Michael Sabia


Michael John Sabia is a Canadian businessman. Since 2009, he is president and CEO of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Sabia announced his retirement on November 12, 2019, which will be effective at the beginning of February 2020. On November 12, 2019, the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy named Sabia as its director.
Sabia formerly served as CEO of BCE Inc. from 2002 through 2008.

Personal life

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Sabia is the son of Michael Joseph Sabia and Laura Sabia ; both parents are of Italian descent. He attended Ridley College also in St. Catharines. He is married to Hilary Pearson. Sabia has his undergraduate education from the University of Toronto and earned his graduate degrees from Yale University. His wife, Hilary Pearson, is the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester Pearson. In 2016, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Career

Sabia held a number of senior positions in Canada's federal public service during the 1980s and early 1990s, including Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet of the Privy Council Office.
Sabia's supervisor, Clerk of the Privy Council Paul Tellier, left the public service to assume the presidency of Crown corporation Canadian National Railway in the early 1990s and subsequently persuaded Sabia to follow him to help in privatizing the company. Sabia held a number of executive positions at Canadian National Railway during the 1990, including the position of chief financial officer.
Sabia left Canadian National to join Bell Canada Enterprises in 1999, and became chief executive in 2002 succeeding Jean Monty. In 2007, his board accepted an offer from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to privatize the telecommunications company. Later that year, Sabia said he would leave Bell after the privatization deal was finalized. Sabia left Bell in July 2008 and succeeded by George Cope. By December 2008, following the collapse of the debt market, the privatization deal fell apart.
Sabia was named chief executive of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on March 13, 2009 to succeed Fernand Perrault. On February 15, 2017, the Caisse announced that Michael Sabia’s mandate as president and CEO has been renewed until March 31, 2021.
On November 12, 2019, it was announced that Sabia would be leaving the Caisse to become head of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He will be appointed to the new role in February 2020.
In April 2020, Sabia was appointed Chair of the Board of Director of the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
In June 2020, he was appointed Director of the Mastercard Foundation