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Canada General Rick Hillier is a retired Canadian military officer known for his extensive command experience and leadership during critical operations, with a continued focus on national security and community initiatives.
General Rick Hillier partnered with Cypfer, a cybersecurity firm, demonstrating a commitment to national cybersecurity preparedness and leadership.
General (Retd) Rick Hillier joined ONE9, Canada's only national security and defence-focused venture capital fund, as a Strategic Advisor.
General (Retired) Rick Hillier was appointed to lead KWESST's new International Advisory Council, providing guidance on strategic initiatives.
TD Bank Financial Group enlisted General (Retired) Rick Hillier to support initiatives that enhance client and customer experience, and assist with the bank's leadership development and training activities.
On August 14, 2008, Telus announced that Hillier was appointed as chair of Telus Atlantic Canada Community Board, entrusting their philanthropic efforts in Atlantic Canada to local individuals.
On June 16, 2009, Provincial Aerospace announced that Hillier would join the company’s Advisory Board.
Born in 1955 in Campbellton, Newfoundland, Richard J. Hillier embarked on his military career in 1973 through the Regular Officer Training Plan, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975. After completing his armour officer training, he joined the 8th Canadian Hussars regiment. His early career included specialized training at the U.S. Army Armour Officer Advanced Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and significant deployments with the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Germany, where he became a squadron commander in 1985. Hillier’s proficiency and dedication led to his promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1989 and colonel in 1994, during which he held various administrative positions at the Land Forces Command Headquarters and National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. A key international assignment included serving as chief of operations with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the former Yugoslavia in 1995.
Hillier gained widespread public recognition in January 1998 for leading Operation Recuperation, an effort involving over 15,000 military personnel in response to a devastating ice storm across New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. His leadership continued with international commands, including serving as the first Canadian deputy commander of the U.S. Army’s III Corps and Fort Hood in 1998, and commanding NATO’s Stabilization Force’s Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2000. Promoted to lieutenant general, he became commander of the Canadian army in May 2003, and subsequently led NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan for six months in 2004.
His distinguished career culminated in his appointment as the chief of the defense staff (CDS), the top-ranking officer in the Canadian military, in February 2005, a position he held until his retirement in July 2008. During his tenure as CDS, Hillier was credited with enhancing the domestic reputation of Canada’s armed forces and was an outspoken advocate for the strategic importance of ground troops. Following his retirement, he became the Chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland and has actively engaged in public speaking, corporate advisory roles, and philanthropic initiatives such as co-founding Project Hero, a scholarship program for children of fallen Canadian Forces personnel. In 2020, he took on the critical role of chairing Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force.
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