Week 11 Guest Speaker – Sheridan Scott

Joining us this week will be Sheridan Scott who I have had the privilege of knowing from more years then either of us care to reflect on, dating back to appearing before Sheridan when she was CRTC counsel. Sheridan grew up in Vancouver moving to Toronto when she was in High School, then on to Montreal and Ottawa before returning to B.C. to do her law degree at UVIC.  Sheridan will be speaking on the nexus points of politics, policy & law as applied to some current issues relevant to video-games.

Sheridan is a Partner with Bennett Jones and is in the firm’s Ottawa office. From the Bennett Jones website:

“Sheridan Scott is co-chair of the firm’s competition and antitrust practice. She assists clients in competition matters within Canada and with competition-related public policy initiatives. She also advises clients on communications law matters.

Sheridan was Canada’s Commissioner of Competition from 2004 to 2009. As the head of the Competition Bureau, she administered and enforced the Competition Act and oversaw the development of comprehensive amendments to the Act that were passed in 2009. Internationally, Sheridan led the Bureau’s participation at the International Competition Network and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among others. She was elected chair of the ICN Steering Group, assuming leadership in early 2007.

In 2008, Sheridan received a special recognition award from the Canadian New Media Awards for her contributions to the new media industry. In 2005, she was named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Victoria.

Prior to her appointment with the Competition Bureau, Sheridan was Chief Regulatory Officer of Bell Canada, where she was responsible for overseeing all activities involving the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Copyright Board and the Competition Bureau on behalf of Bell Canada, Bell Mobility and Bell ExpressVu. Sheridan previously held senior positions with the CBC and the CRTC. She clerked under Chief Justice Bora Laskin at the Supreme Court of Canada on the completion of her law degree.

In addition to her practice, she is a member of the Editorial Board of Competition Law International, the International Bar Association’s journal dedicated to antitrust law and policy. She is also vice-chair of the International Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law.

Within the community, Sheridan is involved in a number of organizations, such as Opera Lyra Ottawa and the Leadership Giving Committee of the United Way. In 2009, she was elected an Honorary Member of the Media Awareness Network, a non-profit organization that develops and promotes media and digital literacy programs. In 2012, Sheridan was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.”

jon