Penny Collenette
LL.B (Ottawa), of the Bar of Ontario, Senior Fellow, Centre of Business and Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (2002-2004)
From classrooms to boardrooms, from the Prime Minister’s Office to the prestigious John F. Kennedy School of Government and now to our own University of Ottawa, Penny Collenette (www.pennycollenette.ca) has enjoyed a unique career. Her footprint spans the worlds of business, academia, politics and public policy allowing her to research, write and comment on issues of ethics, corporate responsibility, governance and leadership. She is well known as a media commentator and is active on social media @penottawa.
Penny, a lawyer, is currently Adjunct Professor, Common Law Faculty of the University of Ottawa where she has created two new law courses . “Whistleblowing: The Busy Intersection of Law and Ethics” and “A New International Corporate Reality: The Business of Human Rights”.
Past positions include Director of Appointments, Prime Minister’s Office (1993-1997). During her tenure, the number of federal female appointments rose over 10 percent in 4 years. She has also served as Vice President, Chairman’s Office, George Weston Ltd (1998-2002), Senior Fellow, Centre of Business and Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard (2002-2004) and Executive in Residence, Telfer School of Business, University of Ottawa (2002-2010). She was a Director of Holt, Renfrew for six years and was a founding Independent Director of an income trust fund.
Maclean’s magazine has called Penny one of Canada’s 50 Most Influential People. She has also been named as a Champion to the Top 100 Women list of the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and The International Alliance of Women. She was inducted into the Honour Roll of UOttawa’s Common Law in 2011 and has recently been awarded a 2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal.
She is a tireless community fundraiser , especially for causes relating to women and to those living with disabilities. She is currently appointed to a National Advisory Council to encourage youth electoral engagement and she is Executive VP of the Harvard Club of Ottawa. She has just completed three years on the Advisory Council of the Prosperity Fund and the National Committee of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards.
January 2013