Ellen Pekilis

Member — Public

Ellen Pekilis is a Board Member of the Council of the College of Optometrists of Ontario. She is a native of Montreal and graduated with her BA from the University of Toronto in 1987 and an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1989. The Council is responsible for regulating the profession of optometry in Ontario by setting policies to protect public health. Ellen is a member of five Board committees, including governance, licensing (registration), and quality assurance.

Ellen was previously General Counsel with CSA Group, where she was accountable for the delivery of a full range of legal services to global operations in 14 countries. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, she led an array of strategic initiatives including the development of the Code of Conduct, a revitalization of the Enterprise Risk Management Program, and the creation of new corporate values through leadership of a multi-stakeholder team. She was a core member of the Business Council on corporate strategy and the Standards Strategy team, as well as senior cross-functional teams responsible for global rebranding and customer service. Ellen led the legal team in numerous corporate acquisitions. She was recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel with its Value Challenge Award in 2014 for strategic alignment of legal services with corporate vision and mission.

Ellen was also the Executive Director of Energy Exchange, where she provided strategic leadership for the launch of a new initiative to spark learning about Canada’s energy systems. She is also an Activator with SheEO — a global initiative focused on advancing the economy via a unique financing model to empower innovative female entrepreneurs.

Ellen takes great pride in mentoring young lawyers and provides career mentoring to foreign-trained professionals through CultureLink. She is active in various charities focusing on literacy and adoption.