Roger Watkiss
Roger Watkiss practices corporate-commercial law with an emphasis on technology and intellectual property matters. He advises on acquisitions and divestitures of businesses with a significant technology component, including those in the energy, ICT and mining industries. He also advises buyers and sellers of services and technology on licensing, outsourcing, construction and strategic alliance matters.
Roger has a long and distinguished career as both in-house counsel and as a corporate development executive in the telecom and real estate development industries. Immediately prior to joining Macleod Dixon LLP, Roger spent fifteen years with TELUS Corporation (Western Canada’s largest telecom company and number two in Canada with +C$7 Billion in annual revenues) in a variety of progressively senior roles, including Vice President, Strategy & Business Development. He served as part of the core team which “privatized” Alberta Government Telephones to form TELUS in 1990 (first tranche of C$875M) and also the team which successfully merged TELUS and BC TELECOM in 2000. Prior to TELUS, Roger served as Vice President & General Counsel of Hambledon Estates Limited, whose varied interests included ownership of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League, and as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Bowlen Holdings Ltd., a commercial real estate development company operating in Alberta, British Columbia, Arizona and California.
- Harvard Business School, Finance for Senior Executives, 1997
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Strategic Alliances Program, and Developing Ventures for Competitive Effectiveness, 1994
- Osgoode Hall Law School of York University LL.B., 1979
- University of Waterloo, B.A. (Economics), 1976
- Ontario, 1981
- Alberta, 1981
- Member, Law Society of Alberta, called to the Alberta Bar, 1981
- Member, Law Society of Upper Canada, Called to the Ontario Bar, 1981
- Member, Canadian Bar Association (IT & E-Commerce, Business, Corporate Counsel)
- Member, International Bar Association (IT & E-Commerce, Communications, Corporate Counsel)
- Member, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (Chairman - Northern AB, 1990-91; National Director, 1990-92)
- Member, Strategic Leadership Forum (Toronto)
- Member, Canadian IT Law Association
- Member, Toronto Computer Lawyers’ Group
- Member, Centre for Outsourcing Research and Education (CORE)
- Changes to Hours of Work and Averaging Agreements Under Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, In-House Counsel Bulletin - Macleod Dixon LLP, February, 2005
- The Increasing Importance of IT in Corporate Governance, Technology Enterprise Practice Group Report - Macleod Dixon LLP, September 2004
- Privilege and In-House Counsel – Don’t Lose It!, In-House Counsel Bulletin - Macleod Dixon LLP, June 2004
- Director, Woodbine Park Residents' Association
- Advisor, Company Program, Junior Achievement of Northern Alberta (1991-94)
- Founding Director, Friends of Elk Island National Park
- Sessional Instructor, Basic Banking & Business Program, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (1982-83)
