Hill Climbers: Koolsbergen replaces Velshi as PMO issues management lead Alykhan Velshi recently left the PMO and was replaced by Nick Koolsbergen. Veteran Hill staffer Alykhan Velshi, 30, who has been in charge of issues management in the Prime Minister’s Office since September 2013, recently left the PMO and the Hill altogether. A going-away party was held for Mr. Velshi two weeks ago. Nick Koolsbergen has arrived from Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney’s ministerial office to replace Mr. Velshi as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s issues management lead. Issues management is a major focus of the daily grind of every political party on the Hill, and the Conservative government has established a reputation for running a tight issues management ship. First thing every morning, the heads of issues management from all ministers’ offices take part in a conference call to go over the day’s anticipated issues and to discuss appropriate responses. A frequently-used description of the job is that it’s all about “putting out political fires”—and avoiding them in the first place. Mr. Velshi, who graduated with a law degree from the London School of Economics in 2005 and passed the New York bar exam in 2006, first began working on the Hill in 2007 as a senior policy adviser to Mr. Kenney, who was then secretary of state for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity. Aside from a short stint working as Parliamentary affairs director to then environment minister John Baird just before the fall 2008 federal election, Mr. Velshi stuck with Mr. Kenney for years, working up to the role of communications director to Mr. Kenney as the government’s senior Citizenship and Immigration minister. Mr. Velshi worked in the Conservative Party war room during the 2011 election campaign, which was led by national campaign manager Jenni Byrne, who is now a deputy chief of staff in the PMO, and resulted in a Conservative majority. After the election, Mr. Velshi left the Hill and launched a blog, EthicalOil.org, alongside Sun News’ Ezra Levant, who in 2010 published the book, Ethical Oil, speaking to the importance of the development of Canada’s oilsands, which soon developed into a not-for-profit organization where Mr. Velshi for a time served as spokesperson. Mr. Velshi rejoined the PMO in December 2011 as director of planning, and soon after, also tagged on the title of director of stakeholder relations. In September 2013, Mr. Velshi switched roles to replace Chris Woodcock as issues management director. Now off the Hill, it’s widely rumoured that Mr. Velshi is set to join international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which has its Canadian offices in Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. Keep reading Hill Climbers for an update. “I’m sure he’s going to remain a member of the Conservative family and people are going to be drawing on his strategic brain all the time, regardless of where he ends up,” Chad Rogers, a partner at Crestview Strategies who’s previously worked on Conservative campaigns, told Hill Climbers. “They’ve lured him back a couple of times, so you never know. They might be able to lure him back again,” he said, when asked if Mr. Velshi would be working on next election campaign. A Conservative source told Hill Climbers that Ms. Byrne, who is currently one of two deputy chiefs of staff in the PMO, was confirmed as national campaign manager for the party for the next federal election at a national council meeting in Toronto three weeks ago. Deputy executive director Dustin Van Vugt was also confirmed as the party’s official new executive director at the same meeting, said the source. Mr. Van Vugt has since updated his LinkedIn account to reflect this change. The party did not respond to a request for confirmation from Hill Climbers. Mr. Koolsbergen joined the PMO to take over as the new issues management lead last week, a job he’s well familiar with having previously worked as an issues manager in the Langevin Block. Mr. Koolsbergen arrives straight from Mr. Kenney’s office, where he’s been director of communications since October 2013. Mr. Koolsbergen landed in Mr. Kenney’s office from the PMO, where he was first hired to work in July 2012. He’s previously also worked as a member’s assistant to Conservative MP Dean Allison, the MP for Niagara West-Glanbrook, Ont. Mr. Rogers said while Mr. Velshi’s departure is a “loss for PMO,” because he was a “big strategic brain,” Mr. Koolsbergen earned his issues management chops in the PMO, and is a “known commodity” in the office. “He has an understanding of what senior PMO players like Jenni would do in his place, so he’s been well-trained to serve the Prime Minister,” said Mr. Rogers. “I think those who watch issues management closely around PMO will be happy to see they’ve been able to get an experienced hand this close to an election. lryckewaert@hilltimes The Hill Times hilltimes/hill-climbers/hill-life-people/2014/10/20/koolsbergen-replaces-velshi-as-pmo-issues-management-lead/39955
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 08:30:10 +0000
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