General Counsel - Asset Owners

Patrice leads our global legal, compliance and corporate secretarial functions.

She is a seasoned business lawyer and advisor with deep experience in transactions, regulation, corporate governance and providing strategic counsel.

Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2015, Patrice spent over 22 years as a corporate lawyer in private practice at Torys LLP, a highly respected cross-border law firm, advising some of Canada’s largest public, private and government businesses in strategic mergers and acquisitions, financing and governance matters. In addition to being a practicing partner, she served on Torys’ executive management committee for several years.

Patrice holds a BA (Hons) from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Queen’s University. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

Patrice is an active member of the Advisory Council to the Dean of Queen’s University Law School.

Heather L. Traeger serves as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas – one of the largest public pension plans in the country with 1.9 million members and retirees and approximately $200 billion in trust assets.

Prior to joining TRS, she was a partner in the Financial Services Practice at O’Melveny & Myers LLP; served as Associate Counsel at the Investment Company Institute; and worked for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as Counsel to two Commissioners and Senior Counsel in the Division of Market Regulation.

Ms. Traeger serves on the board of the National Society of Compliance Professionals (NSCP) and the Association of Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni (ASECA). She is co-chair of the NSCP’s Regulatory Advisory Committee and serves on the FINRA National Adjudicatory Council. She also serves on the board of Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas.

Emma is Senior Forum Director and Financial Services Lead at Cambridge Executive Connections (CEC), a subsidiary of Cambridge Forums, Inc. Naturally curious and a lifelong learner, Emma has developed and managed a variety of meetings in both the profit and non-profit sectors. Before joining Cambridge, Emma was Assistant Vice President, Global Marketing at State Street in Canada, where she spent close to two decades of her career, offering her a great depth of knowledge and understanding of the financial and investment sectors. In Emma’s current role, she leads CEC’s Financial Services portfolio, including programs for institutional investors, banking, private funds, risk, and governance professionals.