Canada 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
General Counsel + Head of Legal, Privacy, AI & Ethics | ModiFace
Directeur des Affaires juridiques / Secrétaire corporatif | Groupe Helios
General counsel and chief privacy officer | Bond Brand Loyalty
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO)
Vice President, Legal and Chief Governance Officer | Vancouver Airport Authority
General Counsel – Citibank Canada, Country Counsel - Canada | Citibank Canada
Chief corporate services officer & general counsel | Ontario Energy Board
Chief legal and human resources officer | Pan American Silver
Chief legal officer and corporate services officer | Draganfly
Executive vice president, chief development officer and general counsel | Empire Company
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Computershare Trust Company of Canada
Senior vice president, general counsel, ESG & corporate secretary | RioCan REIT
Vice president of legal, Canada | Restaurant Brands International Inc
Associate Director of Education, Organizational Transformation, Accountability, and Legal | Toronto District School Board
VP, Head of Corporate Affairs, Legal and ED&I, ESG | ArcelorMittal Dofasco
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary | Rogers Communications
SVP Legal, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer | Descartes Systems Group
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Doman Building Materials Group
Chief operating officer and general counsel | Insight Productions
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Badger Infrastructure Solutions Ltd.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Spin Master
General counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary | Coca-Cola Canada
Vice President, Commercial and Regulatory Affairs & General Counsel | Prince Rupert Port Authority
Chief legal officer & corporate secretary | Altus Group
EVP, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer | Oxford Properties Group
Vice President, Legal and Corporate Secretary | Teck Resources Limited
Executive vice-president, chief legal and governance officer | TELUS
Chief Administrative Officer, VP Legal, Corporate Affairs and HR | Kraft Heinz Company
Senior vice president, general counsel and secretary | Morguard Corporation
Chief Legal, ESG and Governance Officer | Ontario Power Generation
Vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary | CPKC
Premier vice-président à la direction, affaires juridiques | National Bank of Canada
Chief legal and governance officer | Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC)
Executive vice president and chief legal officer | George Weston Limited
Vice-president and general counsel | McDonald's Restaurants of Canada
Executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary | Just Energy
Senior Vice President Legal, north America infrastructure | Acciona Infrastructure Canada
Managing Partner, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer | BGO
BGO
Senior Vice President, Legal Counsel & Corporate Secretary | Colliers International Group Inc.
EVP, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary | Open Text Corporation
Executive Vice-President, Legal Affairs, Compliance and Secretariat | La Caisse
Premier vice-président et chef des affaires juridiques | Boralex
General Counsel and Group Head, Legal & Regulatory Compliance; Member of Executive Committee | BMO
Executive vice president and chief legal and regulatory officer | Shaw Communications
Senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary | Toronto Dominion Bank (TD)
Executive vice president, law branch, and general counsel | Alberta Energy Regulator
SVP, Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | Cenovus Energy
On behalf of Legal 500, I am delighted to introduce the GC Powerlist: Canada 2025.
This edition recognises the general counsel and in-house legal teams who play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s corporate and legal landscape. Through our research, we met with professionals who not only provide expert legal guidance but also influence strategies, drive transformation and help their businesses thrive.
Across Canada, general counsel are stepping well beyond traditional roles. They are central to the navigation of complex regulations, enabling innovation, advancing sustainability and governance priorities, and supporting their organisations through rapid change. The GC Powerlist: Canada 2025 celebrates those who combine deep legal expertise with leadership, vision and purpose.
As Agostino Lucarelli, Head of Legal Affairs at Helios Group, puts it: ‘Our team works closely with the top management to ensure that legal strategies directly support our business objectives. I play an integral role in shaping the company’s direction.’
Many emphasise partnership as the foundation of success. Alexa Abiscott, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary at ApplyBoard, explains ‘We truly are an enabling function with our business and strategy teams across the organisation. We maintain extremely high trust relationships throughout the company and are included early in many new initiatives, not as an afterthought.’
Innovation and transformation are equally central. Fernando Garcia, Chief Legal and People Officer at Opta Group, reflects ‘Legal departments must evolve from being reactive to becoming proactive and integrated business partners, using technology to anticipate risks and accelerate outcomes.’
Joshua Kane, Vice President, Legal and General Counsel at STEP Energy Services, adds ‘Our philosophy is that it’s not about saying no to risk, it is about ensuring our business group understands the risk they take in exchange for the expected reward.’
The spirit of collaboration also runs deep across Canada’s legal community. Empowering people to lead and thrive is a strategic imperative: when individuals flourish, so do their organisations.
These insights reflect a broader shift within Canada’s legal community: from risk management to value creation, from technical advice to strategic influence, and from individual expertise to collective impact.
We are proud to present this year’s GC Powerlist: Canada, a celebration of legal professionals who are redefining the future of corporate law and connecting local insight with global impact.
On 1 September, Legal 500 unveiled the third edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa, in partnership with leading African law firm ENS. Hosted at the Sankara Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, the event brought together many of the region’s most accomplished in-house lawyers to celebrate a distinguished community of legal leaders shaping the future of business across East Africa.
The evening opened with welcoming remarks from Giulio Tomassi Galanti, Business Development Manager at Legal 500, who highlighted the importance of recognising the dynamic growth and increasing sophistication of the East African legal market. He also reflected on the rigorous research and selection process behind the GC Powerlist series, congratulating this year’s honourees for their exceptional contributions to both the legal profession and the organisations they serve.
Following this introduction, Mahesh Acharya, Managing Partner of ENS Kenya, addressed the audience to commend the individuals recognised in the 2026 edition.
The launch of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2026 proved a fitting celebration of the region’s leading in-house legal talent. The evening showcased the depth of expertise, influence, and innovation within East Africa’s corporate counsel community, while reaffirming Legal 500’s commitment to recognising and championing its achievements. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s research process and to ENS for once again partnering with Legal 500 to provide a platform that honours these outstanding legal professionals.
On Thursday, 3 September, Legal 500 will host the second launch event celebrating the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2026 at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, Uganda. Building on the success of the Nairobi launch, the event will bring together many of region’s most accomplished in-house counsel and senior legal leaders to recognise their achievements and celebrate the continued growth and influence of the region’s corporate legal community.
