Karen Kastner

Karen Kastner

Karen Kastner was appointed Vice President, Partnerships and Government Relations in July 2016. In her role she leads a national team and is responsible for the development and implementation of BDC’s external partnership and government relations strategies.

Ms. Kastner joined BDC in 2006 as director of corporate strategy and planning. She was subsequently promoted to assistant vice-president in the same functional area. During this time, she led the development of numerous annual corporate plans and was responsible for the Bank’s submission for the 2010 legislative review of the BDC Act. In 2012, Ms. Kastner was promoted to Vice President, Office of the President, serving as strategic advisor to the President and CEO, until taking on her current role.

Ms. Kastner began her career with the federal Department of Justice where she worked on the implementation of new domestic legislation. She then became involved in international treaty negotiations, providing policy advice and representing Canada at the United Nations, G8, European Commission and Organization of American States. Ms. Kastner also worked at the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority which she joined to build its corporate planning and government relations functions.

Ms. Kastner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Concordia University and an LL.B from the University of Ottawa. She has published articles in the United Nations Publications and the International Institute of Security Studies.