As a Sr. Consultant with Rise, Najah works with large and small clients to help them design, build, and implement Indigenous Inclusion policies and processes into their Supply Chain and ESG practices.
Najah works with the Rise team to co-create Reconciliation action plans and road maps to integrate Inclusion into the client’s strategic vision, values, and commitments by increasing their spending with Indigenous suppliers, improving the social procurement programs, and building an environment where Inclusion enhances the company’s competitive advantage, increases supply chain resiliency, and ultimately improves the organization’s ESG rating. Najah helps organizations advance and track their sustainability and inclusion impact by building measurable tactics into their operations where the company achieves its triple bottom-line goals.
Najah has 13 years of experience in Supply Chain management in both the private and public sectors. Najah is a casual instructor with Bow Valley College in Calgary, and she completed her MBA in 2021, focusing on data analysis and sustainability. Also, Najah is a certified professional in Project management and a Certified Supply Chain Professional.
As the Procurement Programs Manager with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Financial Operations group, Carolyn Arthur, is responsible for leading, developing and implementing UBC’s approach for Indigenous procurement, Inclusive procurement, Sustainable procurement and other strategic procurement projects. Carolyn’s professional experience includes work public procurement, partnering with organizations that support Indigenous owned businesses, Black owned businesses and business owned by other equity seeking groups in Canada, and supporting entrepreneurs in building successful business streams through public sector procurement. Carolyn seeks to create sustainable, equitable and diversified business practices, relationships and environments.
Carolyn lives and works in the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations (Vancouver, British Columbia).
As the Senior Manager, Sustainability at High Liner Foods, Josh helps bring to life the company’s purpose of Reimagining Seafood to Nourish Life by crafting, integrating and executing the company’s sustainability strategy. He has focused heavily on partnering with colleagues from operations and logistics to analyze High Liner Foods’ GHG emissions footprint including the creation of a process to identify and quantify the Scope 3 emissions from the company’s supply chain. Josh’s passion for improving the health of surrounding communities and environments drives his pursuit to create meaningful, material impacts. Two fiery daughters, 6 and 4 years old, keep Josh on his toes when he’s not in the office. He spends any remaining time pedaling his bike or hiking with his not-so well-behaved dog.
Tammy is a career procurement professional with over 20 years experience spent across the supply chain and corporate procurement space. In her role as Director, Procurement Governance and Operations at Wawanesa Mutual Insurance she is responsible for developing and delivering procurement policy, process, standards and establishing governance oversight across the supplier landscape. This includes advancing responsible procurement practices throughout the supplier lifecycle that align to the sustainability objectives of the organization to build a safer, healthier, more sustainable future for our members and communities.
Annick Champoux places sustainability at the heart of her professional and personal life. She joined CBC/Radio-Canada in 2022 after more than 16 years of career with the Government of Canada, for the most part in sustainable procurement roles. Annick helps the organization achieve its Environmental goals by promoting environmentally sustainable products, services and suppliers. She also wants to have a positive impact on employees and communities by promoting a more accessible, inclusive and diversified supply chain.
Daniel is the Procurement Manager of Tru Earth®. a leading eco-friendly household product company, committed to eliminating plastic from landfills and oceans. With more than 20 years of experience in Procurement, Quality systems and Supply chain management, Daniel is an international manager who has been part of world class companies in Mexico and Canada, as well as demanding projects in USA and Brazil. Daniel has a Bachelors in International Trade (Tec de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus) and a Masters in Quality Engineering (Universidad de LaSalle, Leon Campus), and is passionate about the environment and making our planet a better place for everyone!
Doug focuses on advancing sustainability, resilience, and ESG performance for the infrastructure engineering / construction firm and its clients in the energy, water, transportation, telecommunications, and industrial sectors.
With a Bachelor’s in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford and an MBA in Finance from the University of Missouri, Doug leads the initiative to halve carbon emissions by 2030 in line with science-based targets for the 13,500-person firm operating in the US, Canada, and UK.
