Canadian Lawyer InHouse

23 canadianLawyErmag.com/inhousE august 2014 The Keg Steakhouse & Bar might be best known for its tender steaks and slow-roasted prime rib, but it's also being recognized for its work in risk management. Since 2006, Catherine Chow has been The Keg's sole in-house counsel, responsible for the management of legal matters in more than 100 locations across North America. Together with a hand-picked network of external counsel, Chow navigates the risks presented by the business ac- tivities of the stakeholders she interacts with on a daily basis. The Keg's legal department is responsible for managing a full portfolio of legal activities includ- ing real estate and leasing, new business develop- ment, franchising, fi nancing, insurance, licensing, litigation, corporate compliance, trademarks, and material contracts. In 2013, The Keg made a decision to consoli- date all of its insurance under a single carrier, and Chow led the negotiations for its corporate and franchised locations across Canada and the U.S. Building upon The Keg's existing risk manage- ment program, Chow initiated the development of a company-wide risk management web page, allowing the company to inform, educate, and en- gage all levels of employees, managers, and fran- chisees to take an active role in creating a safer workplace. As a result, the company expects to enhance and measure its guest and employee experiences through proactive risk controls and best practices to reduce insurance claims. This proactive ap- proach has led to a better overall quality of op- erations, and has also allowed the company to ne- gotiate signifi cant improvements to its insurance program, contributing directly to the bottom line. "We selected Catherine Chow and The Keg, as she clearly met the award criteria of taking a lead role in a risk management initiative at The Keg. Ms. Chow initiated a company-wide risk man- agement web page for all employees and over 100 franchisees to create safer workplaces," says Dor- othy Quann, general counsel with Xerox Canada, who judged this category along with Simon Fish, EVP and general counsel of BMO, and Fernando Garcia, general counsel of Nissan Canada. "The jury was impressed that this web program has had measurable results with an improved record of risk control and a reduction in insurance claims," says Quann. The Keg views risk management as a contin- uum of best practices that leads to better guest experiences and workplaces. Fewer accidents or inconveniences (such as injuries or equipment failure) and better risk planning make for effi ca- cious operations. THE KEG COOKS UP A SUCCESSFUL rISK MAnAGEMEnT STrATEGY BY VaWN HIMMELsBaCH the Keg views risk management as a continuum of best practices that leads to better guest experiences and workplaces. catEgory: Risk Management dEpartmEnt siZE: Small company: The Keg Catherine Chow director of legal services, The Keg. saNDRa stRaNgEMORE

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