Bridges China Dialogue

Ambassador, ICTSD Senior Fellow, Former Canadian Ambassador to the WTO; President of Canada-China Business Council

Born in Argentina of Italian parents, Sergio Marchi moved to Canada at a young age.  He was educated at St. Basil’s College and earned an honours BA degree from York University, in Toronto. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the Chairman of a family-owned international business enterprise headquartered in Geneva. Formerly, he was the Business Advisor for the Canadian Law firm of Lang Michener, in Toronto.  Mr. Marchi also served as the President of the Canada-China Business Council, and Chairman of the Canadian Services Coalition. 

Prior to his current responsibilities, Mr. Marchi enjoyed a distinguished political and diplomatic career. He was first elected as a Toronto City Councillor in 1982.  He was then elected to the House of Commons, as a Member of Parliament in 1984, and represented the Toronto riding of York West for 15 years. During his time in government, Mr. Marchi served as a federal Cabinet Minister in three different portfolios:  Citizenship and Immigration, Environment, and International Trade. In August 1999, the Prime Minister appointed Mr. Marchi as Canadian Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, where he served for five years. He served as Chairman of  the WTO  General Council by the 148 Member countries. In March 2004, Mr. Marchi was nominated by the Canadian government to serve as a Commissioner on the UN Global Commission on International Migration.

Mr. Marchi also serves as a member of several non-profit boards, including the Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business at York University. He also lectures at a US University in Geneva. Mr. Marchi and his wife, Laureen, have two children.