He chairs a Construction Industry Institute research team on Capital Projects Decarbonization; has served as a Greenbuild Summit and Program Working Group member; and participates in the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, Procurement Executives Group, and the Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance.
Doug brings diverse stakeholders together to align environmental and economic goals with community values, articulate priorities, define success criteria, evaluate alternatives, build business cases, drive innovation, and achieve breakthrough milestones.
He has lead several multi-disciplinary teams – integrating owners, architects, engineers, scientists, specification writers, procurement professionals, materials suppliers, and construction contractors – on landmark LEED and Envision gold and platinum projects.
Doug reports to CDP and EcoVadis using ISO-aligned sustainability software to analyze Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions according to the GHG Protocol. He also leads collaboration with Burns & McDonnell’s value chain partners to support their collective carbon reduction programs.
Actively maintaining credentials in sustainable building design and construction, resilience, environmental stewardship, and community revitalization – he is also a BREEAM Infrastructure Assessor and Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure Envision Verifier.
A member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Doug holds certificates from Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment; and Executive Education programs of the UC Berkeley Law School on Sustainable Capitalism & ESG, and the Villanova Engineering and Business Schools on Sustainable Value Creation.
Ms. Dubois has worked in the non-profit and community development sector for nearly 20 years.
Her work has brought her across Canada as well as internationally working with communities in agro and aquatic ecosystems, climate science and ecological conservation. Since co-founding Ocean Legacy in 2014, Ms. Dubois has spent nearly a decade organizing operations across six countries, and has engaged hundreds of thousands of people in direct-action cleanups, research and education, media as well as recycling initiatives worldwide. She holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from Simon Fraser University, Canada and a Honours Undergraduate Degree in Environment and Resource Management with a Diploma in Strategic Environmental Assessment from the University of Waterloo, Canada. Ms. Dubois lives her life with curiosity, dedication, compassion, integrity and deep reverence for the people and ecosystems that she has the absolute pleasure of serving. Ms. Dubois now spearheads the first and largest marine plastic recycling facility in Canada, which she began co-developing in 2016 to manage materials collected during ocean, shoreline and marine industrial cleanup efforts. Ms. Dubois and her team have now raised significant capital towards funding cleanup and infrastructure developments including its affiliated depot network to capture wasted material as well as their worldwide educational efforts.
These integrated components comprise of one of the most comprehensive pollution mitigation strategies called EPIC, used to assist in ending the plastic pollution crisis. This strategy is built on the four pillars of Education, Policy, Infrastructure and Cleanup, and continues to serve as a model for communities to build localized capacity to manage plastic waste, mitigative policies and create pragmatic solutions which stimulate resource circularity and the plastic circular economy.
Sarah is the Senior Manager of ESG and Sustainability Reporting at Meridian Credit Union. Having joined the organization in January 2023, she has been immersed in Meridian’s purpose-based culture and is focused on ESG reporting and measurement. Her role allows her to collaborate with several teams across the company on sustainability-related initiatives, and has taken an interest in advancing the company’s sustainable procurement initiatives. Prior to her time at Meridian, Sarah spent 6+ years at Equitable Bank, most recently as the Manager of ESG and Investor Relations.
Ebere is a dedicated early career sustainability professional with a robust background in mine reclamation research and greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting within the telematics/fleet management industry.
As a Sustainability Specialist at CPKC, Ebere contributes to the seamless execution of processes and tools, ensuring the exemplary reporting and communication of CPKC’s sustainability practices and objectives. Serving as a vital member of CPKC’s sustainability team, Ebere actively collaborates with and supports CPKC’s functional groups and external stakeholders in the development, implementation, monitoring, and communication of CPKC’s comprehensive sustainability strategy.
Ebere’s diverse skill set is underpinned by a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) with a concentration in Geography and Environmental Management, complemented by a Climate Change Policy and Practice Certificate from the University of Toronto.
