Page 50 - CCCA 226419 Magazine Fall 2014

{ iNside edge } BrIngIng worldwIde resources to you By Geoffrey D. Creighton Canadian businesses are becoming more international through still enjoy the benefits of ICW. You will receive updates and opportunities to growth, mergers or acquisitions, and more foreign companies participate and learn through CCCA. are expanding here. increasingly, this means Canadian in-house You can also share feedback and sug- counsel must have a heightened appreciation of more areas of gestions through its secretariat, which is being handled by the CCCA during my law, in more global jurisdictions. term as president. You can also attend the In-House Counsel World Summit, where in-house e have a greater role in allocating As an association of associations, we professionals across all industries gather the legal work internally and exter- do not seek to supplant or compete with with peers from around the world to dis- wnally, and ensuring it gets done to existing national in-house organizations. cuss issues and share experiences, pro- the highest possible standards, both here Rather, our aim is to bring them together viding insights from both global and re- and abroad. Our work is now global, and to harvest the best ideas of each, and the gional perspectives. The most recent one we need more tools, resources and, most weight of our collectivity, to enhance the was held in June in Singapore. We are importantly, connections to help navigate status and capabilities of the in-house le- now planning for the next World Sum- the differences this brings. gal community around the world. mit, targeted for June 2016. Stay tuned This is where the new In-house Coun- We will work on matters of inter- for details! sel Worldwide (ICW) comes in. est to in-house counsel and contribute In this era of globalization, with in- As some of you may know, the CCCA to members’ perception of the value of creasingly complex business and legal has been instrumental in founding this their respective in-house associations, frameworks, the role of in-house counsel network of international in-house coun- particularly regarding advocacy of the is not what it used to be—but few of us sel groups. Three years in the making, profession worldwide and the benefts would complain. While our responsi- ICW is now an offcial network of nine that the profession brings to the corpo- bilities have become more challenging, in-house counsel associations: Australia, rate and legal environments. Two critical our jobs are more rewarding and our Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, issues we are focusing on are the appli- networks more interesting than ever be- New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa cation of solicitor-client privilege and fore—especially thanks to associations and the United Kingdom. I am honoured the right to be viewed as a member of like ICW. For more information, visit to be its inaugural president. the legal profession (many countries do www.inhousecounselworldwide.com. ❚ ICW’s goal is to unite the global in- not allow in-house counsel to be part of house legal community for the beneft of their law societies or to claim privilege). all in-house counsel, their organizations We will also promote recognition and Geoffrey D. Creighton is senior vice president, general counsel and the profession through cooperation accreditation of in-house counsel inter- and secretary, and chief compli- and collaboration. Members will work nationally. ance offcer for IGM Financial together to promote the value of the in- Membership is open to national as- Inc. He is responsible for over- house profession, share knowledge and sociations only. So while you, as an in- seeing the legal, compliance and best practices across borders, and foster dividual, will not be a direct member of corporate secretarial functions of Mackenzie, Investors Group and global connections. ICW, as a member of CCCA, you will Investment Planning Counsel. 50 CCCa Magazine | Fall 2014 autoMne