Note: Maddy Toca is currently on leave. Please contact Anita McKernan in her absence .

Maddy Toca is Legal Counsel at Grand Challenges Canada, where she is responsible for negotiating and execution of Transition to Scale investment and seed grant transactions, as well as governance and compliance matters.

Prior to joining Grand Challenges Canada, Maddy spent time as in-house counsel at a global financial technology company, advising on issues related to privacy, technology and intellectual property. Maddy’s prior work in private practice centered on health law and civil litigation. Her experience also includes working on gender equality and socioeconomic rights issues in various roles, including working with the Adviser on Human Trafficking at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, where she monitored and assisted with the implementation of the OHCHR Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking.

Maddy holds a B.A. (Honours) from McGill University, and a J.D. from Queen’s University, where her team placed second in the Wilson Moot, a national moot court competition devoted to equality law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She is called to the Bar of Ontario. Maddy continues to contribute her time to causes both at home and abroad, currently serving on the Board of Directors of Skills for Change, a non-profit focused on building welcoming and equitable communities and employment opportunities for immigrants looking to enter the Ontario job market.