Bio
BGen (Retired) Robert Mazzolin is a CIGI senior fellow and serves as the chief technology strategist at RHEA Group, an international company providing bespoke engineering solutions, systems development and security services for space, military, government and other critical infrastructure. At RHEA, General Mazzolin establishes direction and development and works with client organizations to evolve their programs and capabilities, contributing to RHEA’s engagement with an increasingly diverse and expanding institutional community within the space and technology disciplines.
General Mazzolin has served in a variety of key command and staff roles at all ranks. Notable appointments during his military service include responsibility for all Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence strategic network, signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyber operations, and strategic technological policy development, and responsibility for the engineering and program management of the Canadian Army C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) system. Prior to his retirement, he also served at the United States Cyber Command as the vice director for strategic policy, plans, force development and training, (the first foreign flag officer to do so).
Through his career, he has chaired and participated in a variety of multinational engineering, security, interoperability and standardization programs within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Five Eyes alliance and related military, government and commercial fora.
General Mazzolin holds a bachelor of electrical engineering degree, an M.Sc. with specialization in electronics and guided weapon systems, an M.A. in security and defence management and policy, and a Ph.D. in engineering management. He is a licensed professional engineer and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is an officer of the Canadian Order of Military Merit, and his many awards include the US Legion of Merit, the US Meritorious Service Medal, the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Commendation and the Italian Army Chief of General Staff’s Encomio Solenne (“Solemn Commendation”), in recognition of professionalism and courage for combat actions in Somalia with the Folgore parachute brigade.