Manager Development

SENIOR-LEVEL EXECUTIVE

CORPORATE STRATEGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPLEMENTATION

High-integrity, energetic, innovative, and visionary leader with proven ability to envision and create successful outcomes in complex and sensitive situations. Extensive and proven hands-on skills in government relations, strategic development and implementation, stakeholder collaboration, relationship management, business planning, legal services, and people management.

EXECUTIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Strategic Planning - Led and initiated various strategic plans and created and implemented the resulting implementation/operation plans for several organizations.

• Government Relations and Strategic Alliances – Built strong relationships with various levels of government in Canada and internationally and built strong strategic alliances with industry leaders.

• Negotiations – Led the successful consultations of, and negotiations with, numerous parties ranging from government, law enforcement, private sector firms, general public, board, members, staff, vendors, purchasers, and litigants in different areas such as policy development, corporate governance, commercial negotiations, dispute resolutions, and collaboration/partnership negotiations.

• Stakeholder Collaboration – Led and managed new processes for stakeholder collaboration and participation and as a result increased stakeholder collaboration and participation for a number of not-for-profit membership based clients by 100%-30,000%.

• Business Operations – Managed and led various multi-disciplinary teams ranging in size between 3-14 junior- to senior-level professionals and admin personnel. Managed operational budgets up to $19,000,000. Managed and led numerous projects ranging in value between $50,000 - $12,000,000 within 3 months to 2 year timeframes. Reduced operational costs by 20%-30% for a number of companies by simplifying and streamlining internal and external processes and procedures and create company specific risk mitigation procedures.

• Business Development – Provided leadership in the development of business relationships with the government and private sector companies for various clients and assisted in the raising of between $300,000 - $10,000,000 in venture and angel investment. Managed the launch of various products for clients including the development and implementation of successful marketing strategies.

• Board Relations – Led and guided numerous boards through major corporate governance changes including the overhaul of the board structure. Acted as corporate secretary and board liaison for several companies.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Virtual Exec Business and Legal Counsel, Cognition LLP, Ottawa, ON 2008 - Present

Provision of executive business and legal services to various companies and close working relationship with senior management ranging from business leaders and engineers.

Key Projects & Achievements:

• Led the development of an aggressive strategic and operational plan and provided leadership in the development of business relationships for three start-up companies.

• Acted as the sole legal and business executive for a technology company to assist in the launch of 3 products within 6 months.

• Led the raising of funding for a number of companies in the range of $300,000 to over $10,000,000.

• Acting as general counsel for a healthcare regulatory organization, two construction companies, and two not-for-profits.

• Acting as chief privacy officer for various clients.

• Acting as ATIP, MFIPPA, PHIPA, and FIPPA manager for a number of clients

• Led, a number of clients, in the establishment and growth of their internal legal department including the development of mechanisms and procedures to identify current and potential future business and operational risks.

• Managed and implemented simplified and more efficient operational and business processes which reduced operational costs by 20%-30% for some clients.

• Assisted in the development or managed the building of strong strategic alliances with industry partners, various levels of government, and private funding organizations for some clients.

• Managed and led the negotiations of various accountability frameworks, transfer payment agreements, and government memoranda of understanding.

• Managed litigation files for various clients.

• Managed the negotiations for numerous construction contracts ranging in value from $50,000 - $20,000,000.

• Managed and led the negotiations in several construction disputes.

• Acting as the contract manager and risk manager for various clients.

• Acted as interim general counsel for a post-secondary institution for 10 months.

• Acted as temporary legal counsel for a large telecommunications organization for 1 year.

• Managed and led the creation of numerous public and private RFPs and RFIs.

• Managed and led the negotiations for numerous public and private procurement files and drafted and/or reviewed the resulting contracts ranging in value from $100,000 – over $200,0000,000.

• Managed and led the negotiations for national and international contracts ranging in value from $50,000 – over $200,000,000.

• Managed and led the negotiations and implementations of several government agency mergers.

