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Jennifer L. Donovan, Lead Counsel at J. Donovan Law Group, grace the cover of the renowned Worldu2019s Leaders Magazine as one of the World's Most Influential Women Leaders to Watch in 2023
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Vol. 10 | Issue 11 | October 2023 www.worldsleaders.com World’s Most Infuential Women Leaders to Watch in, 2023 Leading the Way in Family Law Litigation Jennifer Donovan Lead Counsel | J. Donovan Law Group
World's Most Inuential Women Leaders to Watch in 2023 Inuencing Authenticity If gender justice and equality, as well as economic, social, and political advancement for all, are to be promoted, women must be included as leaders and decision-makers at all levels. Ethics, vision, devotion, and tenacity in the face of adversity are all attributes that someone in a leadership position must possess. These qualities also serve as a substitute for the idea of leadership success. In the business world, the most trustworthy leadership is one which inspires people. Because women are effective change agents, diversity and gender parity in leadership and decision-making are being acknowledged more and more in all aspects of society. Women continue to account for a negligible portion of decision-makers in politics, industry, and society. Jennifer oversees three office locations, advertises the business and its services, hires and retains team members, handles human resources, schedules colleagues, and maintains her own caseload as a top litigator. Her favorite part of her day is seeing her staff work together to please customers and boost J. Donovan Law Group's reputation as the go-to law company. She works hard to make the company a household name while ensuring it is synonymous with exceptional legal services. Businesses with stronger gender diversity on executive teams are more likely to outperform the national average because more women hold executive leadership positions. “World's Most Influential Women Leaders to Watch in 2023” is World's Leaders latest edition that features women leaders from various sectors which are thriving in leadership and leading with best practices and creating their personal value and contribution to the world. Also, while you flip through the pages, don't forget to read the articles created by our in-house editorial staff and industry experts. Have a lovely read! The cover features Jennifer L. Donovan, Lead Counsel at J. Donovan Law Group, has been a member of the New Brunswick bar since 2005 and has nearly two decades of expertise focusing on family law litigation, primarily high conflict situations. She broadened her legal knowledge in 2019 by enrolling in mediation training at the Mediation Training Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
CREDIT PAGE Editor-in-Chief Steve Sanchez Managing Editor Jagdish Chincholikar Executive Editor Nicole Williams Assistant Editor Gayatri Bhujbal Art & Design Director Jack Anderson Business Development Manager Gloria Sanchez Business Development Executive Natalie, Jerrey Associate Designer Kevin Rust Digital Marketing Manager Victor Clarke Sales Manager Casey Simpson, Irfan Shekh Marketing Manager Tom Swann Technical Specialist Barry Jones Circulation Manager Danny Parker OCTOBER 2023 3296 Westerville Rd #250, Columbus, OH 43224, USA Copyright 2023 WORLD’S LEADERS Media Tech LLC, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from WORLD’S LEADERS Reprint rights remain solely with WORLD’S LEADERS. Follow us on :
Cov Sry 10 Jennifer Donovan Leading the Way in Family Law Litigation
18 Elinor Stutz 22 Ina Behrendt Inna Kuznetsova 28 Janet Schijns 32 Nita White-Ivy 36 40 Oksana Kolesnikova Sabrina Khan 46 50 Tiffany MacKinnon Yuliya Cruikshank 54
COVER STORY Jennifer Donovan Leading the Way in Family Law Litigation Jennifer L. Donovan, Lead Counsel at J. Donovan Law Group, has been a member of the New Brunswick bar since 2005 and has nearly two decades of expertise focusing on family law litigation, primarily high conflict situations. She broadened her legal knowledge in 2019 by enrolling in mediation training at the Mediation Training Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jennifer oversees three office locations, advertises the business and its services, hires and retains team members, handles human resources, schedules colleagues, and maintains her own caseload as a top litigator. The favorite part of her day is seeing her staff work together to please clients and boost J. Donovan Law Group's reputation as the go-to law firm. She works hard to make the company a household name while ensuring it is synonymous with exceptional legal services. worldsleaders.com | 11
The Firm J. Donovan Law Group operates as a boutique law firm owned and managed by Jennifer L. Donovan, a lawyer and mediator. The firm was established on January 2, 2019, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Subsequently, additional locations were opened in Miramichi on July 6, 2021, and in Saint Andrews on July 4, 2023. Within a span of less than five years, this all- female firm has expanded to three office locations and boasts a team of 22 highly skilled professionals who have garnered numerous accolades. They offer bilingual services and specialize in various areas including separation and divorce, mediation, immigration, business incorporation, Wills and Estates, probate, criminal defense, and real estate. The firm actively engages with the community by participating in charitable causes and community events, demonstrating their commitment to their hometowns and all of New Brunswick. Hiring J. Donovan Law Group as legal representation sends a strong message. Jennifer and her team have received several significant awards, including the Best Law Firm in New Brunswick in 2023 and 2022 by the Canadian Business Review Board Inc. They were also recognized as the Best Business in 2023 and 2022 by ThreeBest Rated. Jennifer herself was acknowledged as the Best Divorce Lawyer in 2023 and 2022 and Top Family Law Litigator in 2023 by Lawyers Monthly. Additionally, her team received recognition as one of the Top 10 Criminal Defense Lawyers in Fredericton in 2023. The firm's accomplishments range beyond legal expertise, with accolades such as the Platinum award for Best Estate Lawyers in 2022 by Community Votes Fredericton. They were also awarded Platinum for Best Immigration Lawyer and Lawyers in 2022, and Gold for Best Real Estate Law and Lawyers in 2022 by Community Votes Fredericton. The firm has consistently been recognized for their excellence, as demonstrated by their Platinum award for Best Lawyers in 2022 and 2021 by Community Votes Fredericton. Furthermore, Jennifer received the Pro Bono Award from the Canadian Bar Association in 2009. 12 | October 2023
