Page 46 - CCCA61_2012

CCCA_V6No1_Spotlight-FIN_CCCA_V1No1_Profile-FIN.qxd 2/13/12 11:10 PM Page 46 Spotlight on mentoring Mentee Ron Smith, legal counsel Grant Thornton LLP, Toronto (left); Mentor David O’Brien, vice-president and group treasurer, McCain Foods AN ENHANCED MENTORING PROGRAM FOR CCCA MEMBERS Limited, Geneva (right). Counsel Guiding Counsel: The path to excellence n January 2012, CCCA’s highly suc- files illustrate how the mentoring pro- The arrangement is working well, Icessful Mentoring Program, Counsel gram works and is making a difference for agree both participants. “Given today’s Guiding Counsel, adopted an open our members. technology, lawyers routinely dialogue intake model so applications can be from different continents,” says O’Brien. processed throughout the year. Smith is legal counsel in a small law The program now offers an online por- PROFILE 1 department at Grant Thornton LLP in tal that provides 24/7 access to tools and Toronto. He is fairly unique in that he has resources to support participants’ mentor- The right match always worked as an in-house lawyer. He ing interactions. David O’Brien and Ron Smith got created his own in-house lawyer articling These new additions to the program together for dinner last December in position at Stewart Title Guaranty complement the highly personalized ap- downtown Toronto. It was the first Company in 2004 and practised there until proach to mentoring provided by program time the CCCA Mentoring Program moving to Grant Thornton in 2007. He adviser Sue Zablud and program officer mentor/mentee pair had met face- says the CCCA mentoring program pro- HeatherTurnbull from CCCA’s mentoring to-face. Until then, O’Brien, vice-presi- vides him with “immense value.” One key MARK STEGEL (LEFT), SEAN MACLEOD (RIGHT) partner HumanAsset Development Group. dent and group treasurer for McCain reason: his pairing with O’Brien. The program is free for regular CCCA Foods Limited and based in Geneva for Although they work in very different members and is one of the organization’s the past two years, mentored Smith by areas — O’Brien works in the food most valued services.The following pro- phone and email. processing sector, while Smith works in an 46 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SPRING 2012