Larry Abele

CEO & Founder, Impact Cubed

Larry started his career at First Quadrant in 1996 working for Rob Arnott before joining Barclays Global Investors (now Blackrock) in the Advanced Active Strategies Research Group. His next role was at Deutsche Asset Management as Head of Quantitative Strategies, before founding Auriel Capital Management, a systematic macro and equity hedge fund. Larry brings advanced quantitative portfolio management expertise to sustainable investing via the founding of Impact Cubed. Larry holds a MPhil in Financial Economics from the University of Cambridge.

Béatrice Alain

Executive Director, Chantier de l'économie sociale

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Pierre-Luc Auclair

CEO, Construction Longer

Pierre-Luc Auclair, an engineer and certified PMP, serves as the CEO of Construction Longer, a Sherbrooke-based construction company. He joined the company in 2012 and assumed the role of CEO in January 2020. Under his leadership, Construction Longer became the first general contractor in Quebec to achieve B-Corp certification, reflecting his commitment to sustainable and responsible practices. Currently, he is pursuing an Executive MBA to further enhance his management and leadership skills. A rugby enthusiast, he incorporates the sport's team-oriented values into his managerial approach, emphasizing collaboration and teamwork. 

Grégoire Baillargeon

President, BMO Financial Group, Quebec & Vice Chair, BMO Climate Institute

Appointed President of BMO, Quebec and Vice Chair, BMO Capital Markets, in November 2022, Mr. Baillargeon has been with the Bank of Montreal since 2004. A trained lawyer working as a business banker for nearly 20 years, Grégoire has been actively involved in our community, including as past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Club of Montreal and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Finance Montréal’s Board of Governors. Grégoire also supports many organizations working to reduce social and economic inequality, including as a Board member for Centraide of Greater Montreal and Chair of the Board of academic perseverance organization Youth Fusion.

Passionate about the energy transition and the fight against climate change, Mr. Baillargeon recently joined the advisory board of Volt-age: Electrifying Society, a research program at Concordia University, and also serves on Carbon Removal Canada’s advisory board. Under his leadership, BMO became the first bank to join the Montréal Climate Partnership, as well as the launch of conVERTgence, two movements aimed at accelerating decarbonization and integrating sustainable business practices in the city.

Vincent Beaulieu

Head of Sustainable Investing, Public Markets, Fiera Capital

Vincent Beaulieu heads the Sustainable Investing practices for Fiera Public Markets. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing our Sustainable investing practices while implementing new approaches through collaboration with the investment teams. In addition, he is dedicated to educating our clients and employees in the principles of sustainable investing and ensuring that the firm complies with existing and future regulations as well as the evolving client’s expectations. 

Vincent has been with the firm since 2013 where he had held various roles of increasing responsibility at Fiera Capital within the risk management and CIO Office’s teams. 

Seif Belhani

Investment Managing Director, Energy efficiency and industrial decarbonization, Fondaction Asset Management

Seif Belhani has over 17 years of international experience as an operator and investor in the energy industry. As Investment Managing Director at Fondaction Asset Management, he oversees the financing and development of energy efficiency and industrial decarbonization projects, including those of SOFIAC. Convinced that impact finance will become the standard, he strives to demonstrate that these types of investments can deliver measurable financial and non-financial returns while catalyzing immediate, profound and lasting positive change. 

Seif’s work experience in marketing and research for major organizations in the energy industry, including Total and Mubadala Investment Company, as well as his Masters in Sustainability, prompted him to question the industry’s value chain. His belief that the status quo is socially and environmentally unsustainable led him to the Canadian venture capital ecosystem, where he carried out mandates at Teralys Capital before joining Amplify Capital as a partner. More recently, he supported Deep Sky’s founding team in developing Canada’s first carbon capture technology project. 

Seif holds an MSc in Management from HEC Paris and an MA in Sustainability from Harvard University. 

Caroline Bergeron

Senior Director, ESG Solutions & Impact, Innocap

Available in French only:

En tant que directrice principale, ESG et solutions d’impact, Caroline est responsable de l’offre en matière d’ESG et de solutions d’impact d’Innocap. Elle dirige et développe des initiatives stratégiques visant à aider les clients d’Innocap à investir du capital constructif afin de générer de la croissance tout en contribuant à un monde plus durable. Caroline vise à avoir un impact significatif sur les propriétaires et les gestionnaires d’actifs ainsi que sur toutes les parties prenantes de l’écosystème. 

Caroline était auparavant directrice principale du développement et des relations investisseurs chez Innocap. Dans ce rôle, elle a développé de solides partenariats avec les clients institutionnels d’Innocap, a dirigé pendant deux ans les efforts de développement des affaires d’Innocap en Europe et aux États-Unis et a été l’instigatrice de notre offre de produits ESG et de solutions d’impact. Elle a plus de 13 ans d’expérience dans le secteur de la finance. Caroline a commencé sa carrière chez Innocap en tant que conseillère juridique, où elle a participé à la conception et à la mise en place de plateformes de comptes gérés dédiées pour des investisseurs sophistiqués à l’échelle mondiale. Elle est titulaire d’un baccalauréat en droit de l’Université de Sherbrooke, d’une maîtrise en droit du commerce international (LL.M.) de Cape Town University (Afrique du Sud) ainsi que de la certification CAIA (analyste agréé en investissement alternatif) et Sustainable Investment Professional de l’Université Concordia. 

Wendy Berman

Chair, Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB)

Wendy brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in securities regulation, sustainable finance, litigation, and corporate governance. A former Vice-Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and most recently a partner and head of the national Securities Litigation Group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, she has long been a trusted voice in aligning financial markets with transparent, credible sustainability disclosures and in complex governance crises situations. She is a proven leader in navigating business and public interest matters and ensuring effective engagement with diverse parties. 

Nicholas Belliveau

Entrepreneur | Marketer | Speaker | Photographer

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Marc-André Blanchard

Executive Vice-President and Head of CDPQ Global and Global Head of Sustainability, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)

Mr. Blanchard is responsible for coordinating CDPQ’s international operations. He oversees CDPQ’s international offices, ensuring the organization’s positioning as an investment partner of choice. He also supports the international growth and development of Québec companies. In addition, he oversees the organization’s sustainability orientations and activities and leads CDPQ’s strategy to integrate ESG factors into all investment activities.  

Before joining CDPQ in September 2020, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York from 2016 to 2020.  Prior to that, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCarthy Tétrault, one of Canada’s leading law firms.  

Laurence Blandford

Vice President, Strategy Consulting, Climate Change and ESG; WSP

Laurence has led teams, projects and publications related to decarbonisation, climate risk, the design and delivery of climate finance, and carbon markets. Clients have included corporates, financial institutions, governments and non-governmental organizations. 

From 1997 to 2015, he worked as an executive, diplomat, and policymaker on international economic, financial, and environmental issues for the Government of Canada. His tenure included seven years on Canada’s international climate change team, first as a lead finance negotiator under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and then as the executive leading the design and delivery of a $1.2 billion portfolio of international climate finance, including large-scale blended finance vehicles and numerous bilateral technical cooperation projects, to support mitigation and adaptation action in developing countries. He also was involved in the provision of advice to the Government on a range of key environmental and economic policies.  

Laurence served as a representative of Canada’s Finance Ministry and Central Bank at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan from 2003 to 2007 and was a member of the policy team responsible for Canada’s engagement in the G7/8 Summit process, including during Canada’s Presidency in 2002, when he led a nation-wide consultation strategy on key issues to be addressed by the Summit. 

Laurence has an MBA from INSEAD and an Honours BA in Economics from Concordia University. 

Mathieu Bouchard

Vice President, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Deep Sky

Mathieu Bouchard cumulates over 20 years of public and private sector experience. A lawyer by training, he first practiced civil, commercial and constitutional litigation in Montreal. He next joined the federal government, first as Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, leading key political, economic, diplomatic and legal files, and then as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, focusing on COVID relief, modernizing the country’s digital policy and implementing the Indigenous Languages Act. After leaving the government, he worked at KPMG where he was regional lead for the energy and natural resources sectors as well as on a professional services initiative for Indigenous businesses and communities. He is now Vice President, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs (Québec) with Deep Sky, a Montreal-based carbon capture and sequestration startup that aims at removing gigatonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere to stop and ultimately reverse climate change.  

François Bourdon

Associate Director, Nordis Capital

Available in French only:

François est un investisseur et un responsable d’équipe d’investissement doté d’une vaste expérience dans de multiples classes d’actifs, allant des titres à revenu fixe et des actions aux stratégies de rendement absolu et de fonds spéculatifs. En tant qu’ancien chef des investissements d’une société de gestion d’actifs d’envergure internationale, il a développé des stratégies alternatives privées et publiques dans les domaines de l’immobilier, des infrastructures, de l’agriculture, des matières premières et de l’investissement à impact. Actuaire de formation, il aime toujours les chiffres mais au lieu de mesurer l’espérance de vie, il veut améliorer le monde par le biais des marchés financiers.

Mickael Brard

Cofounder, Coop Sens Climat

With 20 years of professional experience and a master’s degree in business administration, Mickael Brard has been working in the field of ecological transition since 2017. Initially focusing on sustainable mobility, he later shifted towards professional training and raising awareness about climate issues. He now specializes in climate risks and adaptation topics. 

Sylvain Carle

Member of the Executive Committee, CIVIC

For over 30 years, Sylvain Carle has been dedicated to emerging technologies, combining curiosity, passion, intuition, and ambition. He has developed his expertise at the intersection of technology, innovation, investment, and people. 

Advocating collaboration for the common good, he has been active in various private and community organizations. He is a pragmatic socialist who believes in technology's potential as a progressive force. 

As an investor in innovation that transforms industries, sectors, and regions, he humbly aspires to a future where technology is sustainable, equitable, and humanized, contributing positively to society and the environment. 

Maude Carmel

Actor, animator, author and content creator

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Graham Carr

President and Vice-Chancellor, Concordia University

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Jacques-A. Caussignac

Director, Customer Experience and Strategy, Chief Compliance, Clear Skies

Available in French only:

Avec plus de 26 ans d'expérience en tant que professionnel des marchés financiers, Jacques possède une expérience diversifiée couvrant plusieurs classes d'actifs et sous-industries. Après avoir travaillé en produits dérivés institutionnels chez RBC, il s'est tourné vers la gestion d'actifs, étant responsable de plus de 2 milliards de dollars chez Addenda Capital, où il gérait des investissements appariés aux passifs (LDI), le crédit et les produits structurés. En 2008, il a co-fondé AlphaFixe Capital, un leader en matière de gestion active des obligations, où il a occupé le poste de chef des risques. En 2016, il a rejoint le groupe TMX en tant que vice-président où il supervisait une équipe pancanadienne de design de produits couvrant les actions, les obligations, les dérivés et l'ESG. Il a également siégé pendant 4 ans en tant qu'administrateur indépendant chez Albecour, une société de production d'aluminium détenue par Investissement Québec. Jacques a entamé son parcours d'investissement responsable en tant que signataire des Principes pour l'Investissement Responsable (PRI) en 2011. Il est titulaire d'une maîtrise de HEC Montréal et d'un certificat d'enseignement de l'UQAM. 

