Biography
Nadia provides strategic counsel to boards and senior leaders on complex transactions, governance, and organizational challenges. With more than 15 years of Canadian and international experience as a general counsel and former partner at a Toronto law firm, she combines legal expertise with practical business judgment. She helps organizations pursue opportunities, manage enterprise risk, and meet their responsibilities to diverse stakeholders.
A finalist for the 2025 Canadian General Counsel Award for Deal Maker of the Year, Nadia has advised on more than $5 billion in transactions, including Canada’s largest private REIT combination. Her experience spans investment management, mining, and real estate as well as international development, public institutions, charities and non-profits, and regulatory compliance.
Before joining Gilbert’s, she served as general counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at a high-growth alternative asset manager, developer, and private equity investment firm with more than $4 billion in assets under management. She developed and oversaw compliance frameworks for its investment fund manager, portfolio manager, and exempt market dealer activities, while leading legal, privacy, anti-money laundering, and governance functions. She built policies and processes that strengthened operations and supported institutional and international fundraising. She has also acted as corporate secretary and advised boards of public and private companies and investment funds.
In Geneva, Nadia led global legal and compliance functions for an international development organization operating in more than 22 countries. The organization forms part of a network dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations through health, education, microfinance, culture, and economic development. In Canada, she served as Director of Legal Affairs and Chief Privacy Officer for a network of private and publicly accountable institutions, including a charity co-founded with the Government of Canada.
Across these roles, she worked closely with leadership to shape how institutions operated, grew, and met their obligations within and across borders. Her remit extended from everyday legal and employment matters to organizational design, governance, risk management, and the stewardship of endowments and investments. She also negotiated partnerships with government and civil society organizations and brought sound judgment to sensitive reputational and diplomatic matters.
Nadia holds a BCom and JD and is admitted to the bars of Ontario and Massachusetts.
Committed to improving the lives of others, she contributes her time and expertise through pro bono work and community leadership. She sits on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Toronto, Groundswell International and a charity dedicated to operating and maintaining culturally sensitive cemeteries across Canada.