(TORONTO, ONTARIO—September 18,
2019) – Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is pleased to
announce that Patrice Walch-Watson, Senior Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Chambers
Canada GC Influencer Award by global law-ranking firm Chambers & Partners.
The award celebrates excellence within the legal profession and recognizes
influential in-house counsel leaders around the world. This year was the
inaugural launch of Chambers GC Influencers Canada list, which highlights general
counsel lawyers in Canada for their pioneering in-house work, effective team
leadership, diversity, and CSR champions.
“On behalf of CPPIB, I’d like
to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Patrice on this well-earned
recognition,” says Mark Machin, President & CEO, CPPIB. “Under Patrice’s
leadership, our in-house legal team has evolved to a world-class standard,
which will significantly benefit the work CPPIB does in the interest of 20
million CPP contributors and beneficiaries. Her deep legal expertise and
embodiment of CPPIB’s Guiding Principles makes her a role model for the
organization, and truly deserving of this recognition.”
“I am deeply honoured to be named to the inaugural Chambers GC
Influencers Canada list,” says Walch-Watson. “Working for an organization with
such an important purpose – to help provide a foundation upon which millions of
Canadians can have financial security in retirement – adds even more motivation
to an already exciting role, where I am able to collaborate with a very committed
and high-performing global team.”
Walch-Watson was among those officially honoured at the Chambers Editors’
Reception and Awards ceremony on September 17, 2019, in Toronto.
Patrice Walch-Watson Background
Senior Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
Patrice leads our global
legal, compliance, and corporate secretarial functions. She is a seasoned
business lawyer and advisor with deep experience in transactions, regulation,
corporate governance, and providing strategic counsel.
Prior to joining CPPIB
in 2015, Patrice spent more than 22 years as a corporate lawyer in private
practice at Torys LLP, a highly respected cross-border law firm, advising some
of Canada’s largest public, private and government businesses in strategic
mergers and acquisitions, financing and governance matters.
Patrice holds a BA
(Hons) from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from
Queen’s University. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.
She is an active member
of the Advisory Council to the Dean of Queen’s University Law School.
About Canada Pension
Plan Investment Board
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is a
professional investment management organization that invests the funds not
needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits in the best
interest of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build
diversified portfolios of assets, CPPIB invests in public equities, private
equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments.
Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg,
Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, São Paulo and Sydney, CPPIB is governed
and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from
governments. At June 30, 2019, the CPP Fund totalled $400.6
billion. For more information about CPPIB, please
visit www.cppib.com or follow us on LinkedIn,
Facebook or Twitter.