Vancouver, BC / FEB 19 – FEB 21
Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, 1133 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
SUMMIT PROGRAM
Wednesday, February 19th
DAY 1: Educational Sessions
Day 1 of the SHARE Investor Summit provides participants with an opportunity to register for 1 of 3 educational workshops.
As space in these educational workshops is limited, preference will be given to trustees, investment committee members and board members from pension funds, Indigenous trusts, universities and foundations.
Wednesday, February 19
Trustee Bootcamp
An Introduction to Investment, Governance and Capital Stewardship
This Trustee Bootcamp is designed for new and future trustees. The day-long course offers expert-led presentations and interactive discussions on investment and governance basics including the role of investment policies, working effectively with asset managers and responsible investment.
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AGENDA
Trustee Boot Camp:
An Introduction to Investment, Governance, and Capital Stewardship
8:30 |
Registration / Light breakfast |
9:00 |
Welcome and Introductions |
9:30 |
Introduction to Fund GovernanceThis session will provide a brief overview of fund governance, demystifying the processes and regulatory principles that underpin investment funds and their oversight. |
10:30 |
Break |
10:45 |
The Trustee Role: Duties, Powers, and ExpectationsThis session will delve into the duties, powers, and expectations that trustees balance in their unique positions. |
11:30 |
Storytelling: Getting Started as a New TrusteeThis session will delve into the duties, powers, and expectations that trustees balance in their unique positions. |
12:00 |
LUNCH |
1:00 |
Investment ABCsThis session will review the fundamentals and equip trustees to authoritatively navigate the complex universe of investing. |
1:45 |
Breakout: Collaborative Problem-SolvingThis will be an opportunity to connect with and learn from each other in a small group setting. Work together to solve real-life problems you might face around financial flows, investment oversight, and more. |
2:30 |
Break |
2:45 |
Responsible Investment and Capital StewardshipThis session will introduce responsible investment and provide strategies for responsibly stewarding capital in a changing world, offering key steps to incorporate RI in investment policies and practices. |
3:30 |
Storytelling: Experiences in Responsible InvestmentHear from trustees and trust managers who have begun implementing responsible investment practices and policies. We’ll explore the challenges, solutions, and helpful tools that these colleagues have encountered along the way. |
4:00 |
Closing |
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Wednesday, February 19
Trustee Responsible Investor Master Class
Raising the Bar
The Trustee Responsible Investment Master Class provides a structured forum for experienced trustees to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with embedding responsible investment into fund governance and investment oversight.
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AGENDA
Responsible Investing
MASTER CLASS:
Raising the Bar
8:30 |
Registration / Light breakfast |
9:00 |
Welcome and Introductions |
9:15 |
International Responsible Investment Trends ReportThis session will review key developments in the field of responsible investment in the last year, including the EU Sustainable Finance taxonomy, the Dutch Pension Covenant on Responsible Business Conduct and the growing expectation for responsible investors to evaluate the impact of their policies. |
9:30 |
International Trustee Panel: Leadership in ActionTrustees with a track record for action from Australia, Europe and the US will share their stories of advocating for change at the board table within their funds and within the broader investment community. ~ Group activity |
10:45 |
Break |
11:00 |
Acting Like you Own It: Asserting Ownership in a Complex Investment ChainAn ever increasing number of asset managers are signing onto sustainability and ESG-related initiatives. As the responsible investment movement moves to the mainstream, there are increasing calls to rethink what active ownership means. This session will delve into these new approaches to stewardship and the role that asset owners can play in requiring more accountability from intermediaries. ~ Group activity |
12:15 |
LUNCH |
1:15 |
The Evolving Landscape of Climate Risk: Key Considerations for Trustees in 2020This session will feature a dialogue with Joy Williams, chair of the Decarbonization Advisory Panel for the $209.1 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund. She will discuss the recommendations the panel provided to mitigate climate risks and seize opportunities stemming from the energy transition. |
2:30 |
Break |
2:45 |
Trustees and Asset Stewardship in Private MarketsPension fund allocation to private markets – including real estate, private equity, and unlisted assets – has been on the rise in recent years. Ownership in these asset classes is often characterised by larger ownership stakes by a smaller group of investors. This session will delve into the challenges opportunities to improve stewardship in this asset class through the use of tools like Responsible Contractor Policies. ~ Group activity |
4:00 |
Closing |
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Wednesday, February 19
Foundation Investing 2.0 Master Class
Pursuing Impact Across Portfolios
This workshop is designed to support foundations to advance their impact and responsible investing practices. The workshop will combine story telling, skill development and expert guidance to help participants take their first steps or deepen their practices of aligning portfolios with values and mission.
