Philip Howell has been appointed the CEO and Superintendent of Financial Services for the Financial Services Commission of Ontario effective August 19, 2009.

Most recently, Mr. Howell served as the Deputy Minister of Economic Development for the Ontario government.  Prior to that appointment, he was the Deputy Minister of Tourism. He moved to Tourism from the Ministry of Finance where he was the Associate Deputy Minister of Finance, responsible for Treasury Board.

After working at the Bank of Canada as an economist, Mr. Howell's OPS career began in the Economic Policy Branch in the former Ministry of Treasury, Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs. He left the OPS in the mid-1980s to work in the private sector, including a major brokerage house, the Conference Board of Canada and a chartered bank. He returned to the OPS as director of the Industrial Policy Branch, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Technology. He moved back to the Ministry of Finance as director of the Taxation Policy Branch in 1999. Subsequently, he served as the ADM of the Office of Economic Policy and the Chief Economist for the Province. During that period he also served for 14 months as the interim CEO and Superintendent of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.

Mr. Howell has an Honours BA in economics and an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics.