David McKinnon is a former Canadian diplomat who dedicated 35 years to the foreign service. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University. McKinnon joined the Department of External Affairs as a trade commissioner in 1987. He completed diplomatic assignments in Bangkok, New Delhi and Canberra, where he served as Deputy High Commissioner. In Ottawa, he served as Director General of the Physical Resources Bureau. He later became High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives (2017–2022) and subsequently served as Chargé d’affaires in Kazakhstan (2024). He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.