

In 2012, Ms. Cianfarani contributed as an Expert Advisor for Canada First: Leveraging Defence Procurement Through Key Industrial Capabilities. This report, submitted to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, has subsequently informed the Government’s Defence Procurement Strategy. 

Ms. Cianfarani has also represented Canadian industry for Mr. Tom Jenkins’ Review of Research and Development in Canada and as a contributor to Hon. David Emerson’s Aerospace Review.

In February 2014, she accepted a position on the Interim Board of Directors of the Defence Analysis Institute, working with Government stakeholders from Industry Canada, Public Works, and National Defence to establish the function in Canada.

“It’s time for industry and government to work closely together to go from strategy to implementation and execution,” Ms. Cianfarani said. “In this particular case, execution is critical given that the outcome we are seeking is the timely delivery of exceptional equipment and services for our Canadian Armed Forces. This is something that we cannot afford to compromise in the process of increasing economic benefit to Canada and growing the defence industrial base.

“What has been put in place through the DPS has the potential to be transformative for the defence sector in Canada; it represents a departure from the past and a change for the better,” she said. “Maintaining a strong, open and honest relationship with the Government as we have done to date will be critical to success.” 

Ms. Cianfarani, who is fluently bilingual, earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto.