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34 www.canadianlawyermag.com FEATURE GC PROFILE that spans Canada, the US, and Mexico, driving economic growth and delivering environmental benefits. The legal department at CP often serves as a connector between other departments. They work hand in hand with other teams, including investor relations, finance, and HR/compensation, and they share ideas with these departments. Constructive tension among the teams can be beneficial, Hasham says. "We work collaboratively because we know we're part of a bigger CP family, so we are working for the good of the whole company," says Hasham. "We respectfully push each other on issues, and we chal- lenge each other. We give legal advice, but we're also looking at it through a business lens as well." "We always work on our management proxy circular that deals with our governance, compensation, and ESG practices, so I'm particularly proud of how the team has brought that together because we improve our product every year" During the pandemic, Canadian Pacific transitioned seamlessly to virtual meet- ings, including the annual general meeting and shareholder voting, and Hasham's team quickly adapted to technology such as Teams and Zoom. "Prior to 2020, nobody thought we would be able to do these things online, but it actually worked very smoothly and brought people closer together," he says. Hasham works with external counsel partners to help with some areas, including compliance and corporate governance, and for guidance on public-facing documents such as the annual proxy circular. "It's important to have the most current advice on continuous disclosures, whether it's on a proxy or an annual report, so those would be some of the times we would be relying on external advisors," says Hasham. Coaching has been a critical priority at CP for the past few years, so Hasham has focused on developing his leadership skills by coaching and motivating his team. "One of our philosophies has been empow- ering the team to do the work – to get the team to make decisions and not to be so direc- tive," says Hasham. "It has been particularly fun and interesting to see how people step up to challenges when you give them greater responsibilities." For the remainder of 2022, Hasham will focus on staying connected to and supporting the business. "I'm supporting the business in ongoing matters, including preparing for integration with Kansas City Southern, providing it gets regulatory approval," he says. "In terms of personal goals, I want to continue to grow as a leader, to see my team grow and to continue to support the areas of the business that I work with on a more holistic level. I am excited for the future." FACT FILE Emigrated from Uganda to Canada as a child Graduate of Western University's law school, 1995 Called to the Ontario Bar in 1997 Started his career as an articling student at Heenan Blaikie Joined Canadian Pacific in 2013 Sessional lecturer for corporate transactions course in Osgoode Hall LLM program, 2021 Member of Canadian Pacific's racial diversity council