Anu Nijhawan is a partner in and the co-Head of the Bennett Jones National Tax Group, based in the Calgary office. She provides client-centered and pro-active tax expertise to meet the needs of her clients in their most complex issues. She has extensive experience advising a diverse client base on the income tax aspects of corporate and partnership reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing transactions, and resource taxation issues. Her practice encompasses all aspects of income tax issues related to international structures for Canadian-based multinational corporations, on investments by non-residents in Canada, and on structuring cross-border acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and derivative transactions. Anu's practice also includes the incorporation of tax into Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies. In addition, a significant component of Anu's tax practice is devoted to structuring tax-effective employee and executive compensation programs, including cross-border and domestic stock option plans, phantom unit plans and employee stock purchase trusts.
Anu is continuously recognized as a leading corporate tax lawyer in national and international publications, including Best Lawyers in Canada, Canada Legal Lexpert Directory, Chambers Global and World Tax.
Anu has authored numerous articles and presents regularly at tax seminars and conferences on a variety of tax planning topics. Throughout the course of her career, she has taken on leadership roles within the tax community, including currently serving on the executive of the Joint Committee on Taxation, through which the Canadian Bar Association and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada interact with senior governmental officials in connection with current and proposed tax legislation. Anu is a former Governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation, and was the Chair of the Foundation's Conferences Committee. She also serves on Council for the Canadian branch of the International Fiscal Association and is a past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association's Southern Alberta Taxation Specialists section.
In addition to her practice, Anu is a member of the firm's Partnership Board and is involved with a variety of charitable and community organizations.