The Royal Canadian Mint has appointed Simon Kamel as its interim president and CEO following the retirement of Marie Lemay at the end of January.
Kamel officially assumed the role Jan. 31, 2026, after being selected by the Mint’s board of directors.
Lemay, who led the Mint since 2019, was an active supporter of Canada’s numismatic community and a regular participant at the annual conventions of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association.
Kamel joined the Mint in 2011 and has served as vice-president, general counsel and corporate secretary since 2014. In that role, he has overseen legal services, regulatory affairs, corporate governance and linguistic services, while also serving as the Mint’s chief anti-money laundering officer and senior officer for disclosures.
He has provided strategic legal and governance advice to both the organization and its board, and has been responsible for compliance programs related to anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, anti-bribery and responsible metals sourcing.
Before joining the Mint, Kamel held senior legal roles within the federal government, including advisory work with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Department of National Defence and Environment Canada. He also served as special advisor and senior counsel to the associate deputy minister of Justice Canada and represented the government before administrative tribunals and courts.
A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Kamel holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1999.