Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar was appointed to the position of Associate Vice-President, Operations, in 2015. He also holds the position of Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Canada a role to which he was appointed in January 2014. He joined the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in 2002 as a Senior Animal Biotechnology Policy Specialist.
He has since held a number of senior-level positions within the CFIA, including Executive Director of the Animal Health Directorate, Executive Director of Operations Strategies and Delivery, and Executive Director of Western Area Operations.
Harpreet joined the CFIA from the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College where he was an assistant professor with research interests in animal biotechnology. He also worked as a veterinarian in private practice prior to joining the CFIA.
Harpreet is a veterinarian by training with a Master's degree in Veterinary Science and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in biotechnology. He is an expert on animal biotechnology for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and has worked internationally with such organizations as the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
As CVO, Dr. Kochhar leads Canada's efforts to effectively manage current and emerging disease threats in order to protect animal and human health, and to maintain international trust in Canada’s inspection and certification systems in support of market access.