Michael Cooke

Michael Cooke is a member of the expert panel of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation (CCPC) and a Senior Advisor with Navigator based in Toronto. Michael has had a successful global career in journalism with over 40 years of experience and is bilingual. Most recently, Michael served as the Editor-in-Chief of the  Toronto Star  until 2018. Michael’s breadth of experience in communicating pressing issues to global audiences will drive the work that he does with CPCC.    

Michael began his journalism career in England working in the north and then in London. He emigrated to Canada arriving at the  Toronto Star  where he became assistant national editor before moving to senior editorial roles at the  Montreal Gazette, the  Edmonton Journal  and the  Vancouver Province. Michael was a founding editor of the  National Post  and oversaw the merger of the paper with the  Financial Post. Michael also served for a decade as Editor-in-Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Daily News before returning home to the  Toronto Star.   

Michael is an ardent advocate for human rights and the importance of local journalism. Michael is the Chair of the Board of Journalists for Human Rights and has focused on supporting journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh — among many other countries. Michael serves on the board of the Michener Foundation, is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and holds an Honourary Doctorate in Literature from Trent University for his contributions to journalism and human rights.