For Immediate Release
August 12, 2005
VANCOUVER – Maureen Kempston Darkes of Toronto has won the 2005 Robert V.A. Jones Canadian Corporate Counsel Award.
Ms. Kempston Darkes was appointed General Motors Group Vice-President and President, GM Latin America, Africa, and Middle East and a member of the GM Automotive Strategy Board in 2002. Prior to her appointment, she was President and General Manager of General Motors of Canada Ltd., and Vice-President of General Motors Corp. from 1994 to 2001. She began working at the company in 1975 and has held a number of progressively senior positions.
Ms. Kempston Darkes was born and raised in the Toronto area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Victoria College, University of Toronto, and is a member of Victoria Colleges Chancellor's Council. She also holds a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Toronto law school was called to the Bar of Ontario.
She has received honourary doctor of law degrees from the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria, McMaster University, Dalhousie University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Law Society of Upper Canada, as well as an honourary doctorate of commerce from Saint Mary's University.
In 1997, Ms. Kempston Darkes received the Order of Ontario and was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2000. She was honoured with the American Bar Association's (ABA) Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement award in 1998.
The Robert V. A. Jones Canadian Corporate Counsel Award recognizes an exceptional contribution to the development or promotion of the Canadian corporate counsel Bar or community. The award, named after Robert Jones, who served as the founding Executive Director of the CCCA for 11 years, will be presented at a ceremony taking place on Monday, Aug. 15 at Ballroom C of the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, site of the CCCA 17th Annual Meeting. Lex Mundi sponsors this year's award, presentation ceremony, and reception.
The CCCA Annual Meeting conference program (August 15 and 17) focuses on the theme of Building Winning Teams and Effective Legal Strategies. It features workshops, keynote addresses and plenary sessions. Keynote speakers include Dick Pound, Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and Brian Tobin, former federal minister and Premier of Newfoundland.
Established in 1988, the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association is a conference of the CBA. Its mission is to provide a national forum and voice for in house counsel to advance the development of their practice of law and enhance their professional skills and careers. The Association currently has a membership of more than 8,400.
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Contacts:
Effie J. Triantafilopoulos, Executive Director, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, Tel: 416-869-1020 Fax: 416-869-0946, E-mail: etrianta@ccca-cba.org; www.cancorpcounsel.org
Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Tel: (613) 237-2925, ext. 146; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org. Aug. 12-15: (604) 647-7408.