Breaking Boundaries Jennifer has observed significant changes in the legal sector, particularly with the advent of remote work capabilities. Gone are the days when practicing law was restricted to the confines of a physical office. Thanks to advancements in technology and software, Jennifer now has the freedom to work from anywhere. She can effectively serve clients located in different parts of New Brunswick without being tethered to a specific desk. Whether it's from her home office or even while on the go, Jennifer can seamlessly provide legal services to clients across multiple locations, effortlessly bridging the geographical divide. worldsleaders.com | 13
From Pioneer to Trailblazer 2019, marking a significant milestone in her career. She has never looked back since, except to reflect on her transformative journey. performing associates, converting their connection into one that is collaborative and mutually beneficial. Jennifer is willing to change the firm's structure if required to achieve even greater success and to empower women lawyers to attain their full potential. Mentorship is important to her vision, and she actively works to change people's perceptions of what it takes to be a lawyer. In Jennifer's world, the practice of law is no longer confined to an exclusive "old boys' club." While currently focused on nurturing the existing locations, Jennifer also acknowledges the possibility of opening a fourth location when the opportune moment arises, further expanding the firm's reach and impact. Prior to the establishment of J. Donovan Law Group in January 2019, Jennifer had dedicated her entire legal career to working alongside male colleagues. She started her legal career as an articling student at Kenny & Murray, a male led firm in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She joined the firm as a partner in 2007, after only two years at the bar, and the firm was known at the time as Kenny Murray Digdon Donovan. However, due to the senior partner's sickness and subsequent retirement, the firm changed its name to Murray, Digdon & Donovan in 2012. Jennifer was the firm's sole female lawyer for approximately 11 years, overseeing a team of her own consisting of two to three professionals during that time. The founding of J. Donovan Law Group has provided Jennifer with the opportunity to redefine her practice, expand her areas of expertise, establish her unique brand, and embrace the freedom to wholeheartedly promote her authentic self. Vision for Growth and Empowerment at J. Donovan Law Group J. Donovan Law Group began operations in 2019 with three full- time employees and one part-time employee. In less than five years, the firm has grown significantly, with 21 full-time employees and two part-time employees. Jennifer diversified the firm's legal services by expanding its primary practice areas from just family law alone to include criminal defense, mediation and wills and estates. In addition, she successfully increased her real estate practice by 300%. Starting with just one associate, the business currently has four, three of whom are bilingual and can provide extensive legal services in both English and French. Journey of Learning, Leadership, and Authenticity In December 2017, Jennifer welcomed her first child into the world. Within two months after giving birth, she knew that she wanted to establish her own law firm and assemble a team that would help her expand her practice beyond her initial aspirations. Jennifer began on the journey of finding a suitable office location while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood with her six-month- old baby boy. In June/July 2018, she found the ideal location for her firm at 23 Avonlea Court in Fredericton. Jennifer's glamorous new offices were fully prepared for the firm's launch on January 2, Jennifer's passion to personal development and leadership is obvious in her approach to learning from other legal leaders from various regions. She aspires to comprehend the techniques and concepts that have contributed to the success of her legal idols by studying them. Jennifer continually monitors new developments in law firm technology and adopts those that meet the needs of J. Donovan Law Group. She also maintains a network of mentors, soliciting advice from prominent women in the area when necessary. Notably, Jennifer values learning from her own failures and using those Jennifer expects future growth for J. Donovan Law Group by expanding the team at each of the three locations. She hopes to build a partnership with the top- worldsleaders.com | 15
