International Women’s Day 2022
think: lift as you climb
Celebrating Women Leaders
Today, March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day.
Stewart McKelvey is invested in supporting women leading the practice of law, the Firm, the legal profession and our local communities.
That’s why, on March 1, we launched think: lift as you climb, a campaign celebrating a number of our women leaders. We asked women members of our executive team, Managing Partners, the Chair of our Women’s Initiative, and members of our Partnership Board to choose a word that defines what leadership means to them.
Women in leadership means something unique at Stewart McKelvey, and is an active and ongoing area of focus at all levels. A recent Partner Compensation Survey Report from the Canadian Bar Association reported that, on average, women comprise 30% of partners. At Stewart McKelvey, we exceed that number at 32%. We are members of the 30% Club of Canada – an organization committed to achieving 30% representation of all women on boards and C-suites globally. We are proud to say that we, again, exceed that statistic, with women making up 100% of our C-suite, and 50% of our Partnership Board, achieving gender parity.
Our focus on women’s leadership continues to be a driving force behind how we practice law, how we educate and mentor our lawyers, and how we do business. The Firm’s Women’s Initiative, known as The Libby Project, is a branch of our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion committee which is committed to providing a workplace culture of awareness, appreciation and respect. The Libby Project supports women lawyers in advancing to partnership, developing leadership skills and supports mentoring initiatives. The work of this group, and many other formal and informal mentoring channels, demonstrates a deep understanding of the importance of giving back to the profession and the Firm.
For our women leaders at all levels, leadership extends beyond the Firm and the profession, and into the communities and organizations they champion. These include community economic development agencies, sport, arts, heritage and cultural groups, diversity and inclusion initiatives, chambers of commerce and many more.
On International Women’s Day, it is with this continued focus on community leadership that Stewart McKelvey is pleased to support the following organizations focused on improving the lives of women, girls and their families in the Atlantic Region:
- Blooming House, Charlottetown
- Grace House, Fredericton
- YWCA Halifax
- YWCA Moncton
- The Learning Exchange (Women’s Empowerment Network), Saint John
- YWCA St. John’s