Chair

Heather is the Head of Legal and Corporate Secretary for Kenvue Canada Inc. (formerly Johnson & Johnson Inc.), where she leads the organization’s legal, governance, and compliance functions. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Directors, she plays a key role in shaping Kenvue Canada’s strategic direction.

Heather joined WGCC in 2019 and began volunteering in 2020. Her contributions to WGCC have included service on the Conference Committee, roles as Conference Co‑Lead, and leadership of Membership & Interconnectedness, Programming, Governance & Membership. In 2025, she commenced a two‑year term as President and Chair.

Heather is a graduate of Acadia University (BBA); the University of Alberta (LLB/JD), University of New Brunswick (MBA) and has her GCU.d and ICD.D designations. Heather is called to the bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario, and lives near Toronto with her husband Brad and their sons Zachary & Joshua.

Vice Chair, Sponsor & Partnerships Lead

Ratika Gandhi is the Head of Legal and Compliance, LACAN (Canada and Latin America) for Alcon, overseeing all legal and compliance matters across Canada and eight additional Latin American countries. She leads a team of 14 lawyers and compliance specialists and contributes to strategic decision‑making as part of the Canadian and Latin America Leadership Teams. Known for her collaborative yet proactive approach, she provides risk‑management guidance, strengthens corporate governance, and regularly trains executives on fiduciary duties, employment law, diversity and inclusion, and compliance.

A strong proponent of “Tone from the Top,” Ratika promotes integrity, collaboration, and high‑performance culture. She also serves as Alcon Canada’s Diversity & Inclusion executive sponsor.

Ratika began her career at McMillan LLP, developing expertise in commercial, transactional, health, and regulatory law. She is a Lexpert 2024 Rising Stars recipient, the 2025 WLAO General Counsel Award winner, and is listed in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist. She was previously a finalist for the Canadian General Counsel Association’s Tomorrow’s Leader Award and serves on the boards of Women General Counsel Canada (WGCC) and Canada’s National Ballet School.

Secretary & Governance Lead

Clare has spent the majority of her legal career in-house in the consumer packaged goods industry. She has served in the General Counsel role for two large beverage companies.   She works as a member of the Senior Leadership team and operates collaboratively with her cross-functional partners.  Clare is passionate about brands, innovation and employee engagement.  She enjoys helping people develop their full potential.

Clare began her legal career at Blakes. She holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Arts Honours (Political Studies) from Queen’s University.  Clare has served on the WGCC Board in three different roles, as (i) Co-Lead of the WGCC Conference, (ii) Ontario Chapter and Programming Lead and (ii) currently as Secretary and Governance Lead. 

Treasurer

Jennifer joined CRH Canada in 2008 as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. CRH is the leading diversified building materials business in the world, employing 80,000 people at 4,000 locations in 28 countries, and is the largest building materials business in North America. It is a Fortune 500 company, included on the S&P 500 Index, with its shares listed on the NYSE and the LSE. Jennifer and her team provide all aspects of legal and compliance support to CRH’s businesses in Canada.

Previously, Jennifer served as Corporate Counsel for Home Depot Canada and practiced with the Toronto office of Heenan Blaikie and the Montreal office of Fasken Martineau Dumoulin.

She holds civil and common law degrees from McGill University, is a member of the bars of Ontario and Quebec and practices law in English and French. She remains closely connected to McGill University, volunteering on several boards and committees.

Communications Lead

Andrea is SVP, General Counsel for Amica Senior Lifestyles, Canada’s leading provider of premium, private-pay retirement residences and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. She leads all legal, strategic, and corporate matters, including transactions, development, operations, and regulatory and compliance activities. Prior to joining Amica, Andrea spent nine years at Oxford Properties Group, OMERS’ global real estate investment arm, advising on complex real estate transactions, development projects, and corporate matters across Canada, the United States, and Europe. She began her career in the corporate real estate group at Goodmans LLP.

Regional Chapter & Recruitment Lead (Ontario) & GCU Alumni Lead

Adrian Lang is the Chief Legal and Privacy Officer at Staples Canada, with responsibility for all legal, regulatory, and compliance matters. She is also Interim Human Resources and Communication Officer. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at the Bank of Montreal, including Head of Operations and Small Business Solutions, where she oversaw small business payment products, North American card operations, and operational risk and compliance. She also served as Head of Business Management for Personal and Commercial Banking and as Associate General Counsel, leading litigation for P&C Canada.

Before joining BMO, Ms. Lang was a partner at Stikeman Elliott in Toronto, specializing in commercial, securities, and class action litigation, and was widely recognized as a leading lawyer, including being named a Lexpert “Leading Lawyer Under 40.” She has received numerous professional and community awards and currently serves on the board of War Child Canada, and has extensive prior board leadership.