Nisha is a Supply Chain Management and Sustainability expert with 7 years of experience in responsible supply chain management, sustainable reporting frameworks, sustainable procurement, and climate change analytics. She has worked in academia as a tenure-track faculty conducting and managing empirical research projects on sustainable procurement strategies. Nisha worked in the private sector as a Senior Sustainability Advisor providing sustainability advisory support to C-level executives in publicly traded companies across the United States and Canada on corporate sustainability reporting, climate policy, and sustainable procurement strategies. Currently, she works as a Sustainability Consultant at Works Design. Nisha holds a Ph.D. in Operations and Supply Chain Management from the University of Texas Arlington.
In post since February 2020, Patrick manages the development and implementation of Pomerleau’s ESG strategy. Patrick led the production of Pomerleau’s first-ever ESG report, published in June 2022, and the first integrated report in 2023. In his role, Patrick oversees Pomerleau’s decarbonization strategy and circular economy initiatives. With a master’s degree in international development from Queens University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Concordia University focused on sustainability, Patrick is working to transform Pomerleau and the Canadian construction industry towards net zero 2050.
Katherine Larocque is Director of Ecolabels and Resources at the Global Electronics Council, and brings almost 15 years of sustainability experience to her role, where she is responsible for managing the EPEAT Program, a global ecolabel for electronic products. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Global Ecolabelling Network.
Katherine plays a critical role in ensuring the credibility of the EPEAT Program and programmatic alignment with external stakeholder needs. She is also focused on identifying opportunities to increase the impact of EPEAT, and supports both purchasers and manufacturers as they seek to increase the availability of sustainable electronics globally.
Katherine has extensive experience as a sustainability professional and has provided customized sustainability advice and solutions to a wide variety of organizations and industries ranging from multinational food and beverage companies, and technology sector clients, to small non-profits. Prior to joining GEC, Katherine lead the extended producer responsibility and recycling efforts at Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.
Katherine holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Queen’s University. She resides in Ottawa.
Sheree is currently the Director of Supply Chain for ENMAX in Calgary, Alberta. Sheree leads a dynamic team of supply chain professionals overseeing the end-to-end supply chain for all business units within the company, ensuring seamless access to essential materials and services critical to the success of the organization. With over 20 years of supply chain experience, Sheree has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked in various industries including government, transportation, utilities and oil and gas. Sheree is at the forefront of implementing a sustainable procurement program at ENMAX. This initiative aligns with ENMAX’s overarching Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and commitments. Her strategic vision and operational experience contribute to ENMAX’s supply chain journey toward environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
Erin brings a wealth of experience from the Energy, Tech, and Non-Profit sectors into her current role as a Senior Sourcing Engineer at Ovintiv. Erin’s professional journey has been marked by her commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable world, a passion that has been the driving force behind her impressive career.
In addition to her role at Ovintiv, Erin has been actively involved in the Energy Futures Lab and Tech Stewardship, where she has championed initiatives aimed at shaping the future of energy. Erin’s participation in these platforms underscores her unwavering commitment to sustainability and her dedication to making a positive impact on the energy industry. Erin’s ability to bridge the gap between technology and sustainability has made her a valuable asset in these roles.
As a participant in the Sustainable Procurement Fellowship, Erin aims to further her commitment to sustainable practices in the energy sector. She is excited to share her unique blend of experience, passion, and technical knowledge in the fellowship as well as learn from the other fellows.
Jennifer is the Director Environmental, Social and Governance for Ballard Power Systems, a global leader delivering hydrogen fuel cell solutions to support a global net zero energy transition. She has built and operationalized organizational capacity to drive ESG performance and stakeholder value in the automotive and clean transportation sectors for more than a decade. She has held a variety of senior roles focused on advancing organizational value through business process design, governance, effective project management, and most recently, integrating ESG in global public company strategy, policy, risk management, governance frameworks and performance disclosures aligned with globally recognized ESG reporting standards. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Leadership, and a certificate in Sustainable Capitalism and ESG from Berkeley Law Executive Education.
