Canadian Lawyer InHouse

35 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE SEPTEMBER 2016 I t was Jocelyn Mackie and 12 others in the room. The 12 represented the federal government; Mackie represented Grand Challenges Canada, which would be heading toward a wind-down in early 2017 if she doesn't convince the government to sign a deal providing a $160-million funding agreement to support the organization's work in maternal, newborn and child health innovation. No pressure, right? Luckily, Mackie, vice president of operations, general counsel and corporate secretary for Grand Challenges Canada, thrives under pressure. Thanks to her top-notch negotiation skills, the orga- nization will continue its work of funding innovations with potential for big impact in global health. The government-funded organization has existed in Canada for seven years and funded some 700 innovations in 80 coun- tries since its launch in 2010. As of the end of 2015, GCC was looking for renewal funding and "had it not come in, we would have been winding down," says Mackie, a winner of this year's Innovatio Award for Tomorrow's Leaders, small legal departments. Mackie's nominator Peter Singer, the chief executive offi cer of Grand Chal- lenges Canada, said the agreement Mackie achieved was a complex one involving pro- grams affecting the entire organization. The agreement involved components af- fecting the entire organization, a 10-year budget with diffi cult cash fl ow scenarios and complex legal constraints relating to intel- lectual property and others. "Throughout the process Jocelyn engaged with our fi nance and program teams in an effi cient and effective manner so that all of our responses to the government were returned within two to three days, without the need for external legal support," Singer said. "Her approach was practical, effi cient and positive. It was a very complex process requiring many judgement calls in order to achieve the best possible result for our organization, while also maintaining a positive relationship with the government throughout." Mackie's negotiation also means instead of simply granting funds, the organization can now provide other forms of fi nancing to innovators such as loans and convertible debentures. "Jocelyn led the ambitious project of de- veloping convertible loan agreements that needed to bring together grant-like con- straints with a more commercial approach to appeal to private investors. In this nego- tiation, she worked with the government to achieve a result that was acceptable within their funding constraints but still achieved our common policy objective of providing more sustainable and commercial forms of funding," says Singer. Mackie also led the development of GCC's policy on "global access" which is about ensuring innovations will be made accessible, in terms of cost and availability, in the developing world. She does this by way of various legal mechanisms, including licence and distribution agreements. "The associate general counsel at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has com- mented that Jocelyn has led the develop- ment of global access to a new level," Singer said. "Jocelyn is recognized as a leader in global access policies in development inno- vation, which requires carefully balancing constraints on innovators to ensure global access with encouraging innovation and partnerships with the private sector." It was a complex but fascinating process, Mackie says, noting she drew on her strengths to get through the pressure of the process. "I've always been quite resilient," she says. "Resilience is a skill you're lucky to be born with but you also learn throughout your childhood and young adulthood. I think to be successful in any diffi cult, challenging, fast-paced environment (which ours cer- tainly is), you have to be resilient," she says. Called to the bar of Ontario in 2008 and to the New York State Bar in 2009, Mackie joined Grand Challenges Canada after working as an intellectual property and liti- gation lawyer at Gilbert LLP. Mackie offers secondments to legal counsel from external law fi rms, particularly in the area of IP, to help bring in innovative ways of doing le- gal work. This approach also meant she was able to test out a legal associate before bringing him on board full time this year. Singer praised her "participative, or dem- ocratic" style of leadership. Whenever she's unsure how to handle a personnel matter, Mackie says she tries to put herself in the shoes of the other person. "I rely incredibly on my team," she says. "When something goes wrong or we make mistakes, I imagine myself on [their] side and say, 'OK, I make mistakes; I make mis- takes all the time. How would I want to be talked to or how would I want my superior to help me through this?' As much as I can, I try to do that," she says. IH CATEGORY: Tomorrow's Leader DEPARTMENT SIZE: Small COMPANY: Grand Challenges Canada Jocelyn Mackie, vice president of operations, Grand Challenges Canada. Innovating for a healthier tomorrow By Yamri Taddese

• Cover