Arwen Widmer Bobyk is the Consul for Political, Economic & Public Affairs at the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles.
It is her job to promote and protect Canadian interests in the Southwest of the US. She leads on cultural diplomacy, political and economic engagement, and Canada’s policies on environment, energy and climate change, security and defence, human rights, media engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Arwen has worked in the federal public service of Canada for 20+ years – the last 12 of which have been spent serving as a diplomat. Prior to joining Global Affairs Canada, Arwen worked at the Privy Council Office and Export Development Canada.
Arwen uses her platform to ensure that equity and inclusion is at the forefront of Canada’s engagement abroad. In 2018, Arwen worked with the Canadian Foreign Service Institute to develop a Gender Based Analysis + training program that she helped deliver to +1000 Canadian officials across the network of 13 Canadian Consulates General in the United States and the Embassy in Washington DC– the first time this has been done anywhere in the Canadian diplomatic world.
More recently, upon assuming her current duties she designed an Equity Pledge and Action Plan for the Consulate, which further develops those ideas and creates a practical framework for a broad DEI program across all programs at the Consulate. Her work inspired the adoption of such Pledges by more than two dozen Canadian diplomatic offices around the world, and informed the intensive DEI-focussed work undertaken by Global Affairs Canada headquarters in Ottawa. Her passion is to help Canadian civil servants turn the theory of equity, diversity and inclusion into a practical reality in their day-to-day work.
Arwen is on a quest for Continuous Improvement of herself, to be the change she wants to see and to lead and guide and support and learn from those she is fortunate enough to encounter along the way.
In 2018, Arwen received the Public Service Award of Excellence from the Clerk of the Privy Council for “Exceptional work in Extraordinary Circumstances” – the highest recognition of a federal public servant in Canada.
She lives in Los Angeles, enjoying the sunshine with her husband of 20 years, Blair, and two amazing kids Grace and Naomi.