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 July 1st, Legal 500 unveiled the fourth edition of the GC Powerlist: Portugal 2026, in partnership with PLMJ. Hosted once again on the rooftop terrace of the firm’s Lisbon office under a blazing summer sun, the event brought together many of Portugal’s most accomplished in-house lawyers to celebrate this distinguished community of legal leaders.
Returning to its individual-focused format, this year’s edition marked the reintroduction of the Rising Stars category, recognising some of the country’s most promising emerging in-house counsel. It also saw the world debut of the Transnational Leaders category, highlighting general counsel whose leadership and influence extend beyond national borders and whose responsibilities span multiple jurisdictions.
The evening commenced with a welcome address from Legal 500’s editorial lead Francisco Castro, who emphasised the importance of continuously evolving the publication to reflect the realities of Portugal’s in-house legal market. He highlighted the rigorous research and selection process behind the GC Powerlist series and congratulated the honourees for their outstanding contributions to the profession and the organisations they serve.
Following this introduction, Bruno Ferreira, Managing Partner of PLMJ, took to the stage to congratulate those recognised in this year’s edition. In his remarks, he underscored the increasingly strategic role of in-house counsel in supporting business growth, navigating complexity, and driving legal excellence. He also reflected on the transformative impact that AI is having on the legal function and the opportunities it presents for corporate legal teams.
Concluding the formal proceedings, Alexandra Reis, Senior Counsel at Tabaqueira and a recipient in the inaugural Transnational Leaders category, shared a few reflections on the significance of recognising in-house lawyers and the value of fostering a strong, connected legal community. Drawing on her own experiences, she spoke about the importance of networking, knowledge-sharing and celebrating a profession whose contributions often take place behind the scenes.
The launch of the GC Powerlist: Portugal 2026 proved to be a fitting celebration of the country’s leading in-house legal talent. The evening showcased the depth, expertise, and influence of Portugal’s corporate counsel community while reaffirming Legal 500’s commitment to recognising and championing its achievements. We extend our sincere thanks to all those who participated in this year’s research process, and to PLMJ for once again partnering with Legal 500 to provide a platform that honours these exceptional legal professionals.