Valérie Cecchini

CPA, Co-Founder and Partner, BOREALIS Global Asset Management

As a co-founder and partner at BOREALIS Global Asset Management, Valérie is at the forefront of 
sustainable finance in Quebec. She leads the province's first B Corp certified asset manager, where a 
commitment to both performance and purpose drives investment decisions.

Valérie's distinguished career in managing equity funds for major financial institutions has been 
recognized with numerous awards, including Quebec's Portfolio Manager of the Year and CPA Quebec 
Emeritus Award. 

As a committed leader and leveraging her deep understanding of integrating sustainability into 
investment strategies, Valerie actively shapes the financial stewardship of several key organizations. She 
chairs the Investment Committee and serves on the Board of the Foundation of Greater Montreal and
contributes her expertise to the investment committees of the HEC Endowment Fund, and Université 
Laval's pension funds, as well as the ESG advisory committee of Van Berkom Global Asset Management.
A recognized thought leader, Valérie frequently shares her expertise on sustainable finance and 
governance as a speaker and instructor, including at HEC Montréal's Executive Education. Her credentials 
include an MSc in Finance from HEC Montréal, the CFA and CPA designations, CFA ESG certificate, and 
groundbreaking achievements as Canada's first FSA-accredited portfolio manager (SASB).

Laurent-David Charbit

Co-Head of Private Equity Nature and Biodiversity, Tikehau Capital

Laurent David Charbit joined Tikehau Capital in 2022 and is co-leading the Regenerative Agriculture fund launched in partnership with Axa, Tikehau Capital and Unilever 

Before joining Tikehau Capital in London, Laurent-David spent 12 years at Unilever where he was leading the Implementation of the Sustainability agenda for the company as well as the overall Climate agenda strategy for Unilever. At Unilever, he also held various roles in Switzerland, Singapore and the Netherlands, in Procurement as VP Sustainable sourcing for Commodities & Ingredients, VP Procurement Indirect.  

He started his career in supply chain at Michelin in Hong Kong before joining McKinsey as a consultant working in retail and distribution. He also led supply chain and procurement at Albea a leading supplier of packaging to the Beauty sector. 

Benoit Chéron

Executive Director, ESG, KPMG Canada

Available in French only:

Benoit Chéron a rejoint KPMG en 2019 initialement en Islande et depuis 2022 au Canada. Il travaille au sein de l'équipe ESG & Transformation Finances KPMG au Canada, à Montréal, et sert des clients au Canada, en Islande, en Europe et en Amérique du Nord. Il est responsable, en particulier, du développement des services de durabilité pour les services financiers au Québec et de la transformation ESG de la Fonction finances au Canada. 

Il cumule plus de 20 ans d'expérience dans l'industrie de la gestion d'actifs, plus particulièrement dans les investissements alternatifs ainsi qu’en tant qu’auditeur. Avant de rejoindre KPMG, il a mené divers projets, allant de l'exécution de grandes transactions européennes de rachat d'entreprises à l'obtention d'autorisations réglementaires pour les gestionnaires de fonds, en passant par la création de la fonction de gestion des risques ou la mise en place de processus internes. Il a également siégé en tant que membre du conseil d'administration de plusieurs sociétés d’investissement. 

Adelaide Chiu

Vice President and Head of Responsible Investing, NEI Investments

Adelaide Chiu joined Aviso Wealth Inc. as NEI Investments’ Vice President, Head of Responsible Investing in 2022. She leads a team in developing and overseeing NEI’s responsible investing strategy, including its long-running stewardship program. She is the chair of NEI’s Responsible Investment Committee, as well as a member of the Asset Management Executive Committee. Prior to this role, Adelaide was a portfolio manager at one of Canada’s largest independent mutual fund companies, as well as at one of Canada’s largest pension plans. She brings over 25 years of portfolio management and investment research experience in Canadian and global markets. During this time, she was also involved with establishing the framework for integrating responsible investing into the investment process at both firms and has been a member of their Responsible and Sustainable Investing Committee. Adelaide has also worked in the investment banking division at BMO Nesbitt Burns, as well as at PwC, a global accounting consultancy firm.

Adelaide is a member of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) and board director of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA). She also is a member of the Technical Committee for Climate Engagement Canada and chair of the IFIC Responsible Investing/ESG Task Force.

She holds a CFA® charter, CPA (Chartered Accountant) designation, as well as the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) credential. Adelaide graduated from the University of Toronto, with a B. Comm (Hons).

Maya Colombani

Chief Sustainability & Human Rights Officer, L'Oréal Canada

Maya Colombani has been appointed Chief Sustainability and Human Rights Officer of L'Oréal Canada in April 2022. With an international career of over 20 years at L'Oréal, Maya is distinguished by a rich and comprehensive professional background. She began her career in France, working for leading design and advertising agencies such as Dragon Rouge, Publicis, and Euro RSCG. She then joined L'Oréal's Professional Products division in 2001. There, she held positions in operational marketing and DMI (Direction Marketing International), for Kérastase and L'Oréal Professionnel. She carried out assignments in India and in the Western Europe zone, before moving to Brazil in June 2010 where she worked in marketing functions. Since the end of 2016, she has been Director of Sustainable Development for Brazil. 

In this role, she profoundly transformed L’Oréal Brazil’s approach to sustainable development and human rights. She has implemented actions that inspired the L’Oréal Group and positioned L’Oréal Brazil as a national benchmark. L’Oréal Brazil is indeed regularly cited as an example and is used to fuel new reflections, both on environmental issues and on human rights issues, as well as with respect to the relations with the indigenous people of Brazil.  

Her projects have been rewarded by the best rankings such as Guia Exame 2017/2018/2019; recognized as the best company in climate change as well as biodiversity management; and has received the WEP gold award 2021 on women empowerment supported by ONU Women and Compact Global.  

In 2022, thanks to her strong inclusive social programs for indigenous and communities, the GLOBO recognized L’Oréal Brazil as “The company that makes the difference in term of inclusion and diversity.” 

In Canada, Maya Colombani is driving L’Oréal Canada’s sustainability transformation carried out within the framework of “L’Oréal For the Future.” Among strategic actions, she focused on decarbonation actions of the full value chain with 100% of renewable energy of all our site but also promoting circular economy practices as the ICIONRECYCLE CERTIFICATION. Building a more responsible consumption by promoting the refills categories and more transparency towards consumers is also at the center of her actions. 

Besides, Maya also worked on the implementation of different cleantech partnership with start-up as Evoco, water management and scaling up social impact with committed brands, fighting for example, any type of discrimination, street harassment and supporting families affected by cancer. 

Beyond the business transformation, she also commits to nature regeneration for forests as well as oceans, in the northwest territories with Tree Canada and British Colombia. All these projects are built hands in hands with Indigenous communities, merging the best of scientific knowledge with traditional ancestral wisdoms. 

Over the last year, as human right chief officer, Maya has been honored and grateful to work, hand in hand, with First Nations Executive Education propelled by Executive Education HEC Montréal a business school BY and FOR First Nations offering short qualifying university training programs in communities, online and in Montreal.  

Thanks to these impactful projects in Canada, earned her the prestigious “Canada’s Clean 50” award that "recognized the most impactful 50 individual LEADERs that have demonstrated measurable leadership in fighting climate change and helping Canada transition to a low-carbon economy."  

In April 2024, the French CCI in Canada also rewarded its team with the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Award, for all the initiatives implemented in sustainable development and social responsibility at L'Oréal Canada. 

In July 2024, Maya Colombani received the Top 25 ESG leadership 2024 award in Calgary, for her Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. 

Another important achievement for her is being named President of the “Positive Impact Club” of the French CCI in Canada, to have a positive impact on our society and reinforce the bond between France and Canada.  

Maya graduated from Reims Business School and completed an MBA semester of International Business Strategy in Victoria University, Australia. She now lives in Montreal, Québec, Canada with her family.  

John A. Cook

SVP, Portfolio manager, Team co-lead, Mackenzie Investments

John Cook is a Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, and Team Co-Lead with the Mackenzie Greenchip Team. 

John’s career in the investment industry began in 1991. He was President of Greenchip Financial Corp. since it was founded in 2007 and became part of Mackenzie Investments in 2021. Prior to Greenchip, John led corporate development at one of Canada’s largest innovation hubs. He has also held a number of executive positions at Canadian mutual fund companies. 

John holds a BA from Queen's University and the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation. 

Christopher Cote

Executive Director, MSCI Research, MSCI

Chris is the Americas lead for sector and thematic research at MSCI, where he leads work on the energy transition. Prior to joining MSCI, he advised clients on global energy-market fundamentals and pricing developments. Chris has extensive experience conducting energy and climate research. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University. 

Philippe Côté

Vice-President, Portfolio Management, Beutel Goodman

Available in French only:

Philippe possède 20 ans d’expérience en investissement. Il a accompagné des familles fortunées et des fonds publics dans leurs mandats de gestion, en intégrant notamment des considérations d’investissement responsable et en structurant des politiques de placement en matière d’ESG. De 2006 à 2022, il a contribué à bâtir une firme indépendante de gestion de grandes fortunes (multifamilly office) en tant qu’associé, gestionnaire de portefeuille et Vice-Président Recherche et Analyse. Suite à sa fusion avec un second groupe en avril 2022, il restera au sein de la nouvelle entité pour contribuer à la transition avant de rejoindre Beutel Goodman en décembre 2023. Aujourd’hui, Philippe est vice-président, Gestionnaire de portefeuille et fait partie de l’équipe de revenu fixe.   

Delia Cristea

Partner, Chief Operating Office and General Counsel, Power Sustainable

Delia Cristea is one of the founding partners of Power Sustainable. She is a Partner, Chief Operating Office and General Counsel and has worked closely with the leadership team in building the firm since its inception in 2019. She is also responsible for deepening the firm’s community impact and ecosystem building activities in the sustainable finance space. Prior to Power Sustainable, Delia worked as Assistant General Counsel for Power Corporation of Canada, as well as counsel for Power Energy Corporation, the renewable energy developer in the Power Corporation group. Prior to that, she was Associate at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in the Montreal and Toronto offices in the funds and M&A groups and served as in-house counsel with BCE Inc. Delia graduated with a gold medal from McGill Faculty of Law and holds a license in law and a Masters in European law from Sorbonne University in Paris. 

She is the Chair of Lawyers without Borders Canada. She is passionate about supporting the growth of the sustainability ecosystem both in Canada and abroad. She is the cofounder of Women in Climate Finance, a pan-Canadian organization that empowers women as changemakers in the climate finance ecosystem and, as such, received the Clean50 Project Award for climate leadership. 

Additionally, she acts as board member to organizations in sustainability and climate transition space, including Sustainable Finance Montreal; Cycle Momentum and the Concordia Volt-Age (Electrifying Society) Program; and as advisor to policy-oriented initiatives such as the Green Finance Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canada2020. 

