GCU / Program and Designation Overview

The GCU program is a leadership development program designed to elevate women general counsel. 

Program Overview 

Program participants will benefit from a high-touch program that includes strategically mapped curriculum around the twelve ‘most-sought after’ competencies of top general counsel. Assessments, leadership coaching, a development plan and a capstone reflection essay are further program elements that lead to a comprehensive leadership development experience. 

WGCC commissioned Korn Ferry to identify the key competencies, traits, drivers of GCs that are requisite to be the “Most Sought” GC and that research has been used to frame the GCU program. The curriculum explores each of the competencies and offers unparalleled opportunities to apply the learning to your actual GC experience and practice. Sessions are interactive, discussion-based, and will allow you to push your leadership abilities with others who understand the pressures of the GC role. As a GC, you are already a leader, but this program will provide insight into your leadership style, what is working well and help you identify ways to make you even better at what you do.

Korn Ferry Competencies

Thought

Global Perspective — Taking a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens

Strategic Vision — Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies

Cultivates Innovation — Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

Results

Aligns Execution — Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals

Directs Work — Providing direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to get work done

Drives Results — Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances

People

Engages and Inspires — Creating a climate in which people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives

Develops Talent — Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals

Collaborates — Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives

Self

Instills Trust — Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity

Manages Ambiguity — Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear

Situational Adaptability — Adapting approach and demeanour in real time to match the shifting demands of different situation

Program Benefits

After acceptance into the GCU program, participants will undergo a Korn Ferry Professional Development Assessment to obtain a baseline of how they measure against the “best in class” GC profile and identify opportunities for improvement. Sessions focused on each of the 12 key competencies will be delivered over the September to April time frame (generally one afternoon per month).

Curriculum designed around the most-sought after GC

Interactive and discussion-based programming to bring competencies into practical application for the GC role

Programs may be eligible or accredited for CPD credit

Leadership development assessments

Korn Ferry’s personalized assessment giving participants a baseline of how they measure against the “best-in-class” profile GC as well as opportunities for improvement

DiSC personalized assessment measuring your behavioural work style and approach

Building your local and national networks

Small group interactions with GCs who can become your own board of directors

Access to the larger GCU alumni community of GC

Coaching, professional development and self-reflection opportunities

Access to an executive / leadership coach and strategic execution and transformation coach

Development plan and culminating capstone requirement offer opportunities for self-reflection, personal growth and professional development

GCU Designation 

To obtain a GCU designation, candidates must:

  • Complete the program of required courses

  • Deliver a final capstone reflection paper (~1000 words) 

  • Be a current WGCC member in good standing

As a GCU grad and holder of the GCU.D, you have committed to achieving the highest standard of corporate legal leadership. 

This designation represents a commitment to excellence in legal leadership, to be the most effective general counsel you can be. You will be recognized as a leader who can balance your organization’s most complex legal issues with its business interests, who can build and lead extraordinary teams of legal talent, and who can raise the bar on issues ranging from equity, diversity and inclusion, to environmental social responsibility.

In the current, rapidly evolving competitive environment, this GCU.D will help you be better at what you do, and ultimately, create better opportunities for your career.

Program & Application Fee 

Fee: $5,000.00 (plus applicable taxes)

Information about the program and the GCU Designation is available for download as a PDF.

Note: you must be a member in good standing with the WGCC to apply for this program. Visit your profile to ensure your membership is up-to-date or to become a member,click here!

Questions? 

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions at any time, feel free to contact Sandra Montanino, the Executive Director for the GCU program: 

Sandra Montanino,  Founder and Principal of Navig8 PD

 sandra@navig8pd.com

416 305 3959 

navig8pd.com

GCU benefits from the generous support of many WGCC sponsors and partners as well as the insights of many incredible speakers to the program.

  • Sandra Abitan

    Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
    DiSC Assessment - What is Your Leadership Style

  • Wendy Berman McCarthy TétraultGlobal Perspectives on the Rise of Real-Time Corporate Morality Tests (Surge Effects) / Effecting Change Through Strategic Law Firm Collaboration

    Wendy Berman

    McCarthy Tétrault
    Global Perspectives on the Rise of Real-Time Corporate Morality Tests (Surge Effects) / Effecting Change Through Strategic Law Firm Collaboration

  • Trish Callon

    Sun Life Canada
    Leadership Lessons for Women General Counsel

  • Norie Campbell

    Former TD General Counsel
    Beyond the Law – Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Chantelle Courtney

    Inflection Point Coaching & Consulting

  • Bindu Cudjoe

    Laurentian Bank
    Driving Innovation, Delivering Results: Inspiring Women Legal Leaders

