This week, Canadian Lawyer Magazine celebrated Canada’s most deserving legal professionals making immense contributions nationwide through their leadership in 2024, with the announcement of the 15th edition of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada. Joining the ranks of this prestigious group in the “Business” category is Allard Law Associate Professor and Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics Distinguished Fellow Dr. Carol Liao.
Dr. Liao is an Associate Professor at Allard Law and Principal Co-Investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative, dedicated to advancing director knowledge on the latest in climate science and fiduciary obligation. Her research focuses on corporate law and sustainability, climate governance, and social justice. An internationally respected and interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Liao has delivered over 175 invited talks around the world on sustainable business and has been featured and cited over 100 times in various TV, radio and news media on corporate governance, ESG and equity issues.
Joining the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at UBC Sauder in 2018 as its inaugural Distinguished Scholar and now Distinguished Fellow, Dr. Liao has been a tireless champion of sustainable business strategies and actions that address climate change and diversity in boardrooms.
"As businesses grapple with a warming climate and the net-zero transition, Carol’s innovative and forward-looking thinking has advanced long-overdue discussions around sustainability and the role of the corporate world,” said Nazma Lee, Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate Finance Legal Services at the BC Securities Commission, who nominated Dr. Liao for this honour. “But while her list of accomplishments and accolades is long, what truly distinguishes Carol is her humility and authenticity, along with the natural gift she has for connecting with, inspiring and amplifying those around her."
This recognition adds to Dr. Liao’s impressive list of honours within the field of responsible business, which also includes recognition as a recipient of Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business Award, the BCBusiness Women of the Year Award in the category of Equity and Inclusion Champion, and one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and Canada’s Clean50.