Jeff Cyr

CEO, Raven Indigenous Outcomes Funds

Jeff is Métis and hails from the White Horse Plains area of Southern Manitoba, the traditional Buffalo Hunt staging grounds. For nearly 25 years, he has provided strategic leadership for Indigenous, not-for-profit, and government organizations. Recently, he was Vice-President of the Indigenous Innovation Initiative at Grand Challenges Canada and a guest lecturer at Oxford University in Social Finance. Jeff is a Managing Partner and founder Raven Indigenous Outcomes the first Indigenous-led and owned outcomes-based fund and the only outcomes fund in Canada. Jeff is also the co-founder of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, the only Indigenous-led and owned venture capital firm in 2018 and he also established the Raven Indigenous Impact Foundation in 2019. Jeff has helped create and implement the Community-Driven Outcomes Contract (a unique pay-for-success social finance model) and the Indigenous Solutions Lab process, which earned him an Ashoka Fellowship in 2019 and led to the establishment of the Outcomes Fund. He is currently a Board Member of the TIPP (The Table of Impact Investment Practitioners). Jeff is a proud husband and father of five and currently lives and works on unceded Algonquin lands in what is now known as Mont-Tremblant, QC. 

Louis Delorme

Principal, Amplify Capital

Louis Delorme is a Principal at Amplify Capital, an early-stage impact venture fund investing in climate, healthcare, and the future of work.  

Before joining Amplify, Louis worked in private investment structuring at CDPQ for over 5 years. Louis holds a BBA and a graduate specialized diploma (DESS) in accounting from HEC Montreal. Louis is both a CPA and a CFA Charterholder. 

Naomi Desai

Partner, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Profile summary​:

• Naomi focuses on helping clients—including philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, development institutions, banks (including multilateral development banks) institutional investors, NGOs, corporates, and private equity funds—deploy capital for impact toward climate and other urgent issues. ​

• She works across the entire capital stack, from catalytic to commercial investors. She advises clients on how to advance climate and sustainability goals via their investments and in their own operations.

Relevant BCG experience​:

• Developed strategies for commercial investors to decarbonize portfolios and identify return-generating strategies with positive climate impact ​

• Led firm-wide and asset class-specific climate strategy for a leading global GP with over $150B AUM to develop a commitment and 2030 targets for 3 asset classes covering ~$100B AUM, with bespoke portfolio archetypes and asset class-specific engagement approaches for investments and provided a head start on decarbonization execution for select investments using asset-level deep dives​

• Led Net Zero strategy sprint for a global private equity mega fund spanning across multiple private investment strategies (e.g., private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit), which educated senior stakeholders on the implications of making a Net Zero commitment ​​

• Conducted portfolio emissions baselining with a carbon accounting SaaS partner for an asset manager, in line with GHGP and PCAF standards​

• Led development of climate strategy for a multi-client pension fund that included client inputs, regulatory momentum, industry standards and peer activity​

• ​Created strategies for philanthropic foundations to accelerate markets to mainstream financing for climate impact and mobilize greater resources for climate action​

• Led a climate finance strategy effort for leading U.S. charitable foundation that included direct transactions and field building to mature the global climate finance market focused primarily on nature-based solutions​

• Facilitated decision process with philanthropic endowment team on whether to make a Net Zero commitment, supporting them in navigating changing standards, regulations and stakeholder pressures​

• ​Developed a variety of investment strategies for impact and commercial private markets investors ​

• Led physical risk due diligence for a multi-site, multi-region industrial target for a global GP client ​

• Led development of a strategic plan to scale an emerging, ~$150M impact PE fund originating from a financial inclusion NGO to an established ~$1B fund manager with institutional capabilities​

• Conducted multiple buy-side market scans, due diligences and growth strategies for PE clients to assess the invest-ability of a variety of industries, including global aged care & senior living, U.S. medical practices & surgery centers, global retail real estate and ESG software​

Other experience and education​:

• Naomi holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University​

• Executive Education diploma in Climate & Sustainability from Columbia University

Delphine Descamps

Member of the Executive Committee, CIVIC

Delphine currently sits on the board of directors of CREO Syndicate, an organization focused on supporting family offices in their climate-related investments. Delphine worked for over 12 years with the French Mulliez family, founders of large retail businesses across the world with over $100b in revenues.  
 
She was first Head of M&A within their family office in France, then Founder and Managing Director of the New York office of Creadev (the Mulliez family’s $2bn evergreen investment firm). She structured long-term, impact-driven venture investments in food & agtech, with missions focused on producing sustainably and giving access to healthy food.  
 
She has held multiple board seats in food & agtech companies and funds. She is also a mentor of startups in Montréal. 

Philippe Dunsky

President; Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors

Philippe brings 30 years of business and policy experience focused on a singular passion: helping clients accelerate and navigate the energy transition, effectively, responsibly and at scale. He has the honour of leading a first-rate team of 65 professionals, and the privilege of supporting governments, utilities and others across North America.  

He is a sought-after speaker, an experienced board administrator and is regularly appointed to public interest advisory committees. In 2023-2024, Philippe served as Chair of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council. He is also Co-Chair of Efficiency Canada and a member of the Electrifying Canada Taskforce and was the Chair of the Government of Quebec’s Working Group on Electrification, among other positions. Philippe was recognized in 2021 as one of Canada’s Clean50 leaders, and in 2022 as one of North America’s Top 100 Impact CEOs. 

Jérôme Dupras

Co-Founder and CEO, Habitat

Jérôme Dupras is co-founder and CEO of Habitat. He is also a professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics and the UNESCO Chair in the Socioeconomics of Biodiversity. 

Hervé Duteil

Chief Sustainability Officer, Americas, BNP Paribas

Hervé Duteil created the first position of Chief Sustainability
Officer for BNP Paribas in 2014, in the Americas. In this role, he works with all relevant 
stakeholders in the definition and implementation of the Bank’s regional ESG strategy.

In  2018,  Euromoney  selected  him  as  one  of  the  10 “champions of global impact banking”. On 
the opening day of Climate Week NYC 2022, he was honored by  Insider (formerly Business Insider) as 
one of the 30 “top global leaders  working  toward  climate  solutions”  in  their inaugural 
Climate Action 30, along with Francia Márquez, Vice President of Colombia, and Ed Markey, U.S. 
Senator from Massachusetts.
Hervé has spent most of his career with BNP Paribas in New York.  He specialized in trading 
derivatives and managing capital  market  activities,  spanning  across  commodity, currency,  
fixed  income  and  electronic  markets.   More recently, he led BNP Paribas’ efforts to close its 
first two Social Impact Bonds, including one for the benefit of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hervé served as a member on the CFTC’s Climate-Related Market  Risk  Subcommittee  of  the  Market  
Risk  Advisory Committee, WBCSD’s Sustainable Finance Policy and SIFMA Sustainable Finance task 
forces. He currently sits on the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance Advisory Board as well as 
Insider’s One Planet Advisory Council.

Hervé  holds  a  Master  in  Business  Administration  with distinction from the Harvard Business 
School, a Master of Science from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Science  in  
Mathematics  &  Physics  from  the  Sorbonne
University of Paris.

Stéphanie Émond

VP & Chief Impact Officer, FinDev Canada

Stéphanie Émond is VP and Chief Impact Officer at FinDev Canada, Canada’s Development Finance Institution that provides financing and investment solutions to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in emerging markets and developing economies. She oversees a team responsible for impact strategies, as well as advancing development impact, for managing environmental, social and climate risks, and for providing technical assistance to bolster the capacity of the private sector to manage risks and enhance positive outcomes on people and the planet.   

Stéphanie is a board member of the Canada Forum for Impact Investment of Development (CAFIID) and of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, and is a member of the investment committee of the McConnell Foundation. 

Prior to joining FinDev Canada, Stéphanie served as the Executive Director of FINCA Canada, an organization with the mission to alleviate poverty through sustainable and scalable solutions that help people build assets, create jobs, and raise their standard of living.  

Before FINCA, she worked as a management consultant with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, on business and strategic planning, market analysis and marketing strategies, and for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA – now Global Affairs Canada) as an economic advisor focusing on private sector development and financial inclusion. Prior to that, Stephanie worked with FINCA Peru, a Peruvian microfinance institution, and for Newad, a Canadian place-based media company, as Director of Marketing.  

She holds an MBA from HEC Montreal. 

Chloé Evans

Vice-President, Idealist Capital

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Joanna Eyquem

Vice President, Climate Risk Institute

Joanna Eyquem is an internationally-recognized leader in climate adaptation and nature-based solutions, with 25 years experience in Europe, North America and Western Africa. Her work at the Climate Risk Institute focuses on managing climate risk, including flooding, erosion and extreme heat, in particular working with nature and the financial sector. As part of this work, Joanna leads the development of national guidance and tools for climate resilience and nature-based solutions, including disclosures of natural assets in financial statements and sustainability reporting. In addition, Joanna serves on over 30 boards and committees, including the Canadian Infrastructure Council, the Canadian Sustainable Finance Network, Canada’s TNFD Working Group, the National Research Council of Canada, the Government of Quebec’s Expert Group on Adaptation, and as Chair of the Board for the Natural Assets Initiative. 

Jorge Familiar

Vice President and Treasurer, World Bank and Pension Finance Administrator, World Bank Group

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Will Fayed

RVP Institutional Sales & National Accounts - Québec, Mackenzie Investments

Will Fayed is an accomplished financial professional with over 18 years of experience in the investment industry. He currently serves as the Regional Vice President - Institutional Sales & National Accounts at Mackenzie Investments in Montreal. In this role, Will oversees strategic sales initiatives and manages key national accounts, leveraging his extensive expertise in institutional sales to drive business growth. 

Prior to this role, Will spent nearly 8 years as the District Vice President at Mackenzie Investments, where he was instrumental in expanding the company's presence across the Montreal region. His tenure at Mackenzie, which began in May 2016, has been marked by significant achievements in sales leadership and client relationship management. 

Will holds a degree in E-Commerce from McGill University and a degree in International Business from Concordia University. Additionally, Will holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation. 

Will Fayed is recognized for his strategic vision, leadership skills, and deep understanding of the investment landscape. He continues to make a significant impact in the financial industry through his innovative approaches to sales and client management. 

Jamison Friedland

Sustainability Analyst, AXA Investment Managers

Jamison is a Senior Sustainability Analyst with AXA IM. Prior to joining AXA IM in 2022, Jamison was an Impact Associate at Developing World Markets. He also spent time working in the Climate Business Department at the International Finance Corporation and prior to that was a Senior Fixed Income Trader at Traditum Group LLC for over 9 years. Jamison holds a B.S. from Northwestern University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Alexandre Genty

Principal, Sustainability Standards, Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB)

Alexandre Genty is a Principal, Sustainability Standards, at Financial Reporting & Assurance Standards Canada (FRASC), where he supports the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) in its mission to develop and maintain high-quality sustainability disclosure standards for Canadian entities, while also contributing to the development of international sustainability disclosure standards. 

Alexandre played a key role in developing the CSSB's first two standards —Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards 1 and 2 (CSDS 1 and 2), released in December, which align with ISSB’s IFRS S1 (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information) and S2 (Climate-related Disclosures). 