Emeritus Lead

Kathleen Flynn is the former EVP Real Estate, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Indigo Books & Music Inc. where she was responsible for the real estate portfolio and all legal, compliance and governance matters for Indigo, a publicly traded Canadian retailer. Prior to her in-house career at Indigo and Sears Canada she practiced real estate law at a national law firm in Toronto and taught courses part time at both Seneca College and University of Toronto.  Kathleen serves as Director on the National Board of Habitat for Humanity Canada, Chairs the Governance Committee and has served on the Nominating and the Enterprise Risk Committees. Kathleen also serves as a mentor seeking to empower women and girls, under various programs, including Fora Network for Change – Rise on Boards.  Kathleen holds an LLB from Queens University, an LLM from York University and ICD.D designation from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

National Strategy Lead

Corinne Pruzanski is Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for Cadillac Fairview, one of the largest owners, operators and developers of best-in-class office, retail, multi-family, industrial and mixed-use properties in Canada, with AUM of approximately $28 billion. Corinne oversees a large team responsible for legal services across the company, including corporate governance, investments, leasing, development, insurance and property operations. 

Regional Chapter & Recruitment Lead (Québec) | 2026 Marquee Event Co-Lead

Executive legal professional with more than two decades of experience, known for providing strategic counsel to Boards and Executive Committees. Working mainly in transportation, merger and acquisitions, infrastructure management and information technology projects as well as international dealings, Ms. Richard is recognized for her skills in governance, fostering corporate growth, and ensuring operational sustainability.

Ms. Richard has worked for many local and international businesses amongst which C.A.T North America Inc., VIA Rail, Belron and The CSL Group. She currently acts as the Quebec Chapter Lead and a Director for Women General Counsel Canada (WGCC). She also has overseen the corporate secretarial duties for many Canadian and international entities as well as their affiliates.

Firmly believes that a successful business leader must acknowledge the importance of mindset, as it fosters a culture of inclusiveness, continuous improvement and innovation.

Regional Chapter & Recruitment Lead (British Columbia)

Lilac is the General Counsel of Canfor Forest Products. Prior to joining Canfor, she served as General Counsel of HSBC Bank Canada. Lilac joined HSBC in 2012 as a specialist employment lawyer after 10 years in private practice focused on commercial litigation and employment law. She became Head of Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement in 2014 and was appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel in 2018.

GC Mentor Council Lead

Cinda Serianni is the Peer Mentoring Lead on the Board of Directors for Women General Counsel Canada, where she champions women's leadership in in-house legal roles through networking, education, and advocacy. With over 30 years of legal experience, including more than 24 years in the pharmaceutical industry, she served as Associate General Counsel at Gilead Sciences Canada, Inc. for over 16 years. Today, she leads Compliance Rx, her consulting practice dedicated to helping small pharmaceutical and medical device companies navigate Health Canada compliance with practical, business-friendly solutions.

Industry Council Lead

Farah is a nurse–lawyer and Senior Vice-President and Chief Legal, Privacy and Compliance Officer at SE Health. She is recognized for leading large-scale initiatives and driving sustainable change through innovative strategies, including the responsible adoption of technology and artificial intelligence to strengthen healthcare delivery. With nearly two decades of leadership experience across healthcare and law, Farah brings deep insight into the challenges facing Canada’s healthcare system and a strong commitment to advancing safe, accessible, high-quality care through integrated clinical, legal, and technology-enabled solutions.

2026 Marquee Event Co-Lead | 2027 Marquee Event Lead

Sandra De Carolis is General Counsel at CGI/Ennova, industry leaders in the design, manufacturing, and installation of complex commercial building envelope systems across Canada and the United States.

In her role, Sandra leads and advises the business on all legal, strategic, regulatory, and enterprise risk operations with an approach that drives business strategy, strengthens relationships and protects long-term value.

Prior to joining CGI/Ennova, Sandra spent more than a decade at Torkin Manes LLP, where she was a partner in the firm’s litigation group. Her practice spanned a wide range of industries, including transportation, healthcare, retail, education, energy, and infrastructure. Sandra has led dozens of successful mediations, appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, and negotiated numerous settlements focused on practical and effective outcomes. In 2025, she was recognized as General Counsel Rising Star by Lexology North America in recognition of her leadership, operational excellence, and contributions to the legal profession. Sandra currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Country Day School and serves as Chair of the Governance Committee. Sandra holds a BA in Political Science and a J.D. from Western University.

In-Transition Council Lead

Lara is a multi-award-winning General Counsel and recognized legal leader. She is the recipient of the 2025 inaugural Vanguard Award and WGCC Hall of Distinction (Canadian General Counsel Awards), ranked #2 among the 2025 North American Top 50 Women Chief Legal Officers (Women We Admire), awarded the 2024 General Counsel Award by the Women’s Law Association of Ontario, and named one of WXN’s 2023 Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the C-Suite category.