Deirdre Kent

Canadian Acting High Commissioner to India, and Ambassador to Nepal and Bhutan


Deirdre Kent serves as the Canadian Acting High Commissioner to India, with concurrent accreditation to Nepal and Bhutan.

Prior to her arrival in India in September 2019, she was the Director General for International Assistance Policy within Global Affairs Canada (2015-2019) responsible for advancing strategic and emerging policy issues.

Ms. Kent joined Canada’s Foreign Service in 1994. Since then, her career has spanned international development policy and programming, peace and security issues and human rights with a focus on multilateral diplomacy.

She served as Human Rights Counsellor at the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 2002 to 2006. She also served abroad in Israel and the West Bank/Gaza.

Deirdre Kent holds a Bachelor of Science and an International Masters of Business Administration (MBA).