Prior to joining the FRASC, Alexandre spent nearly six years with the consulting and audit firm KPMG, first in Paris, France, and then in Montreal, working closely with financial and non-financial institutions to help shift their business models toward more responsible practices. He supported major corporations such as Renault, Orange, and Air France-KLM with sustainability audits, compliance with European regulations (notably the NFRD and the EU Taxonomy), green bond assurance, ESG strategy, and the structuring of their disclosures (SASB, GRI, GHG Protocol, etc.). 

He also advised numerous financial institutions on a wide range of topics, including the design of sustainable investment strategies, interpretation and application of the EU Taxonomy, fund labelling (e.g., ISR label), ESG due diligence, calculation of financed emissions (PCAF), and compliance with regulatory frameworks such as the SFDR.   

A graduate of NEOMA Business School, with an academic exchange at the Universidad Pública de Navarra in Spain, Alexandre brings a multidisciplinary background in finance, strategy, and sustainability. 

Jonathan Glencross

Senior Vice President, Seven Generations Capital

Jonathan brings 18 years of experience building funds, companies and campaigns as an entrepreneur and private market investor to Seven Generations Capital and Hungerford Properties, an institutionally backed, indigenous owned platform with scale to invest, develop, manage and de-risk private real estate in tax-efficient structures for LPs in Canada, US & Western Europe: $1.6B AUM/AUD, 34.5% LTV, 50+ vertically integrated team. 

Jonathan was previously the co-founder of the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative, alongside Ruma Bose and Richard Branson, the co-founder of Humanitarian Ventures, co-founder of Nexus Canada, the co-founder and CEO of Equipmind, and the co-founder of McGill University’s Sustainability Fund and co-founder of the McGill Office of Sustainability. Jonathan has worked with leading institutional investors, foundations, heads of state and pioneering families to catalyze over $1B in private market investment since 2012. While Director at Purpose Capital, Jonathan led mandates with endowments, foundations, family offices, and pensions across Quebec, Canada, the US and UK - and in 2016 authored the first ever “Impact Investing Guidebook for Canadian Foundations”.  

He has received a dozen awards at the international, national and local levels for his leadership and work in sustainability. He graduated with first-class honors from McGill University and was a J.W. McConnell Fellow in Social Innovation at University of Waterloo graduate program. Jonathan and his family are deeply passionate about Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation – his fiancée is a registered citizen of the BC Métis Nation. He is based in  Montréal / Tiohtiá:ke. 

Nancy Goudreau

Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, Desjardins Group

Holder of a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Concordia University and a MBA from HEC, Nancy Goudreau is a dynamic and seasoned business professional who shares without reserve her network and knowledge to support entrepreneurs and causes she believes in. 

Passionate about entrepreneurship and backed by close to 25 years of experience contributing to the success of SME, she specialises in financing and business development. She started her career in export for the Provincial and Federal Government and then migrated toward financing and venture capital. In March 2022 she joined Desjardins, where today, as Managing Director, Sustainable financing, she contributes to advancement of the integration of ESG factors in businesses using Desjardins’s and our partners’ expertise as well as an adapted financing offering. 

Driven by the desire to make a difference, Nancy Goudreau is successfully involved in many business networks, particularly those supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the business community as well as innovation. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Réseau des Femmes d’Affaires du Québec for 5 years until January 2023 and is now on the Board of Director of the Association des Femmes en Finances du Québec (AFFQ) since Decembre 2022. 

Anne-Sophie Gousse-Lessard

Professor, Department of Social and Public Communication, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Anne-Sophie is currently professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at UQAM and an affiliated professor at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (UQAM). Her area of specialization lies at the intersection of environmental psychology and communication. She co-founded and co-directs the Groupe interdisciplinaire de recherche sur les écoémotions et l’engagement citoyen (GIREEC, Interdisciplinary Research Group on Eco-Emotions and Citizen Engagement), established in 2020. She is also affiliated with several research groups and centers, including the InterSectoral Flood Network of Québec (RIISQ) and the Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté (Centr’ERE). Her research focuses on motivational processes related to environmental engagement and climate adaptation, the psychosocial impacts of climate change (including eco-anxiety), and sustainable mobility issues from a socio-ecological transition perspective. 

André Gravel

CEO, Gestion Solifor

André Gravel is a forest engineer who graduated from Laval University in 1989. He has worked in several regions of Quebec and of the Northeastern America. He joined Solifor in 2021, where he is managing private Timberlands in Quebec and Maine. André has developed a strategic vision of long term fiber supply and on the management of large forest properties, emphasizing partnerships and a dynamic approach to sustainable forest management in the context of the global changes we are facing.

Étienne Gravel

Director of Environment and Sustainability, Pomerleau

Available in French only.

Etienne Gravel est engagé activement envers la durabilité et l’innovation en construction. Diplômé en génie civil de l’Université de Sherbrooke, il a poursuivi des études en Building Technology à l’Université de technologie de Delft. Arrivé en 2016 chez Pomerleau, il dirige depuis deux ans l’équipe de Construction Durable et de surveillance environnementale pour tous les projets bâtiment de l’entreprise. Son équipe de passionnés supportent plus d’une centaine de projets, en répondant à la demande croissante de certifications durables comme LEED, Passive House, Carbon Zero et Envision, ainsi qu’en s’assurant de la conformité de nos opérations avec les requis environnementaux des projets. Il travaille également à mettre en œuvre la stratégie ESG de l’entreprise par des actions concrètes, incluant la décarbonation des activités de construction et la mise en place de projets d’économie circulaire.

Rocio Gueto

Vice-President, Client Partnerships – Institutional Markets, Addenda Capital

Rocio contributes to client servicing and business development with an emphasis on sustainable investment, for Institutional investors. Rocio has nearly 25 years of experience in the financial industry.  

Rocio holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a major in Finance from Université du Québec à Montréal. She has also completed numerous Canadian Securities Institute (CSI) courses. In addition, Rocio was a Board Director at the Quebec Emerging Managers Board (2014-2016) and at some private foundations in Montreal. 

Solène Hanquier

Principal Director & Head of Responsible Investment, National Bank of Canada

As Senior Manager and Head of Responsible Investment, Solène Hanquier is responsible for leading the development and execution of the responsible investment plan for National Bank Investments (NBI) and National Bank’s Wealth Management division.  

Solène has been working in the field of responsible investment and sustainable development for over a decade. Before joining NBI, she developed her skills within the Desjardins Group’s and Bell Canada’s responsible investment and corporate social responsibility teams. Solène is a board member of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA), serves on the governance committee of Fonds Investi, and instructs in Finance Montréal's advanced sustainable finance training program. 

Solène holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in environmental management, as well as her FSA certification from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and her CFA-ESG certification.  

Toby Heaps

CEO, Corporate Knight

Toby is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Corporate Knights. He spearheaded the first global ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations in 2005, and in 2007 coined the term “clean capitalism.”  Toby has been published in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and the Globe and Mail, and is a regular guest speaker on CBC. In 1998, he played centerfield for the Yugoslav National Baseball Team. 

Justine Hendricks

President and CEO, Farms Credit Canada (FCC)

Justine comes to FCC after 17 years with Export Development Canada (EDC) and seven years with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). She is an impactful strategist whose diverse experience includes delivering financial services on the front line, leading successful organizational transformations, evolving risk management capabilities, spearheading the development of innovative financial products, and developing and executing corporate strategies. Much of her career has been focused on lending to and supporting Canadian businesses across critical export sectors, including agriculture and agri-food. 

In her time at EDC, Justine was responsible for several different business functions, including business development in the resources, forestry, seafood, agricultural equipment, light manufacturing and extractive sectors, the transformation of EDC’s Financing and Investment Group, and full responsibility for EDC’s $9B Insurance and Working Capital Solutions portfolio. Her most recent role saw her responsible for aligning EDC’s 10-year corporate strategy with evolving business principles and practices focused on the environment, human rights, and innovation. Justine is recognized for her energizing leadership style, mobilizing and listening to her teams while putting the client at the centre of decisions. 

Justine is a member of the University of Ottawa Board of Governors and currently sits on their Audit Committee. She also volunteers extensively and currently serves as Chair of the Digital Opportunity Trust and was past Chair of the Forum for Young Canadians. 

Justine earned an MBA from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor of arts in urban studies from Carleton University. She’s received several awards related to her inspirational leadership and community involvement. 

Gaya Herrington

Vice President, Sustainability Research, Schneider Electric

Gaya is an internationally known sustainability researcher and wellbeing economist, living in Seattle. A regular guest lecturer and keynote and TED speaker, Gaya has been shaping conversations at local and global levels with her message that true sustainability will not be achieved without transforming our economic system away from an obsession with perpetual growth to one that centers around human and ecological wellbeing. Her work, which also includes a book publication and a peer-reviewed article in Yale's Journal of Industrial Ecology which went viral in 2021, offers a vision for something society would want to do even if it was not faced with impending ecosystem breakdown: re-design our economy to something that meets all human needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual – within planetary boundaries by design.  

Showcasing her multidimensional approach to effecting change, Gaya has held pivotal roles in both policy and the corporate world. She's currently working as Vice President at Schneider Electric, a multinational working in the energy transition, which was voted most sustainable corporation in the world by Time Magazine in 2024 and by Corporate Knights in 2025. Gaya is a Member of the Club of Rome, a global think tank, and of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Working Group for a Wellbeing Economy in the US. She has one Master's degree in Econometrics from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and another in Sustainability from Harvard University. 

Jingdong Hua

Vice-Chair, ISSB

Mr. Hua was appointed as Vice-Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in August 2022, effective 1 October 2022. In this role, Mr. Hua has a special focus in overseeing the development and implementation of the ISSB’s strategies to support and include stakeholders in emerging and developing economies as well as small and medium-sized companies. 

Mr. Hua brings a wealth of international finance and development expertise to the ISSB. He is the former Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank, where his responsibilities included green bond initiatives and sustainable finance capacity-building programmes. He also served as the Administrator of the World Bank Group Pension Fund. 

Before joining the World Bank, he served as Vice President and Treasurer of the International Finance Corporation, where he led innovative bond issuances in several emerging markets. He has also previously served as Deputy Treasurer of the Asian Development Bank and has held positions at the United Nations Development Programme and the African Development Bank. 

Alex Ivanovici

Co-Creator, Co-Founder, The Assembly, Porte Parole

Co-founder of Porte Parole alongside Annabel Soutar, Alex Ivanovici has been involved in all of the company’s documentary creations since its founding in 2000. For over two decades, he has contributed as a creator, actor, dramaturge, director, and investigator. Together, Annabel Soutar and Alex Ivanovici have made Porte Parole a leading voice in documentary theatre in Québec and internationally, with invitations to perform on three continents. He is the co-creator of Porte Parole's documentary play series The Assembly. 

Alex is also an acclaimed performer in theatre, video games, television, and film. He received the Best Actor award at the Quebec Drama Festival in 1991, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Genie Awards in 1999, and earned two ACTRA Montreal Award nominations: for Outstanding Voice Performance in 2011 and Outstanding Performance in a Video Game in 2015. 

Sébastien Jacques

President and VP of Business Development, Attraction

Available in French only.

Sébastien est président, vice-président au développement des affaires et copropriétaire d’Attraction Inc., un manufacturier québécois intégré, fondé en 1980 à Lac-Drolet. L’entreprise est spécialisée dans la conception, la fabrication et la décoration de vêtements décontractés destinés aux marchés promotionnel et récréotouristique, principalement au Canada et aux États-Unis. 

