Magic Moment: In October of 1994, after 10 years of practicing law, I had become a partner at a large law firm and had two children under the age of 3. My husband encouraged me to strike out on my own. He persuaded me to believe in my ability to attract clients and do good work, and that in the long run, I would not regret having chosen some autonomy for myself. In December, I decided and announced that I was leaving to start my own law firm with Dennis Daoust, as of January 1, 1995. My husband was right. The timing was perfect and the path has been “onward and upward” since the beginning.

Key Influence: My parents were my major influencers. They immigrated to Northern Ontario in the mid 1950s and while my father took jobs initially in the mines and later at a steel plant, my mother and father together owned and operated a Sault Ste. Marie motel while raising their family of three daughters in the 60s and 70s. They worked very hard and they were entrepreneurial. Problem solving, risk taking and planning for the future were their daily preoccupations. They imparted those skills and tendencies to me, and they impressed upon me not only the value of hard work but the importance of relying on and believing in yourself.

Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Is to transfer skills and knowledge from the baby boomers to the millennials. We have to hire the millennials and invest time in them. We have to allow them to make their own mistakes and to learn from them. We cannot begrudge them their youth. As a successful city-region, our next big challenge is to provide better infrastructure for public transit and health care.

Secret Talent: I like to bake. I especially like carrying on baking traditions that my mother taught me from ‘the old country’.

On Championing Others… Our firm has already begun succession planning. The next generation of leaders has been hired and trained. We have introduced them to clients and groomed them for partnership/ownership. They are included in all key decision-making and their perspectives are valued and respected.

One word that captures you: Realist