• Managed a multi-disciplinary team of software engineers, network architects, graphic designers, and sales/marketing for one client.

EVP of Policy and Legal and Corporate Secretary CIRA, Ottawa, ON 2002 –2008

Managed a 14-member multi-disciplinary team consisting of project management, privacy, engineering, government relations, corporate governance, legal, policy, and compliance. Responsibility for an operating budget of up to $19,000.000.

Key Projects & Achievements:

• Developed, implemented, and maintained the Canadian Internet regulatory framework for all Canadian domain names.

• Managed and led the compliance team to ensure full compliance with the Internet regulatory framework for domain names.

• Developed, implemented, and enforced about 100 different Canadian Internet policies, rules, and procedures.

• Led the organization, with the other senior managers, to a new strategic vision and mission that resulted in an effective policy- and stakeholder driven organization.

• Represented the organization nationally and internationally and built strong strategic alliances with industry leaders and national and international governments of all levels which resulted in the organization becoming one of the most respected domain name registries in the industry.

• Led and managed a complete restructuring and simplification of the organisational policy and regulatory framework and all internal and external processes which reduced operational costs by over 20%.

• Developed, led, and managed the implementation of two substantial and highly sensitive corporate governance reforms which included the restructuring of the board and member eligibility.

• Increased stakeholder collaboration and participation by a factor of over 30.

• Led and managed numerous stakeholder outreach initiatives including online surveys, in-person interviews/surveys, telephone interviews/surveys, and stakeholder events across Canada.

• Led and managed the development, implementation, enforcement, and successful negotiations of highly sensitive national Internet policies such as the WHOIS policy (privacy policy for the domain name directory) and new membership policies which attracted significant main media attention as well the attention and initial dissatisfaction of opposing factions.

• Responsibility of over 90% of all projects within the organization ranging in budget from $50,000 - $12,000,000 and timeframes from a few months to 2 years.

Executive Director (part-time), CENTR, Brussels, Belgium and London, UK 2006 – 2008

Part-time elected executive director of the largest domain name registry association of the world engaged to recruit a new CEO, streamline the organization, and increase membership participation and collaboration.

Key Projects & Achievements:

• First non-European based member-elected executive director.

• Led the restructuring of the organization to a functional and consensus-based organization.

• Led the hiring of a new CEO.

• Increased membership by 50%.

• Increased stakeholder participation and satisfaction based on independently conducted stakeholder surveys.

Associate (part-time), Bowley Cuffari, Ottawa, ON 2001-2002

Counsel and associate in a local law firm.

Key Projects & Achievements:

• Carried files ranging from corporate/commercial, employment law, family law, technology law, IP, and civil litigation.

• Full time student in the LL.M. program at the University of Ottawa (completed in 2002).

Associate, Cox and Palmer, Halifax, NS 1999-2001

Member of the complex commercial litigation group and Member of the immigration practice group

Key Projects & Achievements:

• Junior litigator in two several hundred million dollar international litigation files one of which became the longest litigation file in the history of Nova Scotia.

• Had carriage of several small to mid-sized litigation proceedings ranging in value from $100,000 to over $1,000,000.

• Had carriage of various files for German speaking clients in the areas of corporate/commercial, immigration, litigation, real estate, and labour/employment.

EDUCATION

LL.M. in Law and Technology, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada

LL.B., University of New Brunswick, NB, Canada

LL.B., University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

B.A., Dalhousie University, NS, Canada

O.A.C., Lakefield College School, ON, Canada

Abitur in math, physics, and history, Schule Schloß Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND SECURITY CLEARANCE

• Barristers’ Society of Nova Scotia since 1999

• Secret Clearance until 2017

• Law Society of Upper Canada since 2001

OTHER SKILLS AND INTERESTS

• Fluently read, write, and speak German

• Certified fire brigade troop commander

• Certified volleyball referee

• German national junior gold medallist in various disciplines

• PADI certified scuba diver

Contact this candidate