Attraction emploie près de 150 personnes et se distingue par une approche intégrée alliant design, production textile et identification graphique (impression, broderie, appliqués). L’entreprise exploite aujourd’hui deux sites de production — l’un à Lac-Drolet et l’autre à Montréal — ainsi qu’un bureau à Sherbrooke, dédié au développement de la marque Jameo et de sa plateforme technologique permettant la création de vêtements hyper-personnalisés. 

Dans une volonté de conjuguer performance économique et responsabilité environnementale, Attraction a mis en place plusieurs initiatives concrètes en matière de développement durable. L’entreprise priorise les matériaux écoresponsables, notamment les textiles recyclés et biologiques, et favorise une production locale afin de réduire son empreinte carbone. Elle a également implanté des pratiques de gestion écoénergétiques dans ses installations et s’efforce de minimiser les déchets à chaque étape du processus de fabrication. 

Sa marque Ethica, entièrement fabriquée au Québec, incarne cet engagement en proposant des vêtements durables et éthiques. Ce positionnement s’inscrit dans une démarche globale visant à contribuer à une économie plus circulaire, locale et transparente. 

Sébastien est pleinement engagé dans le succès de l’entreprise, convaincu que ce sont les gens qui font la force de l’organisation. Il est également responsable du développement des marchés et du rayonnement des marques Ethica, Initial et Jameo, qui reflètent l’engagement d’Attraction envers le développement durable, l’innovation locale et la création de valeur humaine. 

Lori Kerr

Chief Executive Officer, FinDev Canada

Lori Kerr joined FinDev Canada as Chief Executive Officer in June 2021.  A Canadian national, she is a widely experienced international development finance professional with more than two decades of leadership in private investment in emerging markets with a focus on sustainable infrastructure, climate finance, and blended finance. 

Ms. Kerr joined FinDev Canada by way of the Global Infrastructure Facility at the World Bank in Washington, DC, where she was responsible for corporate strategy, thought leadership, partnerships, and international engagement for the largest global fund advising developing country governments on the preparation and structuring of commercially viable infrastructure projects. 

Previously, Ms. Kerr served as Senior Director at Climate Finance Advisors developing low-carbon, climate-resilient investment strategies and blended finance solutions to mobilize private capital in developing countries. She also spent 18 years at the Inter-American Development Bank Group serving in management and senior investment roles where she spearheaded strategic initiatives to support the expansion and development impact of private sector activities as well as private sector transaction origination, structuring, and asset management. Ms. Kerr also spent 14 years as an Adjunct Professor of International Project Finance and Investment at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.  

Ms. Kerr holds an Honours Bachelor degree from the University of Western Ontario and an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. 

Ghani Kolli

CEO, Credo Impact

At the intersection of impact and business innovation, Ghani Kolli is passionate about alternative economic models aimed at a regenerative and sustainably prosperous society. He is involved with the international think tank R3.0, which advocates for a deep revision of the resilience and regeneration of human and natural ecosystems. He contributes to and draws from the best and most ambitious efforts in true sustainability, sustainable finance, systemic change, and resilient territories. His toolkit includes, among others, the Flourishing Business Canvas, wisdom economy design, Blue Ocean Strategies, Next Generation Business Models, theory of change, and authentic sustainability indicators. Additionally, he has contributed to the books “Design a Better Business,” “Business Models for Teams,” and “The Real Startup Book.” He can take on various roles such as a coach, trainer, advisor, or speaker. More than 4,000 people have attended his workshops and conferences. 

Throughout his career, Ghani has held positions in sales management, general management, and strategic consulting, in addition to founding several companies in North Africa and Canada. Ghani founded and led the strategic design consulting firm HumanYo+Impact in 2014 before joining Credo as a partner in 2021. Since 2024, he has held the position of CEO. He works with SMEs on sustainability issues, incubators/accelerators to contribute to the emergence of impactful new business models, non-profits and cooperatives to offer strategic clarity and design, as well as with economic and social development departments to contribute to an economy that respects planetary boundaries and social thresholds. 

Educated in management information systems at the University of Béjaia, in international trade and management at the International Management Institute of Algiers and HEC Montreal, Ghani volunteers in business communities in Canada and the Maghreb. He notably serves as president of the CDCA — Canada-Algeria Development Council. He was co-instigator and president of the first board of directors of Lava Innov and governor of the RJCCQ — Quebec Young Chambers of Commerce Network 2023-2025. 

Stephen M. Liberatore

Portfolio Manager, Head of ESG/Impact, Global Fixed Income, Nuveen

Steve is the lead portfolio manager for Nuveen’s fixed income strategies that incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria and Impact investments. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. 

Steve was a member of the ICMA Green Bond Principles initial executive committee and subsequently its Advisory Council. He serves on the Steering Committees of the Debt Conversion for Nature and Climate Practice Standards and the Orange Bond Principles. He is also a member of the UN Capital Development Fund’s working group on Climate Resilient Infrastructure Finance, Sustainalytics’ Investor Committee and the board of the Fixed Income Analysts Society, Inc.. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and a subject matter expert across media outlets. Steve and his team were awarded “ESG Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2024 Sustainable Investment Awards in addition to “Investment team of the year –asset manager” and “Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2023 Impact Awards. Previously, Steve and team were recognized as “Investor of the Year” (EF 2020 Bond Awards) and “Impact Report of the Year (for Investors)” (EF 2022 Bond Awards). 

Steve graduated with a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an M.B.A. in Finance and Operations from Wake Forest University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Society of North Carolina and the CFA Institute. 

Christelle Lim-Severe

Sustainability Practice Leader, Beneva

Christelle Lim-Severe is the Sustainability Practice Leader at Beneva, the largest insurance mutual in Canada. The company has over 3.5 million members and clients with more than 5,500 employees. Christelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. She is also an Actuarial Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (FIA) and a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA), both obtained in the UK. She is a senior leader with over 18 years of global experience in the insurance and financial services industry. Before joining Beneva, Christelle has worked in consulting, corporate strategy, transformation, finance, and risk management. She also led purpose driven and sustainable strategic initiatives.  

In her role as Sustainability Practice Leader at Beneva, she is responsible for the strategy and implementation of Beneva's sustainability action plan. Her capacity to combine her financial expertise with sustainability factors makes her an invaluable ally in accelerating a just transition towards a greener and more resilient world. 

A mother of two children, Christelle is also determined to contribute in creating a more sustainable world for the future generation. 

Virginie Laplante

Analyst and Chair of ESG Committee, Global Alpha Capital Management

Virginie is an Analyst responsible for global coverage of sustainability research.

Before joining Global Alpha in 2023, Virginie worked within an investor-focused impact rating agency, where she held roles as an analyst, customer relations lead and a manager of ESG products. She also spearheaded the coordination of cutting-edge ESG solution development tailored to align with the investment and lending strategies of financial institutions and other clients in the financial sector.

Virginie earned a Bachelor degree majoring in Environment and Development with a minor in Biology from McGill University, during which time she completed an internship with the United Nations. She also has an MBA from HEC Montreal

Virginie is fluent in English, French and Spanish. She enjoys food, travelling and the outdoors, and you will most likely find her hiking mountains with her dog on the weekends.

Sue Lloyd

Vice-Chair, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)

Sue Lloyd’s appointment as Vice-Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), effective 1 March 2022, was announced in January 2022. 

She served as a member of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) from 2014 and as IASB Vice-Chair from 2016. She also served as Chair of the IFRS Interpretations Committee from 2017. 

In addition to her IASB responsibilities, she played a leading role in the establishment of the ISSB from 2020, including as a member of the Technical Readiness Working Group, which was created by the Trustees to give the ISSB a running start. 

Prior to becoming an IASB member, Ms Lloyd worked for the IFRS Foundation as a senior technical director, leading the development of new IFRS Accounting Standards, and as director of capital markets with responsibility for the IASB’s reform of accounting for financial instruments. She also worked for the IFRS Foundation from 2002 to 2004 as a technical project manager. 

Ms Lloyd has held various positions in investment banking both in the UK and in Australia and has served as a member of the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB). She has a Master’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. 

Connor Lyons

Partner & Head of Sustainability, Power Sustainable

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Sunita Mahant

Managing Director, Sustainability, and Managing Director, Toronto, CDPQ global

As Managing Director, Sustainability, Sunita Mahant is responsible for supporting the sustainable investment credit and equity activities in the real estate sector and overseeing sustainable development projects. She optimizes risk and opportunity management based on environmental, social and governance criteria and acts as an ambassador for the culture of sustainability within the overall organization. In addition, as Managing Director, Toronto, and as part of CDPQ Global, Ms. Mahant works closely with all asset classes to foster 
relationships in the Toronto financial and business community, and with key stakeholders including our peers, partners, financial institutions, governments, regulators and industry associations. 

Prior to this role, Ms. Mahant was Vice-President and Head of Social Impact and Inclusion, Sustainable Investment, at Ivanhoé Cambridge. Previously, she held various management roles in the organization, including in Talent and Performance and in Legal Affairs, with a focus on real estate investment. Ms. Mahant holds a Bachelor’s of Political Science from Glendon College, York University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. She also earned a Mini-MBA from Boston University’s Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and is a member of the Ontario Bar. 

With a keen interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, she serves as Director, DEI, on the Board of Directors of NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association. She is also a member of Toronto CREW, which works to advance women to positions of leadership and influence in commercial real estate. In 2015, Ms. Mahant was ranked one of the best lawyers under 40 in Canada in the Lexpert Rising Stars awards. In 2024, she was selected as a member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative by Urban Land Toronto Institute. She is fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, French and English. 

Witold Marais

Investment Director, Energy Transition Infrastructure, Mirova

Witold has been with Mirova since November 2016, where he serves as an Investment Director and member of the Investment Committee for the Energy Transition Infrastructure Funds. In this role, he plays a pivotal part in diversifying the fund's investments into the broad energy transition beyond Renewables, for instance in the mobility and energy efficiency sectors. As part his role at Mirova, he is actively involved as a Non-Executive Director for several organizations, including JET Charge, SOFIAC France, DRIVECO, and NEoT Green Mobility.  He is also a member of Mirova's Mission Committee. 

Before joining Mirova, Witold spent three years at Glennmont Partners in London, focusing on renewable energy investments. 

Witold holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Sciences Po in Paris, France. 

Catherine McKenna

Founder and CEO, Climate and Nature Solutions ; Chair of the United Nations high-level expert group on net zero emissions commitments of non-state entities

Catherine McKenna is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Climate and Nature Solutions. She is Canada's former Minister of Environment and Climate Change as well as Minister of Infrastructure. She is Chair of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities which released its Integrity Matters report at COP 27 setting out criteria for net zero commitments of business, financial institutions, cities and regions. She founded Women Leading on Climate and a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. She is an advisor to the Climate Data Steering Committee for the Macron/Bloomberg Net Zero Data Public Utility, Singapore's International Advisory Panel for Carbon Credits, the Taskforce on Net Zero Policy, the LSE Just Transition Finance Lab, as well as to the University of Ottawa's Information Integrity Lab. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics and McGill Law School and is called to the Bars of Ontario and New York.  She advises many private sector boards. She is a frequent speaker on climate action, net zero leadership and women empowerment. 

