Bernd Christmas, Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader, Hill & Knowlton Canada

Mr. Christmas is Senior Vice-President and National Aboriginal Practice Leader at Hill & Knowlton Canada. As an Aboriginal lawyer, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Membertou Band of Nova Scotia and the Membertou Corporate Division, and negotiator for several First Nations bands, Mr. Christmas brings a deep understanding of Aboriginal perspectives and extensive experience on national and international boards and commissions to his work.

The son of a Mi’kmaw army officer and a German mother, he grew up in many different parts of the world, including Europe, and had a stint as a court worker before attending law school in Toronto. Mr. Christmas was the first Mi’kmaw to become a lawyer in Canada, obtaining his law degree in 1991 from Osgoode Hall at York University. In 1993, he accepted a position in corporate and commercial law with Lang Michener, where he also expanded the firm’s Aboriginal practices.

In 2003, he was appointed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to the External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation. From 2000 to 2002, he was one of three Canadian commissioners to the International Commission for the Conservation of Tuna. He is a former member of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board and of the executive committee organizing the Governor General’s Conference on Leadership and Diversity. In 2006, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation presented Mr. Christmas with the National Achievement Award in business and commerce.

In September 2006 Bernd concluded his 11 year tenure as CEO of Membertou. Focusing on partnerships, joint ventures and exploring new opportunities, Membertou Development Corporation under Mr. Christmas’ leadership fulfilled many its goals of creating wealth, prosperity and employment for the Membertou First Nation. Mr. Christmas negotiated contracts or agreements with nationally recognized partners such as Georgia Pacific, Lockheed Martin Canada, Sodexho Canada, Clearwater Fine Foods, SNC Lavalin, Grant Thornton, Boeing, Nova Scotia Community College, Jacques Whitford Engineering, and many more.

Mr. Christmas is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the Indigenous Bar Association. He is a former commissioner for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board and sits on the Board of Governors of the Nova Scotia Community College. In 2005, Mr. Christmas was appointed to the Board of Directors of CBC/Radio-Canada and recently to Bennett Environmental and Investors Group.

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