The Toronto Centre, an educational organization for financial regulators from around the world, has named Babak Abbaszadeh as its new chief executive.

Abbaszadeh’s appointment is effective June 1. He will be responsible for the organization’s strategic and operational activities.

From 2006 to 2009, Abbaszadeh was the director of stakeholder relations at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. He also served as director of government and industry relations at Sun Life Financial from 1998 to 2003. From 2004 to 2006, he held senior positions in the Ontario government including the chief of staff to two ministers of energy.

“Babak was selected following an international search. He is a strategic professional with a proven ability to create partnerships with a wide range of international stakeholders and draws on a broad background in the financial sector,” says John Palmer, Toronto Centre chairman.

“These attributes strengthen the Centre’s role in enhancing the capacity of financial regulators from around the world to improve their agencies’ crisis preparedness and to promote changes leading to robust financial systems, which underpin growth and stability in the national economies and the global economy.”

Founded in 1997 by the Canadian government, the World Bank, and the Schulich School of Business at York University, the Toronto Centre assists senior financial supervisors from around the globe to supervise more effectively and improve the financial systems and societies of which they are a part.

IE