Adriana Mendez

Director, Sustainable Investment, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)

Adriana Mendez is Director in the Sustainable Investment team at CDPQ. In her role since April 2023, she supports the sustainable investment team in all transactional aspects in evaluating and strengthening the ESG impact of investments. She is focusing on ESG issues for the fixed income portfolio, and she also collaborates on the infrastructure and equity markets portfolios. In addition, Adriana represents the sustainable investment team in the Green Bonds and Disclosure Working Group according to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

Adriana has over 15 years of experience in sustainable development. Prior to joining CDPQ, she worked for Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for three years as an Investment Lead, in charge of a portfolio of companies specializing in circularity, climate tech, water and sustainable agriculture. Previously, she was Director of Climate Change and Sustainability at EY for 9 years. Prior to that, she worked for a non-profit organization as a carbon analyst for climate mitigation projects.

Adriana is a graduate of McGill University and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, and she holds a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering and Water Quality from MIT.

Sarah Miller

Research Lead, Sustainable Finance, Canadian Climate Institute

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Bertrand Millot

Head of Sustainability, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

Bertrand Millot leads the Stewardship Investing team, which is responsible for defining and implementing CDPQ’s strategic directions, including integrating ESG factors into all activities and deploying the climate strategy. His responsibilities have three aspects: helping investment teams structure impactful investment opportunities (particularly with regard to social, climate and energy transition investments); managing risks related to ESG, climate change and reputation and contributing to the organization’s outreach in collaboration with the CDPQ Global team.

Mr. Millot is one of the architects of CDPQ’s climate change strategy and a seasoned investor in infrastructure and corporate debt in emerging markets, fields where ESG considerations have historically been at the forefront. At CDPQ since 2015, he previously held various positions in risk management and stewardship investing, including Business Unit Risk Manager for the Fixed Income, Capital Solutions and Cross-functional Risk portfolios. He also served as Head of Climate Risk and Issues and led the Stewardship Investing team.

Before joining CDPQ, Mr. Millot was CEO and CIO at Cordiant Capital, an emerging market corporate debt fund manager. Earlier in his career, he was active in infrastructure project finance with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, U.K. and with BNP Paribas in Paris, France.

Mr. Millot holds an MBA from McGill University, a Master’s in Engineering from École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D designation).

Since 2022, Mr. Millot is a faculty member at Competent Boards training corporate board directors and senior executives. He is a member of the boards of Ceres a leading american NGO in the field of 
sustainability, the Datamars Sustainability Foundation (sustainable agriculture) and the Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation.

Anne-Marie Monette

Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, National Bank Financial Markets (NBF)

Anne-Marie Monette is a Managing Director in the Sustainable Finance team at National Bank Financial Markets (NBF), where she plays a key role in establishing connectivity with the financial community across the country and contributes to several strategic workstreams. In her role, she supports NBF’s clients in sustainable finance transactions structuring and provides strategic advisory services on sustainability positioning and practices.  

Prior to joining NBF, Anne-Marie was leading ESG equity institutional sales efforts across Canada at RBC Capital Markets, acting as a sustainable finance senior relationship manager for large asset owners and asset managers. She previously led the responsible investment practice across capital markets at PSP Investments, where she occupied the role of Senior Director, Responsible Investment.  

Anne-Marie is highly involved in the sustainable finance ecosystem and is an active member of CFA Montreal’s ESG Committee. She obtained an executive certification in sustainable finance from the NYU Stern School of Business, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board credentials and the CFA Institute ESG Certificate. She was a lecturer in sustainable finance at HEC Montreal and Concordia University. She was also the founding chair for the Montreal chapter of Women in Capital Markets and is a founding member of Women in Climate Finance.  She holds a Bachelor in finance from HEC Montreal. 

Geneviève Mottard

CPA, President and CEO, Ordre des CPA du Québec

Available in French only:

Diplômée en comptabilité de l’Université Concordia et du Programme de leadership de l’Université Queens, Geneviève Mottard est membre de l’Ordre des CPA du Québec depuis 2001. 

Elle commence sa carrière au cabinet EY, où elle a assumé des responsabilités croissantes jusqu’en 2010, alors qu’elle était chef d’équipe sénior au sein du groupe de services de certification.  

En 2010, Geneviève Mottard est nommée directrice régionale de l’Est du Canada au Conseil canadien sur la reddition de comptes (CCRC), l’organisme de réglementation de l’audit au pays. Elle y est chargée de développer l’ensemble des opérations dans l’Est du Canada. 

À la barre de l’Ordre des CPA depuis 2016, Mme Mottard est membre du Conseil, du Bureau, et secrétaire de la Fédération internationale des experts-comptables francophones (FIDEF). Elle est également la déléguée du Conseil des chefs de la direction de la profession au Comité canadien sur la confiance du public. Membre de plusieurs associations d’affaires au Québec, elle est depuis 1997 trésorière honorifique et membre du conseil d’administration de l’Institut canadien de recherche et développement sur la surdité. 

Geneviève Morin

President and CEO, Fondaction

President and CEO of Fondaction, a labour-sponsored fund with CAD 3.50 billion in net assets, Geneviève Morin has been leading the shift and focus of the financial industry towards sustainability for over 30 years in Québec, Canada. Recognized as a pioneering and for her expertise in sustainable finance, she actively works to mobilize capital and various stakeholders for the positive transformation of the economy to make it more equitable, inclusive, green and successful. 

Maher Najari

Expert in Diversity and Inclusion, Co-Founder, Nada Conseils

Available in French only.

Animé par un souci de l’équité, de justice et d’inclusion, Maher cherche constamment à bâtir des ponts afin que les différences se rencontrent. Il a été un ambassadeur de la diversité tout au long de sa carrière, y compris lors de ses expériences à l’internationale avec Médecins sans frontières (MSF).  

Titulaire d’une maîtrise en Sciences de la gestion (M. Sc.) avec une spécialisation en gestion des ressources humaines, son mémoire portait sur les programmes d’accès à l’égalité en emploi dans le réseau des collèges et Cégeps du Québec.  

Avec plus de 15 ans d’expérience, Maher a facilité plusieurs sessions de formation et d’échange lors de son parcours avec MSF à l’étranger au niveau de plusieurs projets médicaux à travers le monde ainsi qu’au Canada. De plus, dans le cadre de ses mandats récents, il a facilité plusieurs sessions participatives liées à la sensibilisation aux différences culturelles, aux biais implicites ainsi qu’à la communication interculturelle à l’intention d’organisations de tailles et de secteurs variés. Il est également administrateur qualifié pour l’Inventaire de développement interculturel (IDI), un instrument de mesure d’ouverture à la diversité pour les organisations et les individus, avec plus de 200 séances de « coaching » personnalisées offertes à des membres de comité de Diversité et Inclusion, de comité de direction, Consils d’administration et de services RH de moyennes et grandes entreprises privées et parapubliques variées au Canada et au Québec.  

Maher est un agent de changement préconisant un accompagnement de proximité et le développement personnel. Il prône une approche organique centrée sur l’humain, le sentiment d’appartenance, les dynamiques interpersonnelles et la mise en place de stratégies pragmatiques et mesurables.

Kylie Nealis

Senior Program Manager, Climate Justice; B Lab U.S. & Canada

Kylie brings more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to B Lab U.S. & Canada. Her experience ranges from community organizing and engagement, local policy advocacy, program development, volunteer management, strategic partnerships and marketing & communications. Prior to coming to B Lab U.S. & Canada, she was at Fair Trade USA for 7 years, where she led their national advocacy program, Fair Trade Campaigns, and consumer marketing efforts. In her current role as Senior Program Manager for Climate Justice, she leads a business focused program around climate justice that uplifts and learns from frontline communities most impacted by climate change and mobilizes B Corps around climate impact levers, including business climate finance. Kylie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and four year old daughter. 

Réjean Nguyen

Senior Director, ESG and Sustainable Investment, Addenda Capital

Available in French only:

Réjean Nguyen est Directeur principal de l’investissement d’impact et des pratiques d’affaires ESG chez Addenda Capital, une société de gestion de placement avec plus de 40 milliards d’actif sous gestion qui vise la création d’une richesse durable en partenariat étroit avec ses clients pour bâtir un avenir plus prometteur. Réjean compte plus de 15 ans d’expérience en investissement durable. Il est responsable des stratégies d'investissement d'impact et travaille en étroite collaboration avec les équipes de placements d’Addenda sur l'intégration des pratiques ESG. En tant que membre actif des comités Finance Durable de CFA Montréal et de Finance Montréal, il s’engage dans la promotion de l'investissement durable. 

Stephen Nolan

Managing Director, UNDP Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) & Head of Secretariat Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF)

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Laila Nordine

Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance, Financial Institutions Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Laila Nordine is the Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance, Financial Institutions Group, IFC. In this role, Laila oversees the FIG Climate and Gender finance teams. These include Investment and Advisory focused Climate and Gender Specialists as well as global Investment officers leading lending and equity investments in sustainable finance projects with Global financial Institutions. Ms. Nordine has over 25 years of leadership, strategic and technical experience in Capital markets and Private Capital Mobilization in IFC and the World Bank. She most recently served as a Senior Advisor and Head of the Private Capital Facilitation secretariat in OPCS, World Bank. Before moving to the World Bank, Laila served between 2016 and 2021 as Senior Advisor to IFC CEO where she advised IFC CEO on Investment Operations, Innovation and Strategic initiatives. During this time, she most notably co-led the IFC historical $5.5bn Capital Increase negotiations and the revamp of IFC's approach to Equity investing. Ms. Nordine joined IFC in 2003 in the Structured Finance Group where she was the Head of Structuring between 2007 and 2012 and led the structuring and execution of many landmark capital markets transactions with global, regional and domestic financial institutions. Between 2012 and 2016, she served as a Chief Investment Officer focusing on debt and equity investments in the sustainable Agri Commodities Supply Chains and Trading. Prior to joining IFC, Ms. Nordine held different investment banking positions within BNP Paribas in London and Paris covering Credit derivatives, Capital management solutions and Weather derivatives. Ms. Nordine holds an Engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique in France and a Master equivalent degree in Economics and Finance from ENSAE – Paris. 

Tommy Ouellet

Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager, BeeQuest

Available in French only.

Tommy Ouellet est cofondateur et gestionnaire de portefeuille chez BeeQuest, une firme de gestion d’actifs spécialisée dans la conception et la mise en place de stratégies d’investissement responsable construites sur mesure selon les valeurs et objectifs de chaque client. Avant de cofonder BeeQuest, Tommy a cumulé plusieurs années d’expérience dans l’industrie des marchés financiers, notamment à titre de Vice-Président et Gestionnaire de portefeuille chez Fiera Capital où il était responsable de plus de 15 milliards d’actifs sous gestion. Tommy Ouellet détient un baccalauréat en actuariat de l’Université Laval, en plus de détenir les désignations de Fellow de l’Institut canadien des actuaires (FICA), Fellow de la Society of Actuaries (FSA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) et un certificat en finance quantitative du CQF Institute.

