A Conversation That Matters with Carol Baird Ellan

Episode 37 Carol Baird Ellan - Past Chief Judge Provincial Court of BC

The leadership path for women

This week’s Conversation That Matters features Carol Baird Ellan the Chief Judge of the British Columbia Provincial Court (2000 - 2005) on overcoming the obstacles women face in seeking leadership roles.

Baird Ellan says the path women must navigate includes family, societal views and expectations and a lack of appropriate mentoring. She points out that in her career she was encouraged to strive for success, was supported by her family but wasn’t never mentored in the realm of commerce and finance. As a result she says she focused on aspects of her career at one of the city’s major law firms without an appreciation for business development.

Eventually she her climb stalled. She says, “it’s important to know the overall logistics of the firm. I excelled at making clients happy but I was taken to task for not doing enough client development, for not seeing the bigger picture of the firm and where it wanted to go. As a result I did  well in one area but I wasn’t viewed as partnership material.”

Join veteran broadcaster Stuart McNish for this important and engaging Conversation that Matters. on The Vancouver Sun website. Each week McNish explores the most important issues shaping the future of B.C.  Please become a subscriber and support the production of the program at www.conversationsthatmatter.tv