Page 24 - CCCA62_2012

CCCA_V6No2_Profiles-FIN_CCCA_V1No1_Profile-FIN.qxd 5/23/12 11:54 PM Page 24 Profile Schedule 1 bank based inWestern Canada, answer specific questions that we give her.” Harding says. “Bruce is able to work from where her responsibilities include the legal, Former colleague and friend Joe home, which gives us some flexibility governance and regulatory compliance Lougheed calls Harding a “lawyer’s because the girls are always on the run.” functions for its banking, trust and wealth lawyer” and someone upon whom people Harding does her share of the legwork, management businesses. can depend. too. If it’s a Friday night, she might Carolyn Graham, the bank’s senior vice- “She’s very positive,” he says. “She likes be backstage as a parent-volunteer at a president and chief accountant, says to solve problems… and she’s very good school musical; on Saturday, it could be Harding proved to be the ideal choice. at navigating through complicated issues Tara’s out-of-town basketball game. “Gail walked into a position that really so that the broader teams can understand During weekend mountain getaways, the didn’t have a job description,” Graham says. them.” self-described “blue-run” skier does her “She wasn’t stepping into anyone’s shoes, Lougheed met Harding when he arti- best to keep up with her black-diamond- because she was the first. So it really became cled at Fraser Milner Casgrain in 1991- run family. what she made it. 92. He remembers how she became his Harding pitches in elsewhere —includ- “We are a highly regulated public com- unofficial mentor and supported other ing an advisory board in Edmonton that pany, so we have a lot of rules and regula- young lawyers. focuses on mentoring high-performing tions to follow. Gail has quite a task to She is a role model for any corporate women (she’s a mentor too) or more manoeuvre through all of the different reg- counsel, says Lougheed, who marvels recently acting as co-chair for the CCCA ulations to get us to where we need to be.” at Harding’s ability to juggle work, spring conference in April. Harding joined the bank as it was com- family, personal development and profes- Since joining the bank, Harding has pleting a record year with $44-million in sional commitments. earned her ICD.D designation from the net income, a total that has mush- Institute of Corporate Directors roomed to more than $44-mil- and sits on the boards of both trust tant, as well as managing the non- “ No one’s unflappable. ment companies within the bank. companies and wealth manage- lion in net income each quarter. She now leads a legal team of ” But Gail’s close. three other lawyers and an assis- Soon she will become a fellow of Former colleague Joe Lougheed the Canadian Institute of Bankers, lawyer compliance group. a type of mini-MBA focused on Graham explains that the the banking industry. bank’s success hinges on a culture Ironically, Harding thought seri- in which people must be genuinely ori- “No one’s unflappable,” he says. “But ously about taking a bachelor of com- ented to the customer. During banking Gail’s close.” merce degree after high school but opted hours, you never get voicemail, she For her part, Harding credits the for teaching because she worried about her explains. “Even the CEO shocks people support she receives at work from moti- math skills. because, when he’s in his office, he’ll vated colleagues, and at home from her As a youngster, she’d had her first taste answer his own phone.” husband Bruce. for business as the president of a for-prof- Harding and her team also embrace the Without Bruce’s commitment, Harding it candy operation in junior high. bank’s internal “Think Western” brand- couldn’t manage a schedule that splits her Thirty students kicked in a dollar each, ing, Graham says. work week between two cities: Monday she remembers, bought candy wholesale “When you go to her, Gail’s answer is through Wednesday at the bank’s head- and sold it at store prices during the noon never no. Gail’s answer is always: ‘We’ve quarters in Edmonton, where she owns a hour. Profits were reinvested and earnings thought about it and wonder if you could nearby apartment; Thursdays and Fridays divided at year-end. achieve what you want in this manner.’ in the downtown branch in Calgary, Now, Harding is general counsel to a “I think she’s always looking to under- where the family has its permanent home. bank with assets of more than $15 billion stand more from the business side …and I Bruce is a proud third-generation — a long way, and leaps of faith, from think that’s why Gail likes being in-house Calgarian who keeps Tara, 14, and Cailey, where she began. counsel. It gives her an opportunity to real- 10, in a normal routine. ly immerse herself in the business and not “He has been my biggest supporter Michael Dempster is a freelance writer based just advise on particular transactions or because his life has changed the most,” in Calgary. 24 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SUMMER 2012