Canadian Lawyer Spotlights Poonam Puri’s Career in Law

Davies affiliated scholar Poonam Puri, who gave the keynote address at Key Media’s Women in Law Leadership Forum on September 9, was recently featured in a Canadian Lawyer article about the many successes and challenges of her accomplished career.

An internationally recognized leader in corporate law and corporate governance, Poonam said the biggest change in those fields over the years is the “heightened expectation for corporations to be accountable to shareholders and other stakeholders.” She noted that shareholders and other stakeholders expect greater transparency and stronger commitments when it comes to how businesses address environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. She also said that “diversity in leadership and throughout the organization” is more critical now than ever before.

Poonam’s career initiatives include co-founding Osgoode’s Investor Protection Clinic in 2016, and, more recently, creating a model for a sovereign digital currency for Canada. She stressed the need for Canada to think seriously about a digital loonie in light of the decline in the use of physical cash, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also noted that the rise of private digital currencies poses a real threat to the sovereign’s control over money supply.

For women in the legal profession, Poonam advises taking advantage of every opportunity, “even if you don’t think you have 100 percent of the skills needed to do the job.”’

During her keynote address, she told attendees not to be afraid to raise their hand or try new things. Anything worth doing has a risk of being unsuccessful, she said, but it is much better than being on cruise control.