Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), one of Canada’s leading business law firms, is pleased to announce that Alison Jeffrey, Senior Adviser, Strategic Initiatives and Client Development Coaching, has been named a 2019 Catalyst Canada Honours Champion for her work in advancing women and advocating for inclusive workplace cultures.
Alison is one of four corporate leaders to receive this year’s prestigious award.
As a consistent champion of inclusion, Alison is being recognized for years of hard work creating and executing a number of internal and external initiatives aimed at retaining and promoting women lawyers within the Firm as well as helping women clients advance their careers.
“Alison is at the forefront of our efforts and commitment to the advancement of women in law and business. Her unwavering dedication to the success of women is crystal clear, and her creativity and drive to achieve are inspiring,” said Rob Granatstein, Firm Managing Partner at Blakes. “She is a true trailblazer who is helping many women succeed and we are very proud to see her being recognized for the vitally important work that she is doing.”
Alison was part of a core team that launched the Firm’s Preparing for Rain coaching program.
She was also the driving force behind the 2014 creation of Stepping Up: Preparing to Be a GC, a leadership development program whose goal is to increase the number of women in general counsel roles. In 2018, she designed and created a second program, Stepping Beyond: Future Opportunities, which is geared towards women general counsel who want to position themselves for opportunities to expand or step beyond their role as GC.
Alison has also dedicated her time and energy to helping women succeed in the boardroom through the creation of the Blakes Women GCs on Boards program and as a member of the steering committee for the 30% Club.
Her coaching and training activities have provided a natural platform for her to pursue her passion for helping women in law and business succeed and advance into leadership positions aligned with both their career goals and the needs of their organizations.
The Catalyst Canada Honours Champions will receive their awards at a dinner celebrating the award’s 10th year on Monday, November 4 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
