Patrick Canagasingham

Patrick Canagasingham is chief operational officer (COO) of Habitat for Humanity International. Drawing on 25 years of leadership in nongovernmental organizations and the private sector, Canagasingham carries operational responsibility for Habitat for Humanity which operates in more than 70 countries. Canagasingham, a native of Sri Lanka and a Canadian citizen, was CEO of Toronto-based Children Believe between 2017 and 2020. He previously served as COO of Oxfam International, where he applied his considerable experience in operational management, strategic planning and organizational leadership to serve a global workforce of 10,000 staff members and a budget of $1.3 billion.Prior to his time with Oxfam, Canagasingham held senior leadership roles with World Vision in Canada and East Asia from 2007 through 2015, including vice president of international programs at World Vision Canada, where he was accountable for planning, implementing and evaluating the organization’s international program commitments in nearly 70 countries in conjunction with other World Vision offices.Canagasingham holds a master’s degree in human rights from the University of London and a bachelor’s degree from York University in Toronto, Canada.