APF Canada Congratulates Yuen Pau Woo on his Canadian Senate Appointment

VANCOUVER, BC – October 27, 2016 – The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) congratulates Yuen Pau Woo, president of HQ Vancouver and former president and CEO of APF Canada, on his appointment today to Canada’s Senate.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Pau on his appointment to Canada’s upper chamber,” said Stewart Beck, President and CEO, APF Canada, “Pau has been a tireless advocate for closer relations with the economies of the Asia Pacific and has contributed immensely to policy-making on Canada-Asia relations. His knowledge and understanding of Asia, and the importance of the region to Canada’s future prosperity, will serve the Senate and Canadians well.”

As president and CEO of APF Canada for a maximum of three terms from 2005 to 2014, Pau led a major expansion of the organization and spearheaded the National Conversation on Asia, a three-year, cross-Canada campaign to raise awareness of Asia’s importance to Canada and Canadians.

Born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore, Pau moved to Canada on an academic scholarship at age 16. He has served numerous public and private organizations over the past three decades, including the Standing Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), the Global Council of the Asia Society, the Advisory Board of the Canadian Ditchley Foundation, and the Mosaic Institute. In 2012, Pau was honoured with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award for his contributions to Canada-Asia relations.

He is currently the Distinguished East Asia Fellow at APF Canada, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia and president of HQ Vancouver, a project of the British Columbia Business Council funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Province of British Columbia to attract companies from Asia and around the world to locate their regional head offices in British Columbia.

Yuen Pau Woo is one of nine new independent senators announced today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The senators will be formally sworn-in at a later date. To view a full list of Canada’s new senators, click here.

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