Dominic Barton, the former global managing partner of consultancy firm McKinsey, has been appointed Canada’s new ambassador to China, tasked with reviving relations between the countries that have hit an all-time low following the arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer last year.
The appointment of Mr Barton fills a position that has been vacant for months as relations between Ottawa and Beijing have deteriorated sharply, raising questions about Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s approach to dealing with the world’s second-biggest economy.
Mr Barton ran McKinsey for nine years until 2018, during which time annual revenues doubled. But his tenure was marred by its dealings in South Africa, where the company was embroiled in a series of scandals over political corruption.