Ambassador Kirsten Hillman is one of North America's leading experts on trade and international economic affairs. As one of Canada's longest serving Ambassadors to the United States from 2020-2026, and the first woman appointed to this role, she led the highly consequential U.S.-Canada relationship through a period of volatility and transformation, spanning three U.S. administrations, two Canadian governments, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout her tenure, Ambassador Hillman established herself as Canada's foremost strategic voice in Washington and across the U.S., building strong relationships with both Republicans and Democrats at the Federal and State levels.

With appointments to some of her country's most senior diplomatic, policy, and trade positions, Ambassador Hillman served as a key advisor to three Canadian Prime Ministers, both Conservative and Liberal.  As Canada’s Chief Negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (2011-2015), Ambassador Hillman helped shape historic rules for open and predictable trade in the Indo-Pacific. She then served as Canada's Chief Trade Negotiator (2015-2017), leading the branch of the Government of Canada responsible for all trade policy and trade negotiations, including discussions with India, China, the EU and the U.K. In late 2017 she was appointed to serve as Canada's Deputy Ambassador in Washington in order to take up a central role in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) including working with the U.S. Administration, Congress and the Business Community to ensure the successful conclusion and ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020. 

Earlier in her career, Ambassador Hillman served as Canada's Senior Legal Advisor to the World Trade Organization (2007-2011) in Geneva and as Chief Legal Counsel in the negotiation of several international environmental agreements. Ambassador Hillman currently serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Ambassador Hillman’s leadership and influence have been widely recognized in both Canada and the United States. She is firmly established as one of the foremost experts on American First trade policies for Canadian audiences.  

In 2022 she was named to Maclean’s Power List of 50 Canadians forging paths, leading debate, and shaping how we think and live, and was recognized by Washingtonian Magazine as one of Washington’s Most Powerful Women three consecutive times. She has been honoured with numerous leadership awards in the United States and Canada. Among others, in 2025, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her outstanding public policy contributions.