CIBC’s Atoosa Mahdavian on inspiring the next generation of leaders

As a first-generation immigrant woman and the first person in her family to go to law school, Atoosa Mahdavian is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion. In addition to her role as senior litigation counsel at CIBC, she also co-founded two groups to lift up and empower other Iranian Canadian professionals, and inspire the next generation of leaders.

“We all have a part to play to make the legal profession more diverse, more inclusive and more accessible,” says Mahdavian.

In 2002 she co-founded Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals through which she has mentored many students and young lawyers.

More recently, in 2018 Mahdavian co-founded Yara Leadership Society, a non-profit organization that strives to highlight the success stories of Iranian Canadian leaders – with a particular focus on women. Giving back to the profession and paying it forward are important to Mahdavian.

“By sharing these success stories not only does it help lift the community as a whole but more importantly, this network of role models that we have created helps inspire the next generation of young leaders,” says Mahdavian, who was called to the Ontario Bar 25 years ago. “I would say Yara is one of the initiatives I am most proud of. With everything that is currently going on in Iran – a revolution led by the fierce and fearless women who are fighting for basic human rights not only for themselves but all minorities – it is especially important to highlight the incredible strength and leadership being displayed by women and girls and to stand in solidarity with them,” she adds.

Mahdavian immigrated from Iran to Montreal with her family in 1984 and graduated from law school at Ottawa University in 1995.

She moved to Toronto as an articling student, and later joined a commercial litigation boutique firm. This led to a role in the litigation group at Aird & Berlis LLP where she worked on complex commercial litigation cases.

After 13 years at the firm, Mahdavian decided to go out on her as a sole practitioner, which allowed her to take clients on her own terms while maintaining the flexibility that she needed to be more present for her children, However, it was not without challenges.

“Not knowing where the next file is going to come from, and not having the infrastructure that you are used to at a bigger firm – knowing that it all depends entirely on you – can be scary,” she says. “The thing is, we cannot let fear dictate our decisions. We have to be resilient and welcome growth opportunities. Even when we feel doubt, we have to believe in ourselves but also be wiling to ask for help.”

After six years on her own, Mahdavian made the choice to close her practice and take on a new opportunity in the legal department at CIBC in February, 2022. As senior litigation counsel, Mahdavian works with the rest of the bank’s small litigation team in partnership with the business to identify potential issues and find feasible business solutions. They strive to offer timely advice to support business goals.

Reflecting on her career path, Mahdavian notes that she has had many highs and lows along the way, but she always finds a way forward.

“It is how we respond to challenges in life and our ability to pivot that shape us and the lessons we draw from life events is what sets us on the path we were meant to be on,” she says.