As a business lawyer at Torys LLP for more than two decades, Patrice Walch-Watson, Law’91, has played a leading role in advising some of Canada’s largest public, private and government businesses in a wide array of transactions. Now she is playing a new executive leadership role. On June 5, she began her appointment as Senior Managing Director & General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

Having practised primarily in mergers and acquisitions, public and private corporate finance, privatizations and corporate governance, she now is helping to lead the professional investment organization that invests CPP assets not needed to pay current benefits. The CPP Fund managed by CPPIB ranks among the world’s 10 largest retirement funds.

In a press release, CPPIB said, “Her knowledge and experience will be invaluable as CPPIB expands into new markets and sectors. “Under her leadership, the legal department will continue to be critical to our investment activities and other operations, while effectively managing legal matters.”

Walch-Watson says what she’s really looking forward to is the challenge of learning about and helping to manage CPPIB's dynamic business. “It’s one of the world’s largest and fastest growing institutional investors and is involved in some incredibly interesting businesses, transactions and programs. I’m excited to participate in an evolving organization that is full of smart, dedicated people who work hard on interesting things, for the benefit of 18 million Canadians.”

Looking back to her law school days, she says she knew she wanted to work in private practice, but eventually would change paths. “Queen's Law, through its professors, guest speakers, programs and my classmates, really opened my eyes up to all the opportunities a law degree can give you.”

Law school, she says, prepared her well for articling and private practice at Torys LLP (“with some wonderful Queen's alumni I might add”) and for the challenges that lay ahead for her at CPPIB. Also important are the “very valuable tools” she gained at Queen’s that she uses every day in approaching issues arising in ventures outside her job such as her involvement with several charities.

And of course, the school’s legendary collegiality is a factor too. “Some of my closest friends are people I met at Queen's Law – and they inspire me every day!”