Carol Derk and Melinda Park Honoured by WXN
Toronto (November 23, 2017) — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) is pleased to announce that Carol Derk and Melinda Park have been named among Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN).
The Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards celebrate the professional achievements of strong female leaders across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. The Top 100 Awards are given to remarkable women in nine different categories.
A Top 100 Award winner in the CIBC Trailblazers & Trendsetters category, Ms. Derk is a partner in BLG’s Toronto office and National Leader of the Firm’s Derivatives Group and the Structured Products Group. She has demonstrated excellence in leadership and innovation at BLG, and is a role model and mentor to several women lawyers. She practises in the area of securities law, specializing in investment management funds. Ms. Derk works extensively for managers of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end investment funds and pooled funds, particularly in the area of new product development. She also practices in the digital currency asset space, advising investment funds that focus on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Ms. Derk is deeply committed to her community. She served for 10 years as a Director and Chair of a children’s performing arts group, she was a Founding Member of a liberal arts high school in Toronto, she served on the Board of Directors of a hospital focused on women’s health, and she is working with a group of women to establish the Canadian chapter of an organization that promotes and mentors women in the derivatives industry.
A Top 100 Award winner in the KPMG Professionals category, Ms. Park is a partner in the Securities and Capital Markets Group in BLG’s Calgary office. She is a highly respected leader and mentor at the Firm, having recently completed her term as Chair of the Partnership Board, the Firm’s highest governing body, becoming the first woman at BLG to hold the position. Ms. Park is Regional Group Manager for the Corporate & Capital Markets Group in Calgary, past Chair of the Firm’s Audit Committee, and was a member of the Partnership Board for six years. She has practiced securities and corporate law for over 20 years, with a focus on securities, corporate finance, corporate governance and commercial transactions. She primarily represents corporate clients on securities and corporate matters, including regulatory compliance, board and committee governance, mergers and acquisitions, going public in Canada and financings by way of prospectus and private placement offerings. Ms. Park also dedicates a considerable amount of time to community engagement, as Director of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association and serving as a Director on the board of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre that works to prevent and treat physical, emotional and sexual child abuse. She was also recently appointed to the Board of Governors of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
WXN creates and delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to support and recognize executive-minded women and their organizations in the pursuit of excellence in Canada and Ireland. The Top 100 Award winners will be celebrated on November 23, 2017, at a gala in Toronto.