Robert Orr

Robert Orr is an Associate at the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership. Prior to this, he was a Senior Faculty Member and Distinguished Fellow at the Canada School of Public Service, and for a few months, acted as Deputy Minister/President of the School. From 2012 to 2017, he was Assistant Deputy Minister for Operations at Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In this role, he was responsible for leading a large domestic and international network which delivered Canada's immigration, citizenship and passport programs.

Bob was a member of the Canadian Foreign Service, first with the Department of External Affairs and subsequently with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. He served in Abidjan, Colombo, Damascus, Nairobi, and twice in London. He also held a number of positions in Ottawa, including Director of Personnel and Director General of the International Region and Director General of Refugees. From 2009 to 2012, he was the High Commissioner of Canada to Tanzania, with concurrent accreditation to Zambia, the Seychelles, the Comoros and the East African Community.

He holds an M.A. in history from Queen’s University.