Page 43 - CCCA Magazine Spring 2014

{ CCCA NEWS } MEET HEATHER INNES THE NEW CCCA CHAIR ON INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE, FAMILY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CCCA’s new chair, Heather Innes, has been an in-house counsel since 1988. She began her career in private practice but quickly moved in-house to head up the legal department of a Finnish technology company. She next moved to General Motors of Canada Ltd (GM), where for the past 25 years she has handled a wide spectrum of responsibilities in the in-house role, including supporting international sales and trade activities. n her current position of counsel and Professionally and personally, Innes global process leader, international enjoys unique cultural experiences. She Itrade law and chief privacy off cer, Innes was raised in Toronto but has travelled heads up a team of 12 lawyers in a dozen to almost every continent, encouraged countries, addressing an increasing num- by her engineer father “to appreciate and ber of international trade issues that im- learn from the world beyond our borders.” pact GM’s global operations. As such, she Innes and her husband Robert, an IBM “sees the growing importance of under- executive who also loves to travel, have standing business in different countries instilled in their children the desire to and the critical role that in-house counsel expand their horizons. Devon, 21, com- play in the growth of their organizations.” pleted a degree in economics and political Given her knowledge of the global busi- science at McGill University, and is living ness environment, her term as CCCA chair in China to learn Mandarin and gain Chi- comes at an ideal time, as in-house counsel nese business experience. Alexander, 17, is are more and more often leading interna- completing grade 12 and hopes to go into tional teams or working with peers in other engineering and business at university jurisdictions. “One of the most important next year. skill sets a person can bring to the in-house A recreational runner, Innes has com- counsel role, in addition to a strong foun- pleted four marathons and several half dation in the law, is the ability to pull to- marathons and triathlons, and plays gether and lead effective teams,” she says. tennis and golf. During quiet times, she “Today, we often work on global teams immerses herself in historical f ction. “I where the traditional reporting structures found A Walk Across the Sun by Corban do not exist, which makes it all the more Addison to be very uplifting, inspiring important that we have the tools to adapt hope and portraying true perseverance to both the roles and the structures.” in a seemingly hopeless child abduction CANADIAN CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION | CCCA-ACCJE.ORG 43