Catherine Potvin

Emeritus Professor, Biology Department, McGill University

I obtained by Ph.D. from Duke University, North Carolina, U.S.A. in 1985, and since then I have always worked on issues related to global climate change. I am Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biology at McGill University in Montreal where I held the Canada Research Chair on Climate Change Mitigation and Tropical Forest (Tier 1; 2013-2024) . I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, recipient of both the Romanovski and Dawson Medals of the RSC and of a Fellowship from the P.E. Trudeau Foundation. My research focuses on the need to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics. To do so, our research projects span a broad range of issues from quantifying forest carbon stocks to capacity building and conflict resolution, the unifying theme being forest conservation and climate change. I have been working with the Embera people of Panama since 1994 and this long-term collaboration led me to develop participatory approaches that integrate the human dimension in biological analysis. During my career, I have edited two books and published >135 scientific journal articles or book chapters. I served as Panama’s negotiator of REDD in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (2005-2009). I lead the Sustainable Canada Dialogues, an initiative that mobilizes 80 scholars from across Canada to propose a blueprint for Canada’s transition to a low carbon economy. I served as a member of the Comité consultatif sur les changements climatiques of Québec between 2021-2024.

Cédric Provost

Co-Founder & President, Entosystem

Cedric Provost is the co-founder and President of Entosystem, a company established in 2016 and now recognized as a global leader in insect protein production for animal feed. Under his leadership, Entosystem has become the largest North American producer in the sector, with a business model based on circular economy principles and environmental innovation. Leveraging unique technology and a carbon-negative industrial approach, the company transforms organic waste into high-value ingredients, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the agri-food supply chain. Cédric Provost champions an ambitious vision for regenerative agriculture—one that is more resilient to climate change—by promoting local, sustainable, and scalable solutions. 

Luc Rabouin

President, Executive Committee and District Mayor, Plateau Mont-Royal, City of Montréal

Luc Rabouin became mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough in October 2019 and a member of the Ville de Montréal executive committee, responsible for economic and commercial development and design, in December of the same year. Following his re-election in November 2021, he remains mayor of his borough and is appointed member of the executive committee economic and commercial development, knowledge, innovation and design. He is also member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Communauté métropolitaine de Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM).

Previously, Mr. Rabouin held the position of Director of Strategic Development at the Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins for three years. He has also headed several organizations, including the Centre the Centre d'écologie urbaine de Montréal, Communauto France, as well as the Corporation de Development Corporation (CDEC) Centre-Sud/Plateau-Mont-Royal, now known as PME MTL Centre-ville.

Luc Rabouin holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the Université de and a Diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées (DESS 2 th cycle) in Community Economic Development from Concordia University. He is the author of Démocratiser la ville, published by Lux Éditeurs, in 2009.

Layalee Ramahi

North America Regional Lead, United Nations Environment Program, Finance Iniative

Layalee Ramahi is the Regional Lead for North America at UNEP FI. She works closely with financial institutions across the banking, insurance, and investment sectors to strengthen the region’s approach to sustainable finance. In this role, Layalee leads engagement with UNEP FI members in North America, fostering collaboration, supporting knowledge exchange, and helping embed sustainability into financial decision-making and strategy. Her work helps institutions address regional priorities and access the tools and insights needed to contribute to a low-carbon, resilient, and inclusive economy. 

Layalee Ramahi is a sustainability and business strategy professional with over 16 years of experience in the financial sector. She holds an MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University, an MBA in Banking and Finance, and executive training in sustainable business from UCSD. Before joining UNEP FI, she was an Associate Director at a U.S.-based sustainability consultancy, advising clients on strategy, reporting, and climate risk. Her earlier work spans financial markets and strategy roles across the Middle East, including in the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. 

Sandrine Rastello

Jounalist, Writer, Moderator & Interviewer

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Romina Reversi

Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Investment Banking Americas, Crédit Agricole - CIB

Romina Reversi is Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Investment Banking (SIB) for the Americas based in New York City. Prior to joining CACIB in 2021, Romina spent eight years at J.P. Morgan leading ESG DCM efforts in the Americas and was one of the founding members of that team. Romina has led/structured sustainable debt transactions globally including the first ever tech Green Bond for Apple, the first ever rental car green ABS for Hertz, first ever sovereign SLB for Chile, first ever US corporate nuclear Green Bond for Constellation, first ever coupon step up/down sovereign SLB for Republic of Uruguay, the first ever Sustainability-Linked Bond for Enel, as well as ESG deals for Alphabet, General Mills, Mondelez, Amazon, HP Inc., Ford and General Motors, among others. Romina started her career in equity and interest rate derivatives structuring. Romina holds a BBA from the University of Michigan at the Ross School of Business.  

Sophie Robillard

Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investing – Business Advisory Services and Chief Sustainability Officer, Fonds de solidarité FTQ

Sophie and her team work with partner companies of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, to help them orchestrate and implement the necessary adaptations to meet their business ambitions, resolve strategic and operational issues by focusing on people as a strength and identify opportunities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. She also heads the teams responsible for integrating ESG factors, conducting market analysis as part of the Fonds’ investment process and of the evolution of the strategy and sustainable development policy of the Fonds and its network. 

David Roy

Executive Director, Ateliers pour la biodiversité

David Roy leads Workshops for Biodiversity, a nonprofit organization that helps businesses and institutions integrate biodiversity into their strategic decisions. Through workshops, training programs, and concrete projects, he fosters a transition where economic and ecological priorities align for sustainable solutions. His organization also spearheads the Nature and Business Summit, a key event bringing together decision-makers and experts to accelerate action for biodiversity. 
 
A board member of the Fresque de la Biodiversité and actively involved in Réseau Environnement, he operates at the intersection of economic and environmental sectors. With 15 years of experience in management and marketing (BDC, Aldo Group, Tourism New Zealand), he holds a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management (Université de Sherbrooke), a Certificate in Business Sustainability Management (University of Cambridge), and a Bachelor’s degree in Management (HEC Montréal).

Marina Severinovsky

Head of Sustainability, Americas, Schroders

Marina Severinovsky is the Head of Sustainability, North America, and leads the sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration for Schroders investments in North America. She collaborates with senior managers on market strategy, client communications, product development, sales, and investor management. 

Marina was previously the Investment Director for North America for the Quantitative Equity Products (QEP) team from 2020 and was responsible for communicating QEP’s investment policy and strategy with clients, as well as business management in the Americas.  

Prior to joining the QEP team, Marina was an Investment Strategist from 2016 to 2019, working in partnership with Hartford Funds to represent Schroders strategies to financial advisors and intermediaries across all client channels, primarily in the Central US region.  

Marina was an Alternatives Specialist at Schroders from 2010 to 2016, which involved supporting the development of Schroders’ Alternatives business in the Americas. Her product management activities covered multiple strategies, including Commodities, Absolute Return Emerging Market Debt and Insurance Linked Securities.  

Marina joined Schroders in 2010 and is based in New York. Prior to joining Schroders, she was an Associate in Investment Banking at Citi Capital Markets and Banking from 2008 to 2010, which involved supporting buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt transactions, and fairness opinions for a broad range of corporate clients in the Healthcare and Tech, Media & Telecom coverage groups. She was a Consultant and Client Relationship Manager at Digital Mandate, LLC from 2005 to 2007, which involved providing legal technology, process consulting, and technology optimization solutions to large law firms and corporate legal departments. She was an Analyst at Chicago Partners, LLC from 2004 to 2005, which involved finance, economics and accounting consulting, in the context of litigation and regulatory review activities.   
 
Marina brings 18 years of professional experience to her role at Schroders, including economic analysis, research, and financial modeling, as well as product development, strategy, and client relationship management. She is conversationally fluent in Russian. 

Travis Seymour

Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF)

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Baltej Sidhu

Sustainability and Transition Strategist, Equity Research, National Bank of Canada

Baltej Sidhu is a Sustainability & Transition Strategist based in the company’s Calgary office. In his current capacity, Baltej is responsible for all facets of National Bank Financial’s (NBF) Sustainability, Transition and ESG thematic research presence, functioning as a subject matter expert for internal and external clients, while collaborating with the fundamental analyst team and acting as a conduit to the dynamic and fluid world of Sustainability and ESG. Baltej joined the NBF Research team in 2019 as an Associate Analyst helping with the coverage of a diversified suite of companies engaged in the Energy industry before transitioning to become the ESG Analyst at the beginning of 2022. Prior to joining NBF, Baltej spent time as a Geophysicist with leading organizations focused on the upstream exploration sector of the energy industry with experience ranging from both domestic operations to international. Baltej holds a Bachelor of Science in Geophysics from the University of Calgary and an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University. 

Annabel Soutar

Co-Creator, Co-Founder, The Assembly, Porte Parole

Annabel Soutar is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the theatre company Porte Parole. While studying theater at Princeton University, where she earned a degree in directing and playwriting, she developed her documentary approach to theater. Since 1995, she has applied this approach to the plays she writes and produces, including Seeds, The Watershed, and Fredy. She also acted as dramaturge for J’aime Hydro, Tout inclus, Rose et la machine, and Projet Polytechnique. She is currently working with Manuelle Légaré on her upcoming play, Club Sandwich Mayonnaise. With Alex Ivanovici and Brett Watson, she co-created the documentary play series The Assembly. 

In 2003, The Montreal Gazette named Porte Parole “Theatre Company of the Year.” In 2015, The Globe & Mail recognized her as one of Canada’s Artists of the Year. In 2022, she received an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University for her commitment to using documentary theatre as a tool for social change. 

Mihaela Stefanov

Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility, Boralex

Mihaela Stefanov is Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility at Boralex. This role was created in 2022 to focus on risk exposure monitoring in the changing and increasingly complex energy environment. It demonstrates Boralex’s willingness to seize business opportunities with even more confidence and resilience, and will ensure the implementation of Boralex’s overall CSR strategy. 

Mihaela joined Boralex in April 2021 as Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, before being promoted to Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. She orchestrated the development and deployment of the CSR strategy throughout the company and coordinated the various internal and external disclosures in this area. She has 12 years of experience in strategy and consulting in sustainable development and social responsibility. Before joining Boralex, she worked in the climate change and sustainable development department at EY for 10 years before joining the Boralex team. 

Mihaela holds an MBA from HEC Montréal and a bachelor’s degree with Honours in economics from McGill University. Involved in the sustainable development and CSR business community, Mihaela is dedicated to connecting people and ideas to accelerate a responsible energy transition. 

Alison Sunstrum

Founder & CEO, CNSRV-X Inc.

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Saphira Suoi

Research in Impact Investment, Clear Skies

Titulaire d’un baccalauréat en finance du HEC Montréal et d’une expérience précédente au sein du comité de durabilité de son université, Saphira a d’abord rejoint l’équipe d’investissement de Ciels bleus en tant que stagiaire. Elle contribue activement à l’analyse d’impact, à l’engagement actionnarial ainsi qu’aux initiatives liées à la biodiversité. 

