Almost a year after he was first hired by the City of Peterborough, Jasbir Raina has been appointed the city’s new chief administrative officer.
City council unanimously approved the appointment during a special meeting after the general committee meeting on Monday night (June 5).
Raina was originally hired as the city’s commissioner of infrastructure and planning services on June 12, 2022.
“Mr. Raina’s commitment and dedication to the citizens of Peterborough has clearly been demonstrated in his previous role as commissioner of infrastructure and planning services,” said Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal. “We look forward to his leadership and guidance in his new role as chief administrative officer.”
Raina replaces former CAO Sandra Clancy, who retired after 38 years with the city, including her last four in the CAO role. The chief administrative officer is the city’s top bureaucrat, overseeing the delivery of city services and the implementation of policies set by city council. The position reports directly to city council.
Raina’s appointment as CAO comes after executive search agency Phelps Group was hired by council to conduct national search for the CAO position. A sub-committee of city council conducted interviews of short-listed candidates before making its recommendation to council.
Raina has more than 30 years of public sector experience including as commissioner of public works and engineering for the City of Brampton, director of facilities services/operations and maintenance for the City of Brampton, manager of capital planning and asset management for the City of Mississauga, and manager of facilities operations and property management for the City of Mississauga.
Prior to coming to Canada in 2002, Raina served for almost 17 years with the Indian Navy, including as chief engineer of naval infrastructure. Raina has a master of engineering from the Naval Institute of Technology and a master of business administration from Athabasca University. He also holds a project management designation through the Project Management Institute and a law certificate from Harvard University.
“I am beyond excited to take on this value-creating role at the city,” Raina said. “I would like to thank the mayor and members of council for entrusting me to be the city’s next CAO. I look forward to working collaboratively with the mayor, council, our community, and all stakeholders to advance priorities of council to build a future-ready Peterborough.”
