Michael Huynh
President & CEO
Michael brings over a decade of senior and executive leadership experience in professional regulation, public policy, and immigration. He previously served as General Counsel at Intellectual Property Ontario, where he was a member of the executive team responsible for organizational strategy and governance. Michael also spent six years at the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (previously the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) where he built and led the Professional Conduct department, growing it from a team of 3 to over 30. He pioneered new regulatory approaches, including efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, new formats for tribunal hearings, data-driven tools in enforcement and education, and a comprehensive strategy to combat Unauthorized Practitioners (UAPs). During that period, he played a central role in the organization’s transition from a non-profit to a federally mandated regulator under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act, representing the College before Parliamentary committees and working closely with IRCC, the provinces, the profession, and settlement agencies to secure the legislative mandate.
Michael’s career in immigration spans the profession. He has served as a bilingual adjudicator at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, as litigation counsel at one of Canada’s leading immigration law firms (Bellissimo Law Group), and as Counsel at the Department of Justice Canada. He served on the Boards of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, and Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services—organizations dedicated to advancing opportunity for Canadian newcomer communities and unlocking their potential.
Michael teaches administrative and regulatory law and a course on AI and data governance at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law. He holds law degrees and a B.Sc. from McGill and an M.Sc. from the University of Toronto. He is English and French bilingual and also currently serves on the Board of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.