Jason Taylor

Founder & CEO; Climate Finance Advisors

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Chantal Thieblin Goffoz

Director, Sustainable Finance and Impact Advisory, Evol

At Evol, Chantal Thieblin Goffoz directs Sustainable Finance and Impact Support, where she ensures that the organization's activities and its impact goals are aligned. She also leads the mobilization and development of the companies Evol finances and supports to help them achieve greater social and environmental impact. 

Chantal's expertise in corporate responsibility, principles of equity and inclusion, sustainable development, and responsible finance is enriched by her international profile, her professional experience on four continents, and her 18 years of managerial experience with multicultural teams. She sits on the advisory committee of the Quebec Ministry of Finance and the Quebec Ministry of the Environment for the development of the sustainable finance roadmap, where she is committed to representing the link with the so-called real economy. 

Chantal is committed to leveraging the power of entrepreneurship and finance to create a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economy, driven by her belief in the urgent need to address the challenges of planetary boundaries.

Susan Thompson

Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Finance & Advisory, TD Securities

Susan is a Managing Director, Global Head on the TD Securities Sustainable Finance & Advisory team, who joined TD in 2006. She has previously worked in Institutional Money Market Sales, Fixed Income Derivatives Origination, Institutional Fixed Income Sales, and most recently, Government Finance, where she covered public-sector borrowers on derivatives, origination, and deal execution as well as advised clients on GSS bond issuance. 

Alexander Tiscione

Partner & Analyst, Van Berkom Global Asset Management

Available in French only:

Alexander est Associé et analyste pour la stratégie mondiale d’actions à petite capitalisation depuis son arrivée en 2022 et il est responsable d’effectuer de la recherche fondamentale à travers les secteurs et les régions géographiques, avec un intérêt particulier pour la région EAEO. Avant de se joindre à Van Berkom, Alexander était chargé de recherche sur actions chez Stifel Financial, où il exécutait de l’analyse fondamentale poussée, produisait de la recherche différenciée et soutenait la génération d’idées pour le secteur canadien de la consommation.  Avant Stifel, Alexander a obtenu son diplôme de baccalauréat en commerce avec une spécialisation en finance chez Concordia et est diplômé de la programme de gestion de placement Van Berkom où il a aidé à la gestion d’un fonds de dotation de 2 millions $ en titres nord-américains de petite capitalisation. Il a également obtenu son MBA de l’institut de gestion de placement Goodman à l’école John Molson School of Business. Il détient aussi un titre CFA. 

Ralph Torrie

Director of Research, Corporate Knights

Ralph co-directed Canada’s first study of the potential for conservation and renewable energy, in 1981. He helped formulate the definition of sustainable development adopted by the World Commission on Environment and Development, drafted the world’s first greenhouse gas reduction target at the Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere in 1988, and in the 1990s he articulated the rationale and strategic framework for local action on climate change that is now widely used throughout the world. In addition to his own consulting firm, he has served as Assistant Coordinator of the Energy Research Group of the United Nations University and the International Development Research Centre, director of the Trottier Energy Futures Project for the David Suzuki Foundation, Vice President of ICF International, and Managing Director of Navigant Inc.  He is currently director of research for Corporate Knights.   

Nathalie Voland

President and Chief Vision Officer, Gestion Immobilière Quo Vadis

Natalie Voland has been reinventing the process of real estate development over 25 years.  Her roots as a social worker allow her to have a unique and purpose driven design centered outlook on development that prioritizes historical protection of civic assets while being forward thinking to use buildings to unite communities and push environmental advocacy.  

She is an award winning, social driven developer and a leader of the Quebec B Corp. Movement where her companies contribute to the protection of the environment, foster social inclusion, while making market driven profit to further the economic development of Montreal.  Natalie manages 1.5 million square feet, supports over 500 entrepreneurs, and is an active expert and public speaker, and mentor.  Her newest venture “Quo Vadis Capital” is investing in carbon mitigated accessible housing to address inclusion and climate change in real estate. 

Natalie sits on several Boards and think tanks associated to her passion to be a leader in ESG development. Natalie is an active master planner, and partners with universities to use her assets as teaching and prototype tools to evolve concepts on what kind of city we want to build as citizens and corporate leaders.  Natalie is a PHD candidate and member of the Concordia Chair of Excellence in Research on Smart and Resilient Cities and the Next Generation Cities Institute specializing in the bridge of market business practices that drive sustainability on the built environment.   

Benoit Waeckel

Founder & Vice-President, COOP Sens Climat

Benoît Waeckel is a dedicated facilitator raising awareness of environmental issues. Founder and Vice-President of Coopérative Sens Climat, he has led over 130 climate workshops, trained more than 300 facilitators, and supported dozens of Quebec organizations. He facilitates the Climate Collage, Biodiversity Collage, Digital Collage, Mobility Collage, and the 2Tonnes Workshop. He will host the quiz on the Planetary Boundaries  at the Sustainable Finance Summit. 

Brett Watson

Co-Creator, L'Assemblée

Based in Montreal, Brett has been a professional actor for over twenty-five years and has a successful theatre, film, television and voice-over career. He is also the co-creator of The Assembly format and the co-author of all eight original The Assembly plays. His work with The Assembly has brought him to theatres in Canada, the United States, Germany, Lithuania and Brazil. Brett is a graduate of the Toronto Metropolitan University Theatre School. 

Patrick Wellington

President, MSL Fibre

Available in French only.

Patrick Wellington est un entrepreneur québécois passionné par l'innovation durable dans l'industrie de la construction. En tant que président de MSL, il dirige une entreprise manufacturière pionnière dans la production de matériaux écologiques à base de fibres de bois recyclées. Sous sa direction, MSL a développé un procédé de transformation unique, entièrement automatisé et doté d'un circuit d'eau fermé, permettant de recycler environ 30 000 tonnes de bois par an, soit l'équivalent de 110 millions de pieds carrés de panneaux, contribuant ainsi à la préservation de plus de 300 000 arbres chaque année.  

L'entreprise offre une gamme de produits destinés à l'insonorisation, à la toiture commerciale et à l'isolation thermique, tels que les panneaux SONOpan, reconnus pour leur performance acoustique et leur faible empreinte écologique. Sous sa gouverne, MSL a amorcé une stratégie de croissance internationale, visant notamment les marchés américain et asiatique, et a établi des partenariats stratégiques, dont une collaboration avec Desjardins Capital pour soutenir son expansion. ​ 

Patrick Wellington incarne l'esprit entrepreneurial québécois engagé dans la transition énergétique et la valorisation des ressources naturelles, en alliant performance industrielle et respect de l'environnement. 

Margot Whittington

Senior Policy Advisor, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)

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Dan Wicklum

CEO, The Transition Accelerator

Dr. Dan Wicklum has spent more than 25 years performing and managing research, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration between industry, government, academia, and civil society. He is the CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian charity that works with groups across the country to solve business and social challenges while building in net zero emission solutions. Dan was also the inaugural co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB), the statutory independent body that advises the federal government on setting interim emission reduction targets on the way to a net-zero emission Canada by 2050 and on the most likely pathways to net zero. 

Prior to joining the Transition Accelerator, Dan was the CEO of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council, and a senior manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada and at Natural Resources Canada. He was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Montana and holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Montana. His initial career was in professional football, as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 

Philippe Zaouati

CEO, Mirova

A pioneer of green and sustainable finance, Philippe Zaouati leads Mirova, an asset management company specializing in sustainable investment, which he founded within Natixis in 2014. After a career in various financial institutions, he is fully dedicated to the development of responsible investment. In particular, he chaired the Responsible Investment Commissions of the French Association for Financial Management (AFG) and the European Association for Funds and Asset Management (EFAMA) and participated in the emergence of the theme of sustainable finance in several international organizations, including the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN). Eager to make Paris one of the leaders of greener and fairer finance, Philippe Zaouati co-founded in 2016 the Finance for Tomorrow initiative (newly called the Institute of Sustainable Finance), which he chaired until 2019. 
 

In addition to his professional duties, Philippe Zaouati contributes to the political debate in France and is committed to a profound transformation of economic and financial systems. It promotes an impact economy that strives to preserve nature. Involved in the public debate, Philippe Zaouati contributed to the drafting of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential program on the environment, before being the referent of La République en marche in Paris from 2017 to 2018. 
Author of several books including “Green Finance Begins in Paris” in 2018 and “Finance Faced with Planetary Boundaries” (dialogue with the philosopher Dominique Bourg, 2023), he contributed to market and regulatory developments in France and Europe. 
 

Philippe Zaouati is also the author of several novels, including “The Refusals of Grigori Perelman”, whose English translation was published by the American Mathematical Society, “State of the Union” (2022) and “Naufrages” (2024). 
Philippe Zaouati graduated from the National School of Statistics and Economic Administration (ENSAE), he teaches and lectures on sustainable finance in different French and foreign schools and universities. 
He also works with young entrepreneurs and press and publishing companies (So Good, Chut Magazine, The Publisher Apart) as a business angel. 

Natacha Zenie

CEO and CIO, Eclipx Family Office

Available in French only:

Natacha est chef de la direction et chef des investissements du Bureau familial Eclipx, qui a été créé en partie pour élargir la capacité de la Fondation familiale Trottier à appliquer ses objectifs d'investissement durable à sa dotation, ainsi que pour étendre ces pratiques dans des actifs familiaux privés. Avant de se joindre à Eclipx en janvier 2023, Natacha a passé plus de 20 ans à la Division des investissements du CN (CNID), qui gère les actifs de la caisse de retraite pour le CN. Elle a débuté comme analyste d'actions dans le groupe des marchés publics et est devenue gestionnaire de portefeuille pour une partie de ses actions mondiales. Natacha a dirigé les pratiques de durabilité de la caisse de retraite, travaillant avec les différentes équipes de classes d'actifs pour faire progresser leurs pratiques d'intégration ESG. Avant de se joindre au CNID, elle a travaillé quelques années comme associée de recherche pour un grand courtier canadien. Natacha est titulaire de la charte CFA. Elle siège au conseil d'administration de la Fondation Douglas et elle est membre du comité d'investissement de la Fondation du Grand Montréal. 

Barbara Zvan

President and CEO, University Pension Plan (UPP)

Barbara Zvan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the University Pension Plan Ontario (UPP), where she leads strategies to provide lifelong pension security and service excellence to over 41,000 members. Recognized as Canada’s 2022 CEO of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine, she is a prominent advocate for defined benefit pensions and responsible investing.

Previously, Barbara was the Chief Risk and Strategy Officer at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), playing a key role in its transformation into a global pension leader during her 25-year tenure at the Plan.She chairs the McConnell Foundation’s Investment Committee and Climate Engagement Canada’s steering committee, serves on the board of the Responsible Investment Association, and is a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute. Additionally, she co-chairs the C.D. Howe Pension Policy Council and is a member of her alumni McMaster University's Faculty of Science Dean’s External Advisory Board. 

Barbara has held leadership roles in numerous organizations, including prior board chair of the International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM), advisory board member of the Institute of Sustainable Finance at the Smith School of Business, and board member of the Global Risk Institute (GRI), the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) and the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC). She was appointed to the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance in 2019 and its Sustainable Finance Action 
Council in 2021. 

A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Barbara holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and a Master of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo.