Fred Headon

Mr. Fred Headon is General Counsel, Labour and Employment Law, at Montreal-based Air Canada, and was the first in-house counsel to serve as President of the Canadian Bar Association and continues to serve as Chair of the CBA’s Legal Futures Initiative.

At Air Canada, Mr Headon leads a team of in-house lawyers, paralegals and support staff who are responsible for all aspects of labour and employment law, including administrative law, human rights, privacy and workplace health and safety matters. He also represents Air Canada in proceedings before various courts and tribunals and advises on matters ranging from collective bargaining to strategic corporate initiatives.

Prior to joining Air Canada, Mr. Headon worked in private practice in Montreal in the areas of labour, employment, human rights, privacy, and administrative law, as well as civil litigation. He has also taught Social Law and Administrative Law at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Rwanda.

Mr. Headon has served the Canadian Bar Association in a number of capacities, including as a member of its Canadian Corporate Counsel Association Board from 2007- 2012. His work with the CBA, and in particular, the Legal Futures Initiative, which he chairs, were cited by Canadian Lawyer magazine when it included him in its 2013 and 2015 list of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers.

Mr. Headon earned his LL.B. and B.C.L. degrees from McGill University in 1996 and his B.A. from the University of Winnipeg in 1992. He has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1997.

Mr. Fred Headon currently serves as Chair of the Human Resources Committee and as a member of the Committee on Sustainability and the Executive Committee.