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Commissioner's Biography
Ursula Menke
Ursula Menke was appointed Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) on December 3, 2007, for a five-year term.
Ms. Menke examines matters relating to federal consumer protection laws that apply to federally regulated financial institutions. Reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Finance, the Commissioner ensures that FCAC achieves its mandate: to help build a fair and competitive marketplace by protecting and informing consumers of financial products and services.
As Commissioner, Ms. Menke is an ex officio member of the Board of Directors of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation and a member of the Board's Governance Committee. She is a member of the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee, chaired by the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, and a member of the Senior Advisory Committee, chaired by the Deputy Minister of Finance.
Ms. Menke has more than 30 years of public- and private-sector experience in finance, management, law, regulatory matters, operations and corporate governance.
Most recently, Ms. Menke served as Deputy Chief Risk Officer at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), where she was jointly responsible for setting up and managing departmental activities in the areas of risk management, ethics, internal disclosure, fairness-monitoring and conflict resolution.
Before joining PWGSC, Ms. Menke held a variety of challenging public service positions. As Head of Coordination for Sponsorship Matters at the Privy Council Office from 2004 to 2005, she coordinated the federal government's activities on sponsorship issues, particularly for the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities (Gomery Commission). As Deputy Commissioner of the Coast Guard from 2002 to 2004, she implemented modern comptrollership and the improvement of business management systems and tools. Ms. Menke was Secretary General of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission from 1999 to 2002; she led the restructuring of the Commission to deal more effectively with challenges.
In the private sector, Ms. Menke was Vice-President, Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company from 1993 to 1998. She was responsible for the company's legal, compliance and corporate secretarial functions, and designed structures for compliance programs and insurance operations to meet legal and regulatory requirements. She also ran a consulting company, Ursula Menke & Associates, focusing on the establishment of a regulatory framework for banking, insurance, trust and mutual fund operations.
Ms. Menke served as Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, reporting to the Solicitor General, from 1992 to 1993.
From 1977 to 1992, Ms. Menke held various positions in corporate and legal services with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, in the private sector and with the Department of Finance.
Ms. Menke studied at McGill University, receiving the degrees of Bachelor of Science in 1968 and Bachelor of Civil Law in 1976. She also earned a teaching diploma from the University of Alberta in 1969.
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