Stephen Rotstein, a former Chair of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and the current CBA Board member from Ontario, will be the CBA’s Vice-President in 2020-21. He will assume the position of Vice-President in September and become the CBA President in September 2021.
Rotstein is Director, Global and Domestic Affairs at the Ontario Securities Commission, where he is also part of the Executive Leadership Team.
“I really am honoured that I was elected by the leaders in our association with a clear mandate to do the things that we need to do in supporting our members and making sure the association is fiscally sustainable,” said Rotstein after the announcement was made at the CBA’s 2020 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, February 19.
Rotstein was introduced by current Vice-President Brad Regehr, who will serve as President starting this September. Rotstein said he is looking forward to working with the board members, volunteer lawyers and CBA staff. “I’ve always thought that contributing to your community is part of the balance (of professional and personal life).”
In his role as Vice-President in 2020-21, Rotstein said his priorities are chairing the Governance and Equality Committee and collaborating with the Governance Task Force, work closely with the finance committee, and support Regehr during his term CBA President.
“I am running because as a long-time CBA member and volunteer, I have a keen understanding of the critical issues facing the CBA, and a clear vision for addressing them,” he said in his statement of intent to seek the position of Vice-President.
Rotstein emphasized that as a volunteer-driven organization, Branch and Section volunteers need additional support and the necessary resources to run their programs. He also indicated that he would make it a priority for the CBA to adapt to its new fiscal realities and put a focus on member services.
The incoming Vice-President identified his other priorities as:
- Diversifying revenue beyond membership fees;
- Enhancing board oversight;
- Demonstrating public policy leadership; and
- Respecting Branch autonomy and avoiding CBA/Branch duplication.
Rotstein served on the CCCA’s Executive Committee for six years (2013-2019) and was Chair of the CCCA in 2016-2017; that same year, he was a member of the CBA’s Board of Directors. Rotstein has been a member of the CBA since 2015 and currently serves on the Audit Committee.
Prior to his role at the Ontario Securities Commission, Rotstein was Vice-President, Policy & Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel at FP Canada (formerly Financial Planning Standards Council).
Rotstein earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from the University of Western Ontario in 1993, and a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) from York University–Osgoode Hall Law School in 1996.