Michele Austin

Michele Austin is the President and Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association – Canada, where she leads government relations, policy development, and advocacy on behalf of the MPA studios and their domestic affiliates. Michele joined the association in 2026.

Michele joins the MPA from Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE), one of the country’s largest telecommunications and media companies, where she served as Vice President of Public Affairs, overseeing strategy and engagement in all government jurisdictions and areas of public policy.

Prior to BCE, Michele was Director of Public Policy for the United States and Canada at X (formerly Twitter). From 2018 to 2022, Michele also served as the global financial chair for Twitter Indigenous, an internal employee business group.

For five years starting in 2013, Michele worked as a Senior Advisor at Summa Strategies, a government relations firm. At Summa, she established a technology practice working with clients such as Google, Block, and the Canada Media Fund.

From 2006-2012, Michele served as Chief of Staff in four federal departments—including as the first woman to hold this position at Industry Canada—spanning Industry Canada, Public Works & Government Services, Shared Services Canada and Status of Women. Over her career, Michele has been recognized by the Hill Times as one of Canada’s top 100 lobbyists as well as a “Terrific 25” Parliament Hill staffer.

Michele has served on multiple boards and committees, including the Canadian Telecommunications Association and the Canadian Marketing Association. She appeared as a regular political panelist on CTV’s Power Play from 2010 through 2018.

Michele lives in Ottawa with her family.