Steve Verheul

Fellow

Steve Verheul is a principal with GT and Company Executive Advisors and president of Steve Verheul Consulting Inc.

Steve is an accomplished expert on Canadian trade policy and negotiation, having led the development of some of the country’s most significant international agreements.

Steve retired from the federal public service in October 2022 after a career comprising several senior roles, most recently special advisor on trade policy to the Deputy Minister of Finance. From 2017 to 2021, Steve was assistant deputy minister of the Trade Policy and Negotiations branch of Global Affairs Canada, where he managed more than 300 employees.

Steve served as Canada’s chief trade negotiator in the creation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (known as “the new NAFTA”), and, before that, in the development of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. He worked on the NAFTA negotiations, the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations — which led to the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) — and the subsequent Doha Round of WTO negotiations.

Steve has won a number of government and industry awards, including the 2018 Career Contribution Award from the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada.

Steve earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Western University.