“It’s been remarkable to see the resilience of people sharing ideas and working together to help keep democracy going strong.”
National Director of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2017, Azam Ishmael oversees the management and supervision of all activities, affairs and finances of the party.
From grassroots organizer to senior advisor and senior policy analyst to governments, Ishmael builds on mobilizing and gaining support. His reputation for delivering the vote rests on a long record of leadership campaigns.
He landed the key role of get-out-the-vote director for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2015 election campaign, and now he functions as "the party CEO,” he says.
Ishmael is passionate about motivating people to political action. “That’s what keeps me coming back.”
Proudest career moment
“Interviewing for the current job with the prime minister of Canada. You’re telling him how you plan on running his political party, and there’s a real moment of reflection that your career has gotten somewhere, that you can be in that room and speak confidently, and get the job.”
The Concordia factor
“Flexibility on getting a degree while living in another city and working in my field. I’d finish work in Ottawa at 4 p.m. and drive back to Montreal for a 6:30 class, then drive back the same night, twice a week for years. One semester, I took the entire year’s vacation at school – I wasn’t very rested, but I felt I had to get it done.”
Inspiring professor
“Mebs Kanji, in political science, a great professor who related course material to what was happening in Ottawa.”
Best career advice
“It’s easy to see a momentary setback as a defining moment. You have to look at the arc of your career, not at the moments. Don’t give up. Show up and keep trying.”
Pandemic battle
“To say last year was challenging is an understatement when you oversee a team as large as a political party: a lot of emails and telephone calls and challenging personal moments when people you know and work closely with lose someone to COVID-19; moments you don’t forget. It’s been remarkable to see the resilience of people sharing ideas and working together to help keep democracy going strong.”
Outside of work
“Any spare moment is spent with my young son, Hudson. Politics is all-consuming and families sacrifice a lot. I couldn’t do it without my wife, Jennifer.”