Karl Tabbakh, McCarthy Tétrault’s regional managing partner for Quebec, took over as the new chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce this week. He is the first immigrant to Canada ever to hold the position at the organization that represents 450 chambers across the country.

Tabbakh, who immigrated to Canada from Syria and whose parents were shopkeepers both there and in Canada, is also co-leader of McCarthy’s international and business strategy and is a corporate lawyer and strategic adviser focused on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, securities and capital markets. He’s been involved with many high-profile transactions in Canada, the Middle East and globally.