www.worldsleaders.com Vol.

10 | Issue 11 | October 2023

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 Inuential Women
Leaders to Watch in 2023

Inuencing 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 Jennifer oversees three office locations, advertises the
and gender parity in leadership and decision-making are business and its services, hires and retains team
being acknowledged more and more in all aspects of members, handles human resources, schedules
society. Women continue to account for a negligible colleagues, and maintains her own caseload as a top
portion of decision-makers in politics, industry, and litigator. Her favorite part of her day is seeing her staff
society. work together to please customers and boost J. Donovan
Law Group's reputation as the go-to law company. She
Businesses with stronger gender diversity on executive works hard to make the company a household name
teams are more likely to outperform the national average while ensuring it is synonymous with exceptional legal
because more women hold executive leadership services.
positions. “World's Most Influential Women Leaders to
Watch in 2023” is World's Leaders latest edition that Also, while you flip through the pages, don't forget to
features women leaders from various sectors which are read the articles created by our in-house editorial staff
thriving in leadership and leading with best practices and and industry experts.
creating their personal value and contribution to the
world.

The cover features Jennifer L. Donovan, Lead Counsel at Have a lovely read!
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

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10

Jennifer
Donovan
Leading the Way in Family Law Litigation
18 Elinor Stutz

22 Ina Behrendt

28 Inna Kuznetsova

32 Janet Schijns

36 Nita White-Ivy

40 Oksana Kolesnikova

46 Sabrina Khan

50 Tiffany MacKinnon

54 Yuliya Cruikshank
10 | October 2023
 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.

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14 | October 2023
From Pioneer to Trailblazer
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.
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,
2019, marking a significant
milestone in her career. She has
never looked back since, except to
reflect on her transformative
journey.
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.
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-
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.
Journey of Learning, Leadership,
and Authenticity
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
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.
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.
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.
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.

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Chief Human Resources Officer
BlackBerry

NITA WHITE-IVY
A Tech Savvy HR Leader with Extensive Work Experiences

36 | October 2023

O
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 Resources Officer 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 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 &
analytics, HR operations, support and
services, and strategic programs.
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.”
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.”
A Woman of Persistence
Nita was a single mom at a very
young age. Then, she was taking the
responsibility alone for the child, and
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.”
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
Nita states, “Challenges, setbacks,
roadblocks, and the lessons we learn
from them do make a person
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.
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
38 | October 2023
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
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
BlackBerry is delivering the next
generation of cloud-based, AI
cybersecurity solutions to address
today and tomorrow's cybersecurity
threats and ensure organizations of all
sizes remain safe
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.
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.”
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
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.”
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.”
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.”
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
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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