Real Insights for New Executives
Unfiltered leadership tips from young senior executives
Unpolished Advice from two millennial best friends, seasoned executives in the federal public service, and who are energized to share what they are learning about leadership while still in the arena
Katia Jollez
Franck Hounzangbé
Franck Hounzangbé
I was born in Brazil and brought into Canadian life through adoption. My mom, French-Canadian; my dad, an Italian born in Egypt who grew up in Brazil and somehow ended up shoveling snow in Ottawa. After 11 years of trying for kids, they adopted me—then plot twist: my mom found herself pregnant with my brother.
When it came time to choose
I was born in Brazil and brought into Canadian life through adoption. My mom, French-Canadian; my dad, an Italian born in Egypt who grew up in Brazil and somehow ended up shoveling snow in Ottawa. After 11 years of trying for kids, they adopted me—then plot twist: my mom found herself pregnant with my brother.
When it came time to choose a degree, my only goal was to put as much distance as possible between me and anything resembling math. I chose Communications, which turned out to be the perfect training ground for storytelling. That skill has shaped everything since—from crafting policy narratives to translating complexity into clarity in rooms where decisions are made.
Growing up in Ottawa, the gravitational pull toward the public service is strong. I entered government through a student co-op, expecting nothing more than a paycheque every two weeks. Slowly, things shifted. People asked for my opinion, I was leading teams, and the work had real outcomes.
Fast forward to 2017: I joined the Coast Guard without knowing bow from stern, leaving a job I loved at the National Research Council because I didn’t want to accept the mediocrity of comfort. For months I questioned whether I made the right choice—until I visited a ship in Victoria, met the people my desk work supported, and had a Wizard-of-Oz moment: everything went from black-and-white to Technicolor.
Ten months in, I landed an executive acting role. I’d already supported the development of a new operational program and was connecting dots between national policy and boots-on-the-ground work. That acting gig became permanent, and suddenly I was leading business services for an entire region—from workforce development to industry engagement to budget oversight. Turns out I couldn’t escape math after all.
When I returned to HQ three years later, my new boss told me I had two years to get ready for his job. He meant it. Two years later, I was appointed Director General.
None of it would’ve been possible without the personal work alongside the professional. For years, I tied my worth to performance. Hustle equaled value and praise; it worked—until it didn’t. I eventually had to deconstruct the belief that performance defined me. Once I did, I leveled up, this time in mindset.
Franck Hounzangbé
Franck Hounzangbé
Franck Hounzangbé
I was born in Aylmer—right behind the McDonald’s on Main Street, as I like to specify. It adds a local flavour. Somehow, “Aylmer” doesn’t always meet the expectations they might have had. I suspect they were hoping for something a little more exotic—something that better matches their assumptions. So, I usually follow up with: “My father
I was born in Aylmer—right behind the McDonald’s on Main Street, as I like to specify. It adds a local flavour. Somehow, “Aylmer” doesn’t always meet the expectations they might have had. I suspect they were hoping for something a little more exotic—something that better matches their assumptions. So, I usually follow up with: “My father was born in Benin, in West Africa”—I know what you’re really asking.
My mother was born in Laval. Her parents were educated, bourgeois Québécois—probably thrilled to see my father sitting in their living room for the first time in the 1960s, beside their only daughter.
Different times.
My brother and I grew up in many places. My father became a Canadian diplomat (yes, only in Canada), and my mother followed him around the world as a French second language teacher. It’s always been difficult for me to answer the question, “Where did you grow up?” because we lived both in Canada and abroad—our lives stitched across continents.
At 17, I returned to Canada, alone, to begin university, starting in Economics and later completing a Master of Business Administration. I still remember the university agenda they gave us in Sherbrooke—it said, “The best years of your life” on the cover. And in hindsight, they were right.
Professionally, I often describe my career as a Venn diagram—a convergence of three major streams. First, my time in central agencies, where I learned how to do the work, write clearly, brief effectively, and navigate the machinery of government. Second, my years as a management consultant, which instilled a strong work ethic and the ability to prioritize and manage heavy workloads with resilience. And third, my experience as an executive in regional operations, where I led diverse, multidisciplinary, and geographically dispersed teams in a large-scale organization.
All of this brought me to where I am now—at Global Affairs Canada—working on some amazing stuff, like managing Canada’s diplomatic assets around the world: embassies, official residences, and more.
I’m still passionate about being in the arena—with my colleagues, my friends—sometimes caring a little too much, like many of us do. I remain driven by the same purpose: to help build a better government, for Canadians.