Sherrie leads the enterprise Sustainable Procurement and Value Growth teams at BMO Financial Group. Sherrie is an experienced leader in financial services with 20+ years experience spanning across retail, operations, change management, communications and procurement. Sherrie also acts as the National Chair for BMO’s largest employee resource group, BMO Alliance for Women.
Anna is a Sustainability Manager at Purolator. In her current role, she manages all aspects of Purolator’s emissions inventory, which encompasses target setting and the development emissions related tools for both Purolator and it’s customers. She also leads a variety of strategic initiatives focused on achieving Purolator’s targets, including the development and execution of a Scope 3 strategy.
Anna completed her MBA with a specialization in Sustainability. She has a strong background in information technology and project management.
Olivia is passionate about the importance of supply chains in the transition to Net Zero. As Cogeco’s Sustainable Procurement Advisor, she is responsible for the implementing of a supplier engagement plan to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions to meet Cogeco’s science-based targets, a program to increase supplier diversity and local procurement, as well as new processes to reduce ethics and human rights risks in Cogeco’s supply chain
Jenn Packer is the Manager of Environmental Sustainability at GFL environmental. In her current role, Jenn oversees the development of the annual GHG inventory, reporting on environmental and climate metrics, decarbonization strategy development and supports the implementation of GFL’s sustainability action plan. Jenn has over 15 years of experience realted to GHG accounting, auditing, decarbonization strategy, and environmental engineering supported by a Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Development.
Audra is an accomplished Environmental, Health, & Safety professional, in addition a Sustainability (ESG – Environmental, social, and corporate governance) professional with over 20 years of experience in building and managing sustainability, environmental, health and safety programs. She has honed these skills working in the energy industry in the following types of companies: exploration and production, oilsands and midstream. Most recently she pivoted from the energy industry to learn and apply her knowledge in the distribution industry.
As the Sustainability Manager, she is a persistent collaborator, engaging, educating, and mobilizing executive leadership and operational levels of the organization on sustainability trends, projects, and strategies. Audra takes time to assess business priorities and market influences before integrating sustainability into her organization’s day to day activities. Her corporate experience considers financial, supply chain and human capital influences which propels collaborative paths forward.
When integrating sustainability into any business function, be assured that Audra will bring a dynamic approach where business champions have a voice and personal accountability. She believes it is important to align teams on the objective at hand, ensure responsibilities and accountabilities are defined, and where possible, find opportunities to foster growth and develop talent. While she is outcome focused, she will always ensure the teams efforts are acknowledged and that there is some fun had along the way.
As the Sr. Director of Facilities, Sustainability, Sourcing and Procurement for Staples Canada. Leigh is responsible for the facility maintenance, repair, and service-related programs and partners/contractors for all Canadian properties (320+ locations) inclusive of Retail, Corporate, Warehouse and closed-door locations. Leigh is responsible for setting the sustainability agenda and identifying key focus areas for the company inclusive of numerous customer facing recycling programs, internal waste diversion, community-based recycling initiatives and energy management inclusive of Staples commitment to renewables. For her efforts, Leigh was named to Canada’s 2014 and 2016 Clean50, which offers recognition to Canada’s leaders in sustainability for their contributions over the prior two years and has been honored by Retail Council of Canada twice in the area of Sustainability.
Leigh has fiscal responsibility for the capital and expense budgets for all Facility related initiatives for all Staples locations in Canada and oversees procurement inclusive of non-trade supplies and Corporate Travel. Leigh started with Staples in 1997 as a Management Trainee and has held several store management roles. In 2001 Leigh assumed responsibility for centralizing facility management for the retail locations. A team of one that over 22 years as grown is size, scope and sophistication of process. Leigh leads a diverse team in a fast-paced environment and strives to bring awareness to the Facility Management industry through her work with Connex. Leigh was elected to the Connex (formerly Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association) Board of directors in 2014 and was elected as the 2016-17 Chair of Board. The second female in 25 years to hold the role and the first Canadian in the position.
