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Jun 04, 2017

Scotiabank picks next general counsel

Ian Arellano will succeed Deborah Alexander, who is retiring

Ian Arellano

Ian Arellano

Scotiabank has selected Ian Arellano to become its next general counsel as of January 2, 2018.

He will join Scotiabank as executive vice president of legal on September 5 and will work with Deborah Alexander, who has led the legal team as executive vice president and general counsel for 15 years, until her planned retirement at the end of 2017, according to the company.

Arellano will report directly to Scotiabank president and CEO Brian Porter and will lead the bank’s global legal affairs, corporate secretary and corporate governance office functions. He will also serve as a member of the bank’s operating committee and will chair the bank’s reputational risk and disclosure committees.

Arellano is at present a partner in the corporate transactions practice at Torys, where he is also co-head of the law firm’s international initiative. According to his Torys biography, he has extensive experience in M&A, joint ventures and strategic alliances, licensing and other contractual matters and is active in the mining and financial services industries.

‘We are very proud of Ian’s new role with Scotiabank. We will miss Ian, both for his contribution to the firm but also for his daily camaraderie and friendship…Scotiabank chose well. We know that Ian is very excited to begin this new phase of his career, and we wish him and Scotiabank all the best,’ Les Viner, Torys managing partner, says in a statement.

‘Ian is a highly talented legal expert and a seasoned global business adviser,’ Porter says in a statement. ‘He has worked closely with Scotiabank on many important transactions over the years, and brings a great familiarity with our global business model and key international markets.

‘Debbie is one of Canada’s most highly regarded securities lawyers, and her strategic guidance and counsel have been invaluable to Scotiabank during a period of monumental change in the banking industry. We are grateful that she has agreed to stay on at Scotiabank and to assist in this important transition.’

Ben Maiden

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...