Join us for a unique conversation with Tricia Smith, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee. Tricia is a highly respected leader, lawyer, businesswoman and athlete. She is a four-time Olympian and Olympic medalist, seven-time World Championship medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

In this fireside chat moderated by Morgan Fowler, Director of Professional Development at Richards Buell Sutton LLP, BCLMA members will hear Tricia share why sport matters, the role it plays in building strong healthy individuals, communities and nations, and how her experiences in sport translate into practical insights and lessons on performance, leadership and governance for legal organizations.

11:50 am   Registration & Lunch
12:20 pm   Speaker & Q & A

: Tricia Smith grew up in Vancouver in an athletic family and first competed in swimming before taking up rowing at the age of 17. She is a four-time Olympian and Olympic medalist, seven-time World Championship medalist, and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, all achieved while pursuing her studies. During her career as a lawyer and businesswomen in Vancouver, Tricia also assumed groundbreaking leadership roles with numerous sport organizations, becoming the first Canadian elected to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (“ICAS”) in Lausanne and the first Canadian elected to leadership and subsequently as Vice President of her sport’s International Federation.

Since 2015 she has been President of the Canadian Olympic Committee and along with ICAS, is currently a member of the Executive Committees of the Association of National Olympic Committees, Panam Sports Association as well as being an International Olympic Committee Member. She has always loved the magic of the Olympic Games and believes in the role sport can play in building strong healthy individuals, communities and nations. Accordingly, over several decades of exemplary volunteer work she has tried, in all her roles, to help build a world of integrity and respect and a world where sport is safe, welcoming, well governed and fun.

Tricia is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and has received Honorary Doctorates of Law from the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario. She is also a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder, and as an athlete, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

In addition to numerous athletic awards, Smith has been recognized by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Society as one of the “Most Influential Women in Sport” and she has received the “In Her Footsteps” Award from the BC Sports Hall of Fame for leadership in women’s sport. She has been recognized on the list of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.

Morgan Fowler, serves as the firm’s Director of Professional Development and Counsel. She leads the associate, summer student and articling student programs. This encompasses recruitment, training, mentorship, performance management, wellness and ongoing professional development.

Morgan is deeply committed to working with the firm’s students and lawyers to identify and achieve their unique professional goals, seek out opportunities, practice with purpose and excellence, and empower them to build fulfilling and impactful legal careers and teams.