Press Release

January 25, 2020

2020 Women General Counsel Canada Scholarship Award Winner

WGCC is proud to announce that Ana Qarri has been selected for the 2020 Women General Counsel Scholarship winner.    

To qualify for this scholarship, Ana had to be a current Canadian law student in the second year of a JD or LLB program and had to demonstrate a commitment to the mission of WGCC and to the advancement of women in the legal profession.    

Ms. Qarri is a second-year law student at McGill’s Faculty of Law focusing on law & technology. She is a strong advocate for women in the legal profession. She is on the Dean's Honour List and engages in a large number of extracurricular activities. Among other involvements, she is co-President of the McGill Technology Law Society, a sitting member of the Curriculum Committee, and a Senior Editor at Contours, the student-led McGill legal journal by and for women and non-binary people in law.

A large number of truly exceptional applications were received for WGCC’s inaugural scholarship award from law students across Canada representing 11 different law schools.  For a complete list of the five award finalists including Ana, please see here.

Congratulations Ana!

2020 President’s Award Winner

The 2020 President’s Award goes to Angela Nikolakakos, Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Fiera Investments LP.  The WGCC President’s Awards are awarded annually to up to two women general counsel who have served on the WGCC Board and have, in the previous year, made a significant contribution to the Mission of the WGCC at either the national or chapter levels.  

Angela Nikolakakos

Angela has been involved with WGCC since 2018.  Angela is a committed board member and has served on the WGCC Conference organizing committee for 3 years. As the WGCC director responsible for Communications and Website, Angela has been responsible for significantly enhanced engagement with our members and broader audiences in the past year.  Building on the work of founding members and together with our WGCC board and staff, Angela has developed new partnerships and approaches for communications.  As WGCC has grown and become a national organization with regional representation from coast to coast, our ability to communicate frequently and effectively has become increasingly important.  We highly value the warmth and professionalism that Angela brings to the “voice” of WGCC.

Angela speaks frequently and is passionately involved in advancing diversity in the profession.  She is an active member of the Hellenic Canadian Lawyers Association and participates in the Legal Leaders for Diversity.

Congratulations Angela!

WGCC Board Update

The WGCC thanks its outgoing Board members, Cheryl Foy (Past President), Trish Callon (Director – Partnerships and Sponsorships), and Andrea Cotroneo (Director – 2020 Conference Co-Chair). We also thank Rebecca Summers (Administrative Assistant) for her tireless support. 

We look forward to the year ahead with our WGCC 2020 Board: Elspeth Hagan (President), Bindu Cudjoe (Vice President and Prairies Chapter Lead), Hilda Wong (Treasurer), Judy Naiberg  (Secretary), Alexa Abiscott (Director - Partnerships and Sponsorships), Angela Nikolakakos (Director – Communications and Website), Elizabeth Fanjoy (Director – Memberships and Awards), Erika Tse (BC Chapter Lead),  Alena Thouin (Ontario Chapter Lead), Deborah Greenberg (Quebec Chapter Lead), Ellen Desmond (Atlantic Chapter Lead), and welcome new members: Lisa Marcuzzi and Kimberley Graham – 2021 Conference Co-Chairs.  We are most pleased that Dorothy Quann will continue in her role supporting Emeritus Members.