Marisa Wyse, chief legal officer at Rogers Communications, helped orchestrate the company's $26 billion acquisition of Shaw Communications, an achievement recognized as the M&A Deal of the Year at the 2024 Canadian Law Awards. The deal was the largest acquisition in Canadian telecommunications history, and Wyse says it represented a transformative milestone for the industry.
“The award is in Rogers’ name, but it’s really a recognition of so much hard work and the relentless efforts of so many lawyers internally and externally,” she says.
The deal, announced in 2021, took two years to complete and required navigating regulatory and legal hurdles, including a challenge by Canada’s Competition Bureau. Wyse, who assumed her current role in February 2022, notes, “What’s remarkable about this deal is the wide range of lawyers involved – it had the corporate lawyers, the securities lawyers, the M&A lawyers, but then it also had the regulatory team…and the litigators.”
The transaction was also not simply about a single deal. “The Shaw deal included selling Freedom Mobile to Quebecor… So, groups of lawyers for three public companies were involved.” Her role required uniting these disparate teams. “From where I sat, it was about how do we coordinate all those folks? How do we make sure everybody’s rowing in the same direction?”
Wyse emphasizes that focus was critical. “We never wavered from the idea that this deal is going to get done. It’s the right deal for Canadians…it’s pro-competitive. We will get this deal done.” She underscores the challenges but notes the shared belief that the team would succeed: “There were some real challenges and really high-pressure moments, but we just stayed focused.”
Discussing the contributions of external service providers, Wyse reflects on their responsiveness and collaboration. “It didn’t feel like I was giving instructions; it felt as though we were all part of the same team,” she says. In her view, the providers who truly excelled were those who “really took the time to understand our business and why we make the decisions we do.”
Wyse leads a legal team of 60 professionals across Canada, managing a wide range of legal issues. She likens her department to “an in-house full-service law firm” with a broad range of expertise including employment, securities, media, and litigation. “People are surprised by the amount of knowledge and expertise that we have in-house,” she notes. The legal team’s work spans Rogers’ telecommunications and media businesses, as well as its sports and entertainment assets, reflecting the diversity of the company’s operations.
The rapidly evolving telecommunications industry poses unique challenges for her team, particularly around regulatory changes, privacy, and cybersecurity. “The ever-changing regulatory landscape is definitely one of the most significant challenges we face,” Wyse says. As Canadians become even more reliant on telecommunications, addressing these challenges requires constant vigilance and adaptation.
Wyse’s career trajectory reflects her willingness to embrace new opportunities and take calculated risks. Initially a tax lawyer at Rogers, she transitioned to leading the company’s M&A department before becoming chief legal officer. “Take a chance,” she advises aspiring lawyers. “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll make a change… Just take a new opportunity.” She credits her experience on the business side for sharpening her legal acumen. “What I learned from being on the business side of Rogers helps me every day in my current role.”
Beyond her work on transformative transactions, Wyse values the broader impact of legal collaboration. As a judge for the Canadian Law Awards, she says she has been “amazed by the…breadth of the submissions and the number of things that lawyers across the country…and legal departments are accomplishing that aren’t always visible.” For her, the awards process highlights the vital contributions of legal professionals nationwide.
Wyse’s leadership philosophy centers on collaboration and recognition. “The people on my team are my colleagues. They are fantastic individuals,” she says. She prioritizes mentorship and professional development, ensuring her team feels valued and empowered. “[It’s] important to me that folks recognize that I am privileged to sit in this chair, but I sure don’t do it alone.”
Nominations are now open and close on January 31 for the 2025 Canadian Law Awards. Judges do not vote in the categories in which they or their organization are finalists.