Mr. Payne has been President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, since 2009. He joined Canada’s Public Service in 1972 as Treasury Board analyst for defense, foreign affairs, and international development.
He later served in the Canadian International Development Agency in various senior positions, his final being Assistant Deputy Minister and Vice President Asia Branch.
In 1981 he was appointed Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana and Ambassador to Suriname. In 1994, he was elected to ADB’s Board of Directors until 2003 when he entered the private sector.
In 2015, he founded Techrep, Inc. to introduce new technologies in the Philippines. Earlier in 2003 he founded Searep Limited in Hong Kong.
He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1963 with a BA in Economics and Politics. After service as a naval aviator, he received an M.Sc. (Econ) from the London School of Economics.