lessons to improve her skills as a lawyer and business owner. She has open channels of contact with her team, expressing genuine gratitude and patiently listening to their input, which she uses to improve the firm. Jennifer continues to improve and develop both personally and professionally as a result of these continual learning processes. Jennifer understands the need of humility and relatability, which are sometimes lacking in today's young leaders. Despite the joys and progress that come with success, she stays grounded by remembering her roots and the path that lead her to her current position. Maintaining a feeling of identity and authenticity is critical for developing and maintaining meaningful connections. Transforming Perceptions Jennifer uses the company's social media pages, which have approximately 15,000 followers on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, to improve people's perceptions of lawyers and divorce. She wants people to know without doubt that J. Donovan Law group is a bunch of compassionate professionals who are concerned about the satisfaction of their clients. Jennifer creates this impression by utilizing the firm's internet content. Throughout the year, the company also participates in charitable projects, actively giving back to the community. Jennifer uses social media to educate the public on many social and legal issues, allowing her to engage with a bigger audience across the province. Jennifer says that as a business owner and lawyer who appreciates referrals and an expanding client base, one of the finest compliments she can receive is when someone describes her as personable or refers to her as a fellow mother. Building a strong network and cultivating trusting relationships are critical to long-term success. The firm's messages stress the importance of acting promptly. Jennifer highlights that waiting to receive legal advice is pointless. J. Donovan Law Group offers appointments on the same day, next day, or within the same week. They understand that legal issues are time-sensitive and aim to ensure that people don't face unnecessary delays in getting the legal help they need. 16 | October 2023
Embracing the Future The greatest professional risk Jennifer has undertaken was leaving her 12-year partnership to establish her own law firm, especially considering she had recently become a mother and was caring for her young baby. It was the inspiration provided by her son that fueled her courage to take the leap and embrace the future without hesitation. Looking ahead, the next five years hold tremendous promise and excitement for J. Donovan Law Group. Jennifer is driven to accomplish even more, setting her sights on expanding the firm's immigration practice and engaging in more mediation services. She aims to empower her associates by offering them executive roles with increased responsibilities, encouraging their growth within the company. Jennifer is committed to challenging her team to reach new positions, even creating roles as necessary to accommodate their development. Additionally, she envisions establishing a robust referral program that offers attractive benefits and acknowledges those individuals or groups who refer clients to the firm. The future for J. Donovan Law Group is filled with opportunities for growth and success as Jennifer actively pursues her aspirations. worldsleaders.com | 17
Chief Human Resources Officer BlackBerry NITA WHITE-IVY A Tech Savvy HR Leader with Extensive Work Experiences 36 | October 2023
O analytics, HR operations, support and services, and strategic programs. being a new immigrant to the U.S. and living with the sole purpose to provide a good life for her son as a responsible parent. She set out her “to get the proper academic preparation” to be able to compete in the job market and qualify for a good job and pay. It was an unwavering goal for her to secure a stronger future for both of them (for her and her child.) The challenges of not having friends or family members to assist her, working full-time while going to school full-time, did not derail her from the goal. Nita considers that the reason she is thriving and feeling strengthened in the sector is because of being an active participant and contributor in a turn-around organization. BlackBerry is the third turn-around company that she had been fortunate to join. There is the ultimate reward and the sweetness of success when the company succeeds in achieving its transformation objectives. She deems, “Employee morale, performance and retention, recruitment of talent, and company stock price all get the positive boost just to name a few.” The Beginning Nita considers her entering the high technology industry as HR manager of professional employment and compensation for a notable mainframe computer company was the true beginning of her HR career. Prior to joining BlackBerry, Nita spent 15 years as the head of global HR with Sybase Inc., until it was acquired by SAP. She says, “We became part of SAP and I concurrently served as Chief People Officer for SuccessFactors (another SAP-acquired company) until I joined BlackBerry.” Operating an efficient business requires effective communication, a skilled workforce, and effective work culture. These all can be achieved by having a proficient HR team that is also responsible for moderating errors, increasing employee engagement, forming the foundation for better client relationships, stimulating innovation and creativity, and helping in building a positive culture. Meet Nita White-Ivy, Chief Human ResourcesOfficer at BlackBerry, who holds on experience in best-in-class global HR practices/management and interface with the compensation committee of company's board of directors mostly in the areas of officers' and board of directors' compensation, incentives, and benefits. At the beginning of her career, she was termed “the feisty” and “most productive recruiter” for developing and driving successful university relations and recruitment programs which accelerated recruitment of top- notch college graduates to fill engineering and development employment requisitions. Nita was also fortunate to be selected at that time as one of the high-potential employees for the company thereby receiving a promotion to the next grade every 15 to 18 months. She asserts, “It was my desire to be in high demand, energized, and forward-looking-industry and work environment. I always aspire to be where technology addresses current global requirements plus the foresight for the future.” For Nita, success is having a strong purpose to achieve with focus and perseverance, overcoming challenges, acknowledging any fear of failure, and managing it until the completion of what one sets out to accomplish. Thriving in Male-Dominated Sector At BlackBerry, Nita is responsible for leading the HR team to design and deliver global programs, initiatives, partnerships, solutions, and services in all facets of HR, to support the achievement of the company's operational goals and strategic objectives. This includes HR business partnerships, talent development, talent acquisition, total rewards, employee relations & compliance, DE&I, HRIS/HRIT & A Woman of Persistence Nita states, “Challenges, setbacks, roadblocks, and the lessons we learn from them do make a person Nita was a single mom at a very young age. Then, she was taking the responsibility alone for the child, and worldsleaders.com | 37
