Habitat for Humanity Canada announced the appointment of Pedro Barata as president and CEO effective June 24.
Barata is currently executive director of the Future Skills Centre, where he led the launch of more than 200 innovation pilots in every region and sector in Canada. He was previously senior vice president of strategy and public affairs at United Way Greater Toronto, where he oversaw $94 million in annual community investment and led multiple advocacy campaigns nationally and provincially. He currently serves as a board member at the Agora Foundation, Better Children Education Foundation and Learnx, and he is a member of Century Initiative’s Expert Advisory Panel.
Barata will replace Julia Deans, who announced her resignation last fall after serving in the leadership position since February 2020.
“Pedro has dedicated his entire career to driving systemic long-term improvement on key social and economic initiatives, including poverty reduction and housing policy reform,” said Riccardo Trecroce, chairman of Habitat Canada’s national board of directors. “His ability to engage diverse groups and lead cross-sectoral collaborations to benefit communities in need makes him ideally suited to lead the federation as Habitat for Humanity Canada plays its part in addressing the housing crisis.”
