Canadian Corporate Counsel Association

Catherine Cummings named Executive Director of Canadian Corporate Counsel Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2011

OTTAWA – Catherine Cummings of Toronto has been named Executive Director of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA), effective immediately.

“Cathy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position,” says Robert Patzelt, QC, chair of the CCCA's Executive Committee. “She is a skilled leader, strong communicator and well versed in change management and process improvement.” Catherine Cummings now heads the CCCA team in Toronto after four and a half months as Interim Associate Executive Director. “I look forward to close and effective collaboration with my CBA colleagues in order to deliver the best programs and services to our 10,000-member strong association,” says Cummings.

Her first priority is a full analysis the results of the recent member survey. “The survey tells us what our members are thinking and what they want,” says Cummings. “The outcomes will guide and inform our decisions in the coming months, as CCCA moves forward on a solid foundation.”

According to the survey, CCCA members indicated that they consider professional development the Association’s most valuable service, along with protecting core values of the profession and advocacy to governments to promote the interests of lawyers. The CCCA National Spring conference, the Annual Conference and networking opportunities are also highly rated.

The CCCA has a number of initiatives on its plate. The CCCA Annual Conference takes place in Halifax Aug. 14-16, 2011 in conjunction with the CBA’s Canadian Legal Conference. “We are offering our members 12 accredited professional development programs over two days,” says Cummings, “on topics ranging from disaster planning to litigation on a budget.”

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet as many CCCA members as I can during the conference,” she adds. Full details of CCCA programming at the Halifax conference are available on the conference website.

Catherine Cummings comes to the CCCA from the Canadian Payroll Association where she most recently held the position of Vice-President, Certification. She has an MBA from Athabasca University and holds the Certified Association Executive designation form the Canadian Society of Association Executives. She received her Bachelor of Business Management from Ryerson Polytechnic University.

A dedicated volunteer, Catherine is Chairman of the Board and head of the governance committee of the ALS Society of Ontario. She has also been active with the United Way and many other community based charities.

The CCCA will be rolling out its lineup of Fall programs and conferences in the coming weeks. The CCCA World Summit is scheduled for Montreal and the 2012 National Spring Conference takes place in Toronto. The CCCA Annual Conference will take place in Vancouver in conjunction with the Canadian Legal Conference in August 2012.

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