Bio

Melissa Cassar
Melissa Cassar is the head of Visa Canada's corporate relations and public affairs department, and is responsible for fostering Visa's financial literacy initiatives in Canada which include the Practical Money Skills Canada and Choices and Decisions programs. Ms. Cassar has worked in both private and public sector environments, providing a holistic perspective and strategic counsel to a variety of clients in the government and financial services sectors.

Prior to joining Visa in 2010, Ms. Cassar was Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard, a global communications agency, where she specialized in providing corporate reputation counsel to a portfolio of clients and was responsible for external and internal communications initiatives, government relations, stakeholder engagement and driving brand awareness through marketing and sponsorship programs.

Ms. Cassar's career also included service as a policy advisor and legislative aide in two consecutive federal Canadian governments. While on Parliament Hill, she was a policy advisor to the Minister at Justice and Attorney General of Canada. She also worked as a legislative assistant at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Ms. Cassar holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and international relations from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Arts degree specializing in international communications from the University of Leeds, England.

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