Leadership Profile

Bill Laidlaw

Executive Director
Canadian Assistive Devices Association

Bill is an experienced business executive with an extensive background in both business and not-for-profit association management.

Prior to joining CADA, Bill developed a wealth of education, human resource management, public affairs experience and general management experience with companies such as The Bay, Royal Trust, Rogers Communications, Paul Revere Life Insurance and Glaxo Canada. During his ten years as Director of Government Relations with GlaxoWellcome Inc., Bill was instrumental in growing the company’s public affairs function into one of the leaders of the pharmaceutical industry. In 1998, Bill received the industry’s President’s Award for leading the successful industry lobby to bring changes to Canada’s intellectual property protection for brand name pharmaceuticals.

Bill moved into the world of not-for-profit and association management in 2000, serving as Chief Executive Officer for St. John Ambulance in Ontario. In 2003 Bill then opened his own consulting firm called Parkelaw Inc. where he worked with such clients as the Ontario Hospital Association, R X and D, the Petroleum Products Institute, the Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Association, Verity International and CNIB. Bill then returned to association management first as Executive Director of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association and then the Biotechnology Initiative at Toronto’s Mars Centre.

His volunteer activities have included being Chair and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, President of the Empire Club of Canada, President of the Metropolitan Toronto Lung Association, and sitting on several Boards, including the Queensway General Hospital, the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Public Affairs Association of Canada.

Bill is an experienced fundraiser, having worked on numerous campaigns for hospitals, universities and other not-for-profit organizations. In 1992, he was awarded the Arbour award from the University of Toronto for his volunteer fund development work at the university.

Bill holds his Honours BA in History, a Bachelor’s in Education from Queen’s University, his Masters in Education from the University of Toronto, and has done graduate studies leading to a Masters degree in history at Queen’s University. Bill is also a Certified Human Resources Professional.

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