AWARDS stronger.” From her journey experiences, she points that as a woman, and a minority, entering the high-technology world and succeeding in it was most challenging, to say the least. needs/requirements: and. (3) Balance mind and heart when leading and developing your team members. Accept that there will be some failures and disappointments, but witnessing mentees grow, and blossom professionally are the precious rewards to savour. The Brand; BlackBerry in the last 20+ years has its own set of challenges. But they are just that - challenges to overcome and to navigate with purpose and determination for one to succeed and make a difference.” The biggest lessons of Nita's professional journey are: (1) Ability to juggle, prioritize and re-prioritize what needs to get done as days usually do not go as planned: (2) Understand, keep up to date, and deliver to the company's business Nita recalls that she worked doubly hard every step of the way, did her “homework” to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency, and earned professional respect accordingly. She asserts, “Being a corporate officer for three companies BlackBerry is delivering the next generation of cloud-based, AI cybersecurity solutions to address 38 | October 2023
today and tomorrow's cybersecurity threats and ensure organizations of all sizes remain safe trust it to secure their most sensitive information. “Each day begins by focusing on our customers first and being as responsive as possible to their secure communications needs.” employees and maintaining ongoing and close HR communication with the people leaders and employees. Furthermore, the team is also keeping abreast of local government and health authorities' directives/mandates and ensuring company compliance. BlackBerry is poised to extend this position by accelerating the adoption of emerging automotive connected services with its BlackBerry IVY platform, co-developed with AWS, as well as by expanding its footprint in safety-critical connected endpoints found in industries such as transportation, medical, manufacturing, and robotics. as well as by expanding its footprint in safety- critical connected endpoints found in industries such as transportation, medical, manufacturing, and robotics. Accountability: The teams are knowledgeable, fully engaged, and accountable. “By cultivating and rewarding individual passion, creativity, and achievement, we meet and exceed our commitments to our colleagues and the business.” As a Leader Nita sees herself as a 'tenacious' leader. Prioritizing, being resilient, and taking time to recharge including taking a 'mental health day off' is her mantra of having a balanced life. Teamwork and Mutual Respect: All employees work as one team, united behind the same goals, and always with respect for each other as professionals. “We have each other's backs and do whatever we can to support each other, including colleagues in other workgroups.” At the company, she keeps everyone motivate by having and sharing a common purpose and focus, maintaining ongoing communication and collaboration, and recognizing team members for their contribution and support of each other. She asserts, “I am committed to seeing, and be a part of, the completion of BlackBerry's successful turnaround.” The Roots of BlackBerry According to Nita, integrity and innovation are fully embedded in BlackBerry's core values, which are well communicated to its global employees and posted on the internal website as shown below. She says, “HR models these Core Values in everything that we do.” Ensuring the Company Leads with Best Work Practices The pandemic has altered the “normal” or regular workday. Nita leads the HR team to ensure the company delivers what is best practice in the industry in terms of programs, systems, processes, and policies to serve the business needs of the companies and in compliance with the employment laws of the countries where BlackBerry does business. She mentions that due to COVID-19, there is no “best-practice box” to draw from for HR practitioners to meet and solve the challenges, uncertainties, and issues each day brings. At this time, and until the teams return to a near- normal or normal company operation, she is leading the HR team in protecting the health and safety of A Note for Young Leaders “Have a sense of purpose that is strong enough for you to not yield to challenges, roadblocks, and setbacks, each of which carries a lesson to be learned for future reflection and draw from as a useful tool,” says Nita. She further suggests that do our best to achieve a balance between mind and heart. She thinks, “Applying emotional intelligence, especially in today's world of pandemic fatigue and mental stress, will connect you positively closer to your colleagues and customers. Innovation: The Company leads in its chosen markets by constantly innovating. “We learn equally from our successes and failures, and never rest on our laurels.” Integrity: The business is based on the trust customers place in BlackBerry to secure their most valuable information. “We conduct ourselves at the highest level of business ethics by complying with our internal controls and procedures.” Customer Focus: BlackBerry is successful because customers worldsleaders.com | 39
