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Leadership

Bringing Our Strategy To Life

Diversity, inclusion and social responsibility has always been a priority for McCarthy Tétrault, and we’re proud of our leadership in these areas. Inclusion Now elevates and accelerates our vision and supports our goal of having a culture that reflects these values.

We know that the single most important factor for the long-term success of diversity and inclusion efforts is having leaders take personal responsibility for outcomes. To ensure the success of Inclusion Now, McCarthy Tétrault has created a governance model that is led by our CEO and supported by our Firm leaders.

Chaired by our CEO, our Inclusion Now Council leads the implementation of the plan, and tracks and reports on our results. Members of our Inclusion Now Council include:

Chief Executive Officer

Dave Leonard

Chief Human Resources Officer

Rita Apa

National Pro Bono Committee Chair

Gordon Baird

National People and Practice Leader

Barb Boake

Pride Action Group Chair

Bryn Gray

Managing Partner Representative

Olivia Colic

Chief Administrative Officer

Rick Kathuria

Chief Inclusion Officer

Charlene Theodore

Abilities Action Group Chair

Tzen-Yi Goh

Gender Action Group Chair

Jill Yates

Chief Professional Resources Officer

Robin MacAulay

Chief Client and Innovation Officer

Judith McKay

National Innovation Leader

Matthew Peters

Race Action Group Chair

Junior Sirivar

Managing Partner Representative

Karl Tabbakh

Our four Inclusion Now Action Groups—Pride, Gender, Race and Abilities—bring Inclusion Now alive across the Firm by implementing initiatives relating to recruitment, retention, education, community service, and pro bono. Our Action Groups are led by a National Chair, supported by Regional Chairs and made up of our people across the Firm.

The Action Group Chairs are as follows:

Pride Action Group Chair

Steeves Bujold

Gender Action Group Chair

Jill Yates

Race Action Group Chair

Junior Sirivar

Abilities Action Group Chair

Tzen Yi-Goh

 

Our Inclusion Now Office, led by our full-time, dedicated Chief Inclusion Officer, provides expertise, support, and coordination for Inclusion Now activities.

Diversity Leadership

A Brief History of McCarthy Tétrault’s Diversity Leadership

  • We are proud to have been selected as a Top Diversity Employer seven years running.
  • We are a founding employer partner of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, a research and advocacy organization that tracks Canadian diversity demographics and works with businesses to translate diversity into inclusion.
  • We are a longstanding partner of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network in both Toronto and Vancouver, working with other Canadian law firms to promote diversity and encourage a culture of inclusion in our firms and the broader legal profession.
  • We remain the only Canadian law firm on the Human Dignity Trust (HDT) legal panel, providing pro bono expertise to HDT-supported cases challenging the criminalization of homosexuality, wherever those laws exist globally.

McCarthy Firsts

McCarthy Tétrault: The First Canadian Law Firm To…

  • Establish a charitable giving foundation.
  • Appoint a Chief Inclusion Officer.
  • Sign the Catalyst Accord, ensuring that women comprise at least 25% of our Board.
  • Adopt a formal pro bono policy.
  • Partner with the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) to develop the McCarthy Tétrault & MFI Mentorship Program for Indigenous Students.
  • Pledge $5 million dollars over 5 years to United Way Centraide.
  • Create an Inclusion Office, led by a full time, dedicated Chief Inclusion Officer, which brings diversity, inclusion and social responsibility initiatives together under one office.