George Addy, a prominent figure in the legal and business realms, has a multifaceted career encompassing law, senior telecom executive roles, law enforcement, and strategic advisory positions. Currently as Chairman and CEO of Advacon Inc., a private advisory firm, he provides strategic, compliance, market conduct, and corporate development advice as well as government policy insights to Canadian and international clients across diverse sectors.
During his time at Canada’s Competition Bureau from 1989-1996, initially as head of the mergers branch and subsequently as agency head, (a position now called Commissioner of Competition), George was deeply involved with the enforcement of the Competition Act in both a domestic and international context. He also played a pivotal role in various bilateral and multilateral meetings with government representatives and agency heads around the world and with organizations such as BIAC/OECD. His expertise in competition and antitrust law is also exemplified by his speaking engagements, writings, and testimony before regulatory agencies and legislative bodies.
George seamlessly transitioned from public service to private practice and the corporate sector. While at TELUS, where he served as Executive Vice President & Chief General Counsel, he played a pivotal role in the company’s transformation from a provincial telecom firm to a national telecommunication and internet services provider while having corporate functional responsibility for a host of areas including among others HR, law, compliance, marketing, and government relations.
As lead Partner of the Competition and Foreign Investment Review group Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, his practice covered a spectrum of competition law and foreign investment matters including cartels, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and abuse of dominance. George was deeply involved in high-profile and complex client matters, particularly in sectors like internet, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, film exhibition, retail food, real estate, professional services, private equity, investment firms, financial services, and the airline sector. His influence extended beyond legal realms such as regulatory policy matters related to the communications and technology industries.
George’s involvement in various boards further underscores his commitment to corporate governance and policy. From being a founding Board member of the TELUS Business Centre at the University of Alberta and the Board of the TELUS Community Foundation, he has consistently contributed to the corporate and social responsibility initiatives of many organizations. He was also one of the longest serving members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Currently he is Vice-Chair of the Accounting Standards Oversight Council established by the Chartered Professional Accountants Association of Canada to provide independent oversight of the operations of the Accounting Standards Board and the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board as they develop accounting standards governing financial reporting in the private and public sectors respectively. He also chairs the AcSOC Nominations and Governance Committee and is a member of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board Implementation Committee, a committee charged with designing the structure and operations of, and appointments to, the recently launched CSSB. George is also a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council.
His experience extends to academia as a lecturer at the University of Ottawa and a guest lecturer at the Rotman Business School MBA class. George has also made significant contributions to legal literature, co-authoring the 8 volume “Competition Law Service” (Thomson Reuters), and a government sponsored study of emerging international approaches at the intersection of competition and patent law regimes.
George Addy is based in Ottawa. His proficiency in English and French, his testimony before legislative committees and regulatory agencies, and his frequent speaking engagements globally underscore his influence in the legal and business spheres. His extensive and diverse career positions him as a leader at the intersection of law, business, and strategic advisory services.