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T
he summer of 2015 was marked by a turning point in the history of
Canadian amateur sport as Toronto hosted the Pan Am and Parapan
Am Games. The events were unanimously hailed as a success and the
team that made it possible is now winding down. Patrice Dutil, CGE
Editor, caught up with Saad Rafi, the CEO, as he packed his bags.
Saad Rafi assumed the post of CEO of the Pan Am and Parapan Am games
in January 2014, leaving his job as Deputy Minister of Health in Ontario, a
position he had occupied since 2010. He’s had a distinguished career, having
also served as Deputy Minister of Transportation, Deputy Minister of Commu-
nity Safety, Deputy Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Vice-President
of Ontario SuperBuild Corporation. Before that, he had held a number of se-
nior management positions in the Ministry of Transportation, Cabinet Office,
and the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism. He had also
served as the National Infrastructure Advisory and Project Finance Practice
Leader at Deloitte & Touche LLP.
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/ Canadian Government Executive
// November 2015
The interview
Editor Patrice Dutil speaks with
Saad Rafi
about his time as CEO of the Pan Am and
Parapan Am Games, what challenges he faced — and how can learn from them.
Q:
Congratulations on surviving
this assignment. Everyone seems
very happy with the Pan Am and
Parapan Am Games. Did you
expect such a success?
Rafi:
Our team and our partners spent
five years getting out the word about the
Toronto 2015 Games, especially at the
grassroots level with community groups,
schools and athletes. We knew there was
excitement building for the Games but
we were overwhelmed by the response
when they finally started.
The success of our Canadian athletes
on home soil, the atmosphere in our ven-
ues, the fantastic PANAMANIA perfor-
mances and the warmth and helpfulness
of our amazing 23,000 volunteers just hit
it out the park for us. We couldn’t have
asked for more — even the weather co-
operated!
Q:
Were you much of a sportsman
before you took on this new
challenge?
I’m an avid football fan who grew up on
the pitches and fields of Ottawa. I played
soccer, baseball, softball and squash. Sport
gave me confidence and it’s one of the rea-
sons I believed so passionately in the pow-
er of these Games to transform our young
people and our communities.
Q:
What motivated you to take on
the leadership of the Pan Am and
Parapan Am Games?
The Games were one of the most ambi-
tious region building initiatives Ontario
has ever taken on — and it was thrilling
to be a part of that.
We built 10 new facilities — world-class
venues like the Toronto Pan Am Sports
Centre at the University of Toronto Scar-
borough — and upgraded 15 more exist-
ing facilities. The Games were also the
catalyst for other major projects in the
region, including the revitalization of the
West Don Lands in downtown Toronto
where the Athletes’ Village was located.
But the biggest reason for me was the
legacy. These Games were designed from
the beginning to leave behind real, tan-
gible benefits for the community, for our
children and for Canadian high-perfor-
mance athletes.
The part I enjoyed the most is something
most public sector executives don’t get to
experience: closure — in this case, it was the
Games themselves. It was the moment when
everything the team had been working
towards finally happened.