Photo: The Canadian Press

A Hockey Canada logo is seen on the door to a meeting room at the organizations head office in Calgary, Alta.

Hockey Canada has hired human rights leader Irfan Chaudhry as its first vice-president of diversity and inclusion. 

The national sports organization announced the move Friday, saying in a release that Chaudry will lead the development of "a vision and strategy to create and sustain a culture within hockey that embraces and promotes equity, diversity and inclusion."

Chaudry has served as director of the office of human right, diversity and equity at Edmonton's MacEwan University, and is the founder of Grow the Game, a hub for anti-racism resources in the hockey community. 

He has also been a member of the Hockey Canada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group since 2022.

His hiring follows a tumultuous year where Hockey Canada repeatedly came under fire for its handling of sexual assault allegations and hushed payouts to victims.

The organization's board of directors resigned on Oct. 11 and president and CEO Scott Smith was ousted from his role. A new board of directors was elected on Dec. 17.