ACC announces new directors and officers of its 2019 board of directors. BMO Financial Group General Counsel Simon Fish will serve as Chairman of the Board.
WASHINGTON (October 22, 2018) — The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), a global legal association representing more than 45,000 members in 85 countries, today named the 2019 officers and newly elected members of the global board of directors.
The 2019 officers are:
- Chair: Simon A. Fish, executive vice president & general counsel, BMO Financial Group (Canada)
- Vice Chair: Anneliese Reinhold, general counsel & senior vice president regulatory affairs, du (United Arab Emirates)
- Secretary: Alan K. Tse, global general counsel, Jones Lang LaSalle (USA)
- Treasurer: Jo Anne Schwendinger, general counsel & secretary, II-VI Incorporated (USA)
Mr. Fish is responsible for BMO's legal, regulatory and compliance affairs. This includes corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and banking regulation, and complex litigation. He is also responsible for the bank's ethics, ombudsman, sustainability, and investigations functions. He serves as adviser to the chair of the board of directors and is a member of the bank's executive committee. He chairs the bank's reputation risk committee, and the environmental, social and corporate governance committee. He also serves as BMO's executive diversity champion and serves on the boards of a number of non-profit and charitable organizations.
"Simon has not only made significant contributions to BMO, as an agent for change, he has made a significant impact on the legal profession generally," said Veta T. Richardson, ACC president and CEO. "He doesn't wait for opportunities to present themselves, he creates them. We look forward to his leadership and advocacy on behalf of the in-house bar."
As chair, Mr. Fish will work towards setting standards for professional education and accreditation, promoting the function of the chief legal officer and inside-counsel generally, and continuing the ACC's global expansion with a particular focus on Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
"It's an important time for us at ACC. We have a compelling strategy to advance the global inside-counsel bar focused on our members and the ways we can help them achieve their professional and business goals," said Mr. Fish. "I look forward to working with the ACC board and leadership to continue positioning the association for success."
In addition, newly appointed directors of the global board of directors are:
- Adrian Goss, general counsel, Bauer Media (Australia)
- Lily Hughes, senior vice president, chief legal officer & corporate secretary, Public Storage (USA)
- Tracy Preston, senior vice president & general counsel, Neiman Marcus (USA) · Naveen Raju, general counsel & executive vice president, Mahindra and Mahindra Limited (India)
- Maria Varsellona, chief legal officer, Nokia Oyj (Finland)
"We are pleased to welcome our most globally diverse class of leaders to date," said Ms. Richardson. "The breadth and depth of perspectives offered by the 2019 board of directors will greatly enhance ACC's ability to serve in-house counsel around the world."
For a complete list of ACC's board leadership, visit www.acc.com/aboutacc/leadership.
About ACC: The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is a global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other organizations through information, education, networking, and advocacy. With more than 45,000 members in 85 countries employed by over 10,000 organizations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel.® For more information, visit www.acc.com and follow ACC on Twitter: @ACCinhouse.