  • Hélène Deschamps Marquis

    Deloitte Legal
    Crisis Leadership - Moving from Reaction to Response

  • Terrie-Lynne Devonish

    Altus Group
    Driving Innovation, Delivering Results: Inspiring Women Legal Leaders

  • Kathleen Flynn

    Habitat for Humanity Canada
    Driving Innovation, Delivering Results: Inspiring Women Legal Leaders

  • Sacha Fraser

    IBM Canada
    GC as an Entrepreneur

  • Lori Gauld

    Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
    DiSC Assessment: What is Your Leadership Style

  • Nasim Ghasemi

    Deloitte Legal
    Crisis Leadership - Moving from Reaction to Response

  • Connie Gibson

    Interac Corp.
    Developing Your Talent — Strategies for Advancing as a Leader

  • Julia Hanigsberg

    Holland Bloorview Kids
    Beyond the Law — Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Joanna Harper

    Catalyst Inc.
    Becoming an Inclusive Leader

  • Alison Jeffrey

    Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
    Beyond the Law — Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Vandana Juneja

    Catalyst Inc.
    Becoming an Inclusive Leader

  • Gary Kalaci

    Alexa Translations
    GC as an Entrepreneur

  • Cleo Kirkland

    Korn Ferry
    Korn Ferry Leadership Model & Professional Development Assessment

  • Kim Kobayashi

    A & W Food Services of Canada
    Beyond the Law — Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Lisa Marcuzzi

    ArcelorMittal Dofasco
    Beyond the Law — Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Brian Martin

    Made to Measure Consulting
    Korn Ferry Leadership Model & Professional Development Assessment

  • Kate McGilvray

    Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
    Beyond the Law – Ensuring Your Seat at the Table

  • Judith McKay

    McCarthy Tétrault
    Effecting Change Through Strategic Law Firm Collaboration

  • Paula Pepin

    LexGo
    Strategic Alignment & Execution of Legal Departments

  • Shara Roy

    EY Canada
    Effecting Change Through Strategic Law Firm Collaboration

  • Gillian Scott

    Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
    Design Thinking for GC's

  • Cindy Clarke

    Borden Ladner Gervais
    Driving Innovation, Delivering Results: Inspiring Women Legal Leaders

  • Kathleen Taylor

    Formerly at Royal Bank of Canada
    Leadership Lessons for Women General Counsel

  • Jennifer Thompson

    Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
    Design Thinking for GC’s

The GCU Founders’ Story

Cheryl Foy

Dorothy Quann

GCU germinated from an idea planted at a lunch in November 2018, with then WGCC President Cheryl Foy and director Dorothy Quann, to create a ‘Universal Centre of Learning’ for general counsel and other senior legal leaders, created by GCs, and covering topics, knowledge, attributes and skills necessary for GCs.

Starting in 2019, succeeding WGCC President Elspeth Hagan and director Alexa Abiscott built on this nascent idea to identify the opportunity to ground this GCU on Korn Ferry’s Leadership Architect Global Competency Framework ®. WGCC partnered with Cleo Kirkland at Korn Ferry to ask that they identify Competencies of the Most Sought GCs, based on their extensive assessments of executives globally. Results were shared in January 2020.

With the chaos of the pandemic in 2020, it took until 2021 when WGCC board asked director Bindu Cudjoe to lead the buildout of GCU and engaged Jolie Lin of Linnovation Works to bring GCU to life for WGCC members.

Working with the results of the Korn Ferry survey data and the Competencies as described in Korn Ferry’s For Your Improvement, Bindu and Jolie fleshed out the differentiating Competencies of the Most Sought GCs and, in a 6 month period, developed a program, format and curriculum to found GCU.

Partnering with WGCC’s sponsors (McCarthy Tetrault, Osler, Norton Rose Fulbright and Blakes) and welcoming 4 new partners of GCU (Lawyers InHouse, Conduit Law, Alexa Translations and Kingsgate Legal), Jolie and Bindu developed a curriculum that had Cleo Kirkland and Kendra Marionlead foundational sessions on these Differentiating Competencies, together with programs from sponsors and partners to see how GCs could apply the Competencies in circumstances, situations and scenarios that are relevant to GCs, all designed to enhance the ability of participating GCs to become even more Sought GCs.

WGCC launched GCU in late August 2021, and GCU received great interest from media and other organizations. The inaugural cohort filled quickly to include 12 incredible women GCs with representation from coast to coast, began their learning journey on October 1, 2021. Dorothy Quann was announced as the inaugural ‘Dean' in September 2021.

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