Page 8 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2019

{ PROFiLE }

A Master in the Art of
connection

By Lynne Yryku

“I’ve always felt It was Important to gIve back to the
communIty and to get Involved. so volunteer work has
always been an Important part of my lIfe In all I’ve done,”
says sébastIen guénette, head of legal at Juul labs canada.

hether it is making Santa Claus goal of improving the lives of the world’s
phone calls every year to raise one billion adult smokers by eliminating
Wmoney for The Lighthouse, a combustible cigarettes.
charity that specializes in family-centred “I did my due diligence before joining. I
pediatric palliative care in his hometown wanted to join a responsible company,” he
of Montreal; sitting as Chair of the Na- explains. “The business is always very care-
tional Circus School’s Board of Directors; ful to do the right thing. Everybody works
volunteering as mentor for young lawyers; under very strict guidelines and there is
or participating on various CCCA-CBA no walking the line. The company really
committees, he is an inspiring role model. operates in a model where no risks will be
This sense of social responsibility car- taken. [For instance,] the company is doing
ries over to his choice of workplace. After everything it can to ensure that youth don’t
20 years of practice, which has included have access to vaping products.”
in-house roles at GE Capital, SNC-Lavalin As for the role, “it’s an incredible chal-
and, most recently, JTI-Macdonald, where lenge because it’s a job where I’m the frst
he was in charge of litigation for the past lawyer. The business opened in Canada in
nine years, Sébastien began his current po- August 2018, so it is exactly like joining
sition in June of this year at the Canadian a start-up—on steroids! So high energy,
subsidiary of JUUL Labs, a vaping com- a lot of work—and a bit of disorganiza-
pany founded by former smokers with the tion,” he laughs.

8 CCCA MAgAzine | fALL 2019 AUToMne