Currently Leigh is the Vice Chair of the Connex Charitable foundation and sits on the associations ESG committee.
With over 15 years in procurement and vendor management, Tarah is a seasoned professional specialized in Information Technology Sourcing and Third Party Governance. Starting in hospitality and pivoting successfully to financial services, Tarah brings a unique blend of adaptability and client-focused experience.
Passionate about sustainability, she strives to be a catalyst for change and is eager to enhance impact within her organization. Tarah hopes to share program insights not only with her team by also across her extensive network.
Tarah envisions a future where sustainable practices are integral to every procurement process, fostering positive change within the organization and beyond.
Nameeta Sharma is an environment and sustainability professional with six years of professional experience. In her current role as a Sustainability Specialist with Parkland, she works on the company-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, annual sustainability reporting, emissions reductions planning, and corporate sustainability strategy development, among many other things. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to sustainable growth initiatives and the transition to a low carbon future. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Calgary and Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University.
Tessa has worked in sustainability for 10 years, specializing in environmental education, communication, and engagement. Tessa received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from McGill University, with a double-minor in Environment and Field Studies from the McGill School of Environment. She also holds a Master of Development Practice from the School of Environment, Enterprise & Development at the University of Waterloo. As an experienced sustainability practitioner, Tessa plays a key role in developing the vision, framework and strategies that support Humber College’s progressive understanding of environmental stewardship and leadership in campus sustainability.
Adnan Tambawala is the ESG Manager at Lactalis Canada, leading the company’s efforts in sustainable business practices, ESG strategy and implementation. At Lactalis Canada, Adnan oversees the climate roadmap, reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and working with Group Lactalis and the ESG committee to achieve its sustainability business goals. Adnan holds an MBA from The George Washington University, which has provided him with a robust understanding of business and sustainability integration. His career in sustainability was kickstarted with the prestigious EDF Climate Fellowship program, equipping him with the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle climate challenges. Before joining Lactalis Canada, Adnan gained valuable experience in the sustainability sector through roles at Quinn+Partners and T-Mobile.
Rico Tomsha has been with SaskPower for 20 years and has held varying roles within Procurement over his career. In his current role as Manager, Major Procurement and Strategic Planning at SaskPower, Rico is responsible for leading and implementing sustainable procurement initiatives in conjunction with managing large infrastructure procurements.
Rico believes sustainability is becoming more crucial for the longevity and success of a corporation and procurement is positioned well to influence Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices in industry. Through large infrastructure procurements Rico has been able to highlight the importance of sustainability practices by implementing ESG concepts into evaluation criteria, which are ever evolving and growing.
Kevin has more than 20 years of experience in management and leadership roles, having held positions of Associate Director Purchasing at Humber College, Director, Strategic Sourcing at Revera Inc., and Director, Supply Chain Services at Plexxus.
Kevin holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Athabasca University, Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (BCom) from York University, and a Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP) designation from Supply Chain Canada.
Kelsea is a sustainability professional with around 7 years of experience. She is currently the Sustainability Manager at global education technology company D2L, developing D2L’s first sustainability and ESG strategy and structure. She brings experience from consulting in mining and oil and gas industries in ESG reporting, stakeholder engagement, and cleantech projects; and prior to that, supply chain management and food and beverage industries in Paris, France. She has experience working in several countries and across several industries. Kelsea is a lecturer to Master’s level students at HEC Paris and ESMT Berlin in sustainability and social impact topics.
Lupita (she/her) is a Sustainable Procurement Consultant at Reeve Consulting, where she works with clients to design and implement their Sustainable Procurement programs in the private and public sector. Lupita is passionate about advancing Indigenous solutions, circularity, and impact-driven, regenerative systems.
Lupita holds an Advanced Diploma in Sustainable Business Leadership from BCIT, after completing an Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo.