Kim Furlong
A trusted advisor to governments, associations and corporations, Kim Furlong joined the Carleton University Board of Governors in 2019 as a community-at-large member.
By day, Kim is the Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA), where she advocates on behalf of the industry to ensure sound public policy and encourage a favourable environment for investment. By night, she is mom to four-year-old twin boys commonly known as “the Peanuts”.
Kim joined the CVCA in January 2019 after a decade in the corporate world, leading external affairs for Amgen Canada; a world-leading biotechnology company. Prior to Amgen, she held the position of Vice President Federal Government Relations for the Retail Council of Canada.
A respected corporate leader, Kim holds an impressive network of national and international business leaders, diplomats, politicians and political staff across all major political parties both federally and provincially.
Kim credits Carleton for providing the beginnings of this vast network through her experience while completing her Masters of Trade Policy and Global Finance at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NIPSIA).
“There is a sense of family that is really strong at Carleton and the people I met during my time at NPSIA are the foundation of my Ottawa family,” she said. “What I’ve learned is that your career is heavily determined through networking and university is a great platform to help you seed these connections that will be your first network as you enter the workforce. You just never know where people will end up!”
Since her studies, Kim has developed an expansive background in the public sector and held the positions of Director of Communications to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, the Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew as well as advisor for the Honorable James. S. Peterson, Canadian International Trade Minister. A strong believer in solid public policy dialogue, Kim is also a member of the Canada 2020 Advisory Council, Equal Voice and the Advisory Council of Ivey Centre for Health Innovation.
“If it wasn’t for the NIPSA’s commitment to giving their students experience in the workplace and the willingness of their alumni to foster those opportunities, my career would be very different,” she explained. “I landed at the Department of Foreign Affairs as a co-op student where I was able to network and learn. The experience eventually landed me a job at the G8 Kananaskis Summit with the communications team and I eventually made my way to the Minister’s office.”
Reversing the roles, Kim was able to provide that same opportunity to Carleton students.
“When I worked for the Trade Minister, I insisted that we welcome a NPSIA student in our office,” she said. “That person has now gone on to do great things at Global Affairs Canada and that makes me extremely proud and happy.”
Over a decade later, Kim returned to Carleton campus as former President of the NIPSIA Alumni Association and now volunteers her time and expertise as a member of the Board of Governors. Through this role, she hopes to give back to the community.
“Carleton has a wonderful story to tell and my career so far has been a lot of storytelling,” explained Kim. “I hope through this role, I will be able to help shape that story. There are great things happening on campus and everyone should be paying attention to it.”
A Quebec native, Kim was born and raised in the picturesque town of Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula. She currently lives in Toronto with her family. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in American History from McGill University.
Kim currently serves on the Board’s Advancement and University Relations Committee. She was elected to the Board of Governors for a three-year term commencing July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2022.
Click here to view the 2019-2020 Board of Governors membership.