Winners’ Profiles

Margot Spence

Executive Director
Legal & Chief Privacy Officer, Destination Canada

Margot Spence is Executive Director, Legal and Chief Privacy Officer at Destination Canada, where she re-established the legal department post-pandemic, supports governance and compliance, and advises on innovation, including responsible use of AI. Her in-house career spans leadership at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, Olympic Broadcasting Services, and Weyerhaeuser Canada, following earlier private practice and a decade as a legal educator at Capilano University.

Active in CBA In-House Lawyers, she served as National Chair, Treasurer, BC Section Co-Chair, and led the Funding Formula Task Force. Her governance experience includes Board Chair of the Vancouver Aquarium, guiding an $80M capital project, and Treasurer of the BC Courthouse Library Society. Called to the BC bar, she holds law and science degrees from UBC, the CIC.C designation, and a leadership certificate from the Chair Academy, pairing professional excellence with a sustained commitment to community service.

Hina Latif

VP, General Counsel & Secretary
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Canada Corporation and Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

Hina Latif is VP, General Counsel & Secretary at Mercedes-Benz, recognized for her strategic insight, leadership, and dedication to fostering a people-first culture. Trusted across all levels of the organization, she has been instrumental in driving business success during times of transformation, leveraging her deep legal expertise and commercial acumen to mitigate risk and identify opportunities for growth. She spearheaded a company-wide contract overhaul, securing resources and buy-in across business areas, and actively contributes to strategic decision-making as part of the Executive Leadership Team.

Hina’s leadership extends beyond legal counsel. She is a mentor, connector, and facilitator, empowering her team and fostering collaboration across Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz Financial. She co-chairs the DEI Council, sponsors the ESG Committee, and promotes a culture of equity and inclusion. As President of the National GC Network, she has scaled influence across the profession. Hina’s exemplary leadership, vision, and impact make her a standout legal leader.

Evan Johnston

President & CEO
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company

Evan Johnston’s career reflects an exceptional transition from accomplished legal counsel to transformative business leader. Currently President and CEO of The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, Evan guides the strategic direction of one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers. His journey began in private practice with top firms in Canada and the UK before moving in-house, where he combined legal expertise with strategic leadership in senior executive roles at Stuart Olson Inc. and The Forzani Group Ltd. Since joining Wawanesa in 2016 as EVP, Strategy and Related Businesses, he has overseen major initiatives including the acquisition of Western Financial Group, the sale of Wawanesa General to AAA of Southern California, and negotiations for a new National Headquarters.

A CFA charter holder, EMBA graduate, and Chartered Insurance Professional, Evan’s leadership is focused advancing organizational goals through a business lens while leveraging his legal background to deliver sustained strategic impact.

Kristina Milbourn

Managing Counsel, Litigation
Rogers Communications Inc.

Kristina Milbourn, Managing Counsel, Litigation at Rogers Communications, is recognized for her strong commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal profession. Leading Rogers’ national litigation team, she has not only overseen high-stakes cases and class actions but has also championed initiatives that build inclusive workspaces. Kristina has chaired or participated on multiple committees, including the EDI and Community Advisory Committee at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine and the Admissions Committee at Western University Faculty of Law, reviewing Black applicant streams to enhance equity in legal education.

Beyond her organizational leadership, Kristina has actively contributed to mentoring and education through IPIC-McGill Copyright MasterClasses and advisory councils, ensuring access and opportunity for underrepresented groups in law and technology. Fluent in French and with a global legal perspective through her LLM from Columbia Law School, she exemplifies strategic, ethical, and inclusive leadership, making her an outstanding candidate for the Action in Diversity & Inclusion Award.

Jobber Legal Department

The Jobber Legal Department is a small, high-performing team that exemplifies wellness as a daily practice rather than a standalone program. Under the leadership of Senior Director of Legal Melissa Reiter, the team has cultivated a culture of psychological safety, mutual support, and genuine rest. Team members actively monitor workloads, life circumstances, and energy levels, enabling proactive coverage when someone takes time off and ensuring no one returns to an overwhelming backlog.

Melissa models full disconnection during vacations or mental health days, reinforcing that rest is respected and protected. This approach encourages junior staff to set boundaries without guilt, creating trust and sustaining long-term performance. Beyond the Legal team, Jobber promotes flexible wellness initiatives organization-wide, including remote work, meditation workshops, volunteer opportunities, and real-time recognition programs. By embedding wellness into daily work practices, Jobber’s Legal Department demonstrates that simplicity, trust, and mutual respect are the foundation of a truly healthy workplace.

Samson Chan

Associate General Counsel
London Drugs Limited

Samson Chan is the Associate General Counsel of London Drugs Limited, a leading retailer in Western Canada, where he leads legal strategy across commercial, technology, privacy, e-commerce, and pharmacy initiatives. Known for his solution-oriented and creative approach, Samson has driven innovative partnerships with companies such as DoorDash, Instacart, and Skip the Dishes, and spearheaded digital health and data infrastructure projects, including the 2024 cybersecurity response.

A polymath with diverse experience spanning business, healthcare, technology, law, and storytelling, Samson has also made significant contributions to the legal and broader community. He served as President of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC (FACL BC), where he expanded mentorship programs, promoted equity and diversity, and led initiatives like the documentary “But I Look Like a Lawyer.” He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, providing governance and strategic leadership. Fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, Samson exemplifies leadership, innovation, and dedication to advancing the legal profession.

Melanie de Wit

Chief Legal Officer
Unity Health Toronto

At Unity Health Toronto, Chief Legal Officer Melanie de Wit and her team have redefined the role of legal counsel in healthcare innovation. Melanie pioneered a cross-disciplinary AI governance framework covering design, development, deployment, and monitoring, ensuring AI tools are compliant, ethical, and deliver measurable patient benefits. This approach contributed to the success of ChartWatch, an AI-enabled clinical tool that reduced unexpected inpatient mortality by 25%.

In 2022, they launched Canada’s first public-private collaboration to scale Toronto-made AI tools nationwide and into the U.S., creating novel legal and governance models that safeguard privacy, transparency, and accountability. Melanie’s influence, in particular, extends across the profession as a sought-after speaker, Chair of the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network Legal Table, and award-winning educator at the University of Toronto.

Melanie and her team exemplify how legal departments can strategically enable innovation that aligns with organizational mission and transforms patient outcomes.

Beneva

The Legal & Corporate Services Executive Vice-Presidency at Beneva brings together 125 professionals across Quebec City, Montreal, and Mississauga to deliver integrated legal, compliance, governance, and corporate services. In 2024, the team created a dedicated Privacy Office and compliance function embedding Privacy by Design, implemented an advanced legislative watch process to anticipate regulatory shifts, and merged legal affairs and litigation to improve strategy coherence while handling more files in-house. They also established a Corporate Affairs group uniting governance, transactional, and government relations expertise, strengthened the Code of Ethics and conflict-of-interest controls, and launched a Centre of Excellence in Fraud Prevention that successfully curbed threats involving deepfake technology.

In 2025, the team assumed a central role in Beneva’s complex merger with Gore Mutual, managing regulatory, governance, and legislative processes. Grounded in collaboration, ethics, and innovation, the department has transformed into a strategic driver of organizational performance and resilience.