Canadian Lawyer InHouse

SEPTEMBER 2016 38 INHOUSE W hat happens when a company's legal department takes a proactive role in an area far outside its normal scope of business? Something pretty powerful, as it happens. Tania Tretiak, senior legal counsel and director of operations at Pfi zer Canada, along with two senior directors from other departments, spearheaded the creation of a program called the POWER Network. Pri- or to its formation over the last year, there was nothing like it at the company. POWER stands for Pfi zer Owning Women's Empowerment for Results, and the aim of the initiative is to develop female leaders. What started as a grassroots group of women has grown to a recognized net- work of senior leaders with a board struc- ture and governance rules. "The three main benefi ts of the program since launch is really an increase in aware- ness on the importance of diversity and di- versity of thought perspectives in decision- making," says Tretiak, who was team leader for the initiative and is currently president of the board of the network. The network, which offers a number of programs and learning events for Pfi zer employees, was offi cially registered as a lo- cal network under the company's U.S. Re- gional Women's Council. With the help of administrative assistant Gabriela Pedroso, the network has since been rolled out com- pany-wide. For the multi-national organization as a whole, diversity has been a targeted area of focus that has shifted locally and the fo- cus on the value of diverse perspectives has been recognized. The goals and vision of the POWER Network align with Pfi zer's corpo- rate strategy on diversity and inclusion and so far the program has been well received. Comprised of men and women from across all business areas of Pfi zer Canada, the program is open to anyone interested in developing leadership and competen- cies in the workplace, advancing business objectives, empowering and developing colleagues, creating and maintaining an inclusive culture, recognizing the benefi ts of diverse perspectives and what they bring to fi nancial performance and leveraging the important role women play as decision- makers in the marketplace. Tretiak's Montreal-based legal depart- ment has been critical in the development and ongoing performance of the network. Beyond being behind the push to create the network in the fi rst place, the legal depart- ment placed a high value on developing the department's female employees and to this end takes full advantage of what the POW- ER Network has to offer. All members of the legal department, from vice president to support staff, are members and actively participate in the network's different events and learning programs. Through their participation in these various events, the department has learned about the business and been able to strengthen their network with other col- leagues across business functions. This has improved its reputation as a business part- ner and facilitated important conversations. Since its launch, Pfi zer has seen a steady increase in membership growth through the hosting and promotion of events such as networking opportunities for col- leagues from different departments and levels; hosted development sessions such as "Successful Self-Promotion Strategies," "How to Read a P&L," "Taming Adrena- line — Sure-fi re Strategies for Overcoming Speaking Anxiety," and luncheon discus- sions with top female personalities such as Yolande James, a former Quebec politician and now media personality. "It has allowed colleagues to be exposed to new opportunities, which encourage refl ection on their career paths, and has created a network or an environment where colleagues can get together and share their ideas on leadership and development," Tretiak says. IH and ongoing perfor Beyond being behin CATEGORY: Diversity DEPARTMENT SIZE: Small COMPANY: Pfizer Canada L to R – Lori Barrett, Jonathan Cullen and Sylvie Perigny. Bringing POWER to Pfizer By Mallory Hendry PIERRECHARBONNEAU

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