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AGENDA
Foundation Investing 2.0
MASTER CLASS:
From Intent to Action: Setting the Foundations for Impact and Responsible Investing
9:30 |
Registration / Light breakfast |
10:00 |
Welcome and Introductions |
10:30 |
Impact and Responsible Investing OverviewThis session will provide a brief overview of impact and responsible investment strategies as well as the latest market trends and drivers. The facilitators will also provide the latest research and evidence to help address common concerns related to impact and responsible investing. |
11:00 |
Storytelling: Getting the Foundations RightHear from a fellow foundation on some of the initial steps they took to establish a strong governance framework for their impact and responsible investing activities including some of the key lessons they have learned along the way. |
11:30 |
Break |
11:45 |
Investment Beliefs: Foundations for Decision-Making and GovernanceThis session will look at some key first steps for foundations including considering the role of investment beliefs in providing a basis for organizational decision-making on impact and responsible investing as well as implementation and alignment with service providers. |
12:30 |
LUNCH |
1:30 |
Storytelling: Delivering Impact in Public MarketsHear from Coast Funds about their efforts to ensure that their proxy voting rights were being used in a way that aligned with their broader values and expectations, particularly with regards to Indigenous rights and reconciliation. |
2:00 |
Implementing a Total Portfolio Approach to Impact and Responsible InvestingThis session will explore different impact and responsible investment strategies and address questions such as how do we identify impact opportunities, what are some viable first steps and how do we work effectively with our asset managers? |
2:30 |
Break |
2:30 |
Small Group DiscussionsThis will be an opportunity to connect with and learn from each other in a small group setting. Work together to identify common barriers and ways that these may be overcome and resources and support that you will need to help continue your journey. |
3:30 |
Closing |
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Thursday, February 20
DAY 2:
Plenary & Breakout
Sessions
The Summit will address today’s most important issues including: the climate crisis, inequality, the future of work and reconciliation in a range of formats including plenary sessions, breakout workshops and extended roundtable discussions.
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AGENDA
SHARE Investor Summit
Join pension funds, Indigenous trusts, foundations, endowments and other investors to forge alliances, address global challenges, design solutions and build a sustainable, inclusive and productive economy.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 2020
| 7:30 am | REGISTRATION, COFFEE/TEA & LIGHT BREAKFAST | ||
| 7:45 am | BREAKFAST SESSION: CLIMATE LITIGATION
Some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies are embroiled in legal disputes over the industry’s role in global warming. Nine US cities have sued major fossil fuel companies seeking compensation for climate change damages. At the same time, brave groups of children from around the world are suing governments for their failure to protect their futures, including a recently launched case in Canada led by 15 youth from across the country. This session will provide an update on some of these cases and look at what the growth in climate litigation means for investors if they succeed in holding companies and governments accountable. Speakers:
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| 9:00 am | WELCOME & OPENING | ||
| 9:45 am | PLENARY 1: WORLD OUT OF BALANCE
Hear from trade union, climate and Indigenous leaders about the urgency with which we must address growing inequality, the climate crisis and respect for Indigenous rights and economic reconciliation. This opening plenary session will catalyze our conversations and commitments over the next two days. Speakers:
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| 11:00 am | MORNING NETWORKING & COFFEE/TEA BREAK | ||
| 11:20 am | CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS: | ||
| WORKSHOP 1 – Improving Accountability in Corporate Governance: Models for Incorporating Stakeholder Voices
This session will explore recent efforts to strengthen accountability mechanisms in corporate governance and business models. The session will explore the benefits of employee ownership for company performance, efforts to elevate human capital management to a board level responsibility and new investment vehicles supporting worker owned enterprises. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 2 – Place-based Investing and Community Wealth
This session will explore opportunities for investors to deploy capital and deliver positive social, economic and environmental impacts at the community level. We will explore how these efforts can be scaled up and how more investors can get involved. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 3 – Building a Net-Zero Climate Investment Strategy
In order to make concrete contributions to decarbonizing the global economy, leading investors are making commitments to carbon-neutral investment portfolios. This session will look at the legal context for investors and explore key aspects of a net-zero investment strategy. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 4 – Real Estate and Alternative Asset Classes: The role of responsible contractor policies
Real estate investments are a significant and growing asset class for many Canadian institutional investors. What most real estate investors do not see however are the precarious working conditions that exist in the construction and operation of these assets. Tools and frameworks such as responsible contractor policies and asset manager scorecards are increasingly being employed to improve the outcomes of these investments for workers. This session will assess how these approaches work in practice and review how trustees can promote responsible labour practices and decent work in their real estate investments. Speakers:
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| 12:30 pm | BUFFET LUNCH | ||
| 1:30 pm | PLENARY PANEL – FIT FOR PURPOSE CLIMATE CHANGE INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The climate crisis is an existential threat to global economies, markets and earth systems. Investor responses to the climate crisis need to be ambitious and bold, but it is very challenging to know where to get started and how to design fit for purpose strategies. This session will look at the strategies that investors are deploying to align their portfolios with the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Speakers:
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| 2:15 pm | CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS | ||
| WORKSHOP 1 – #WeOwnIt: Tools for embedding accountability into capital markets
Pension and Indigenous trustees, foundation and university endowment staff report that holding asset managers accountable on their ESG performance is a shared challenge. This session will explore efforts by investors globally and in Canada to develop and deploy tools that can help governing boards and finance staff to more effectively hold their managers to account, specifically on social issues. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 2– The Future of Work: Investor responses to systemic social risks
The business models of some of the world’s largest companies are driving deep transformation in the world of work. Non-standard and precarious forms of work raise profound challenges in areas such labour rights, corporate governance and taxation. This session will discuss how changes to the world of work threaten the stable social and economic systems that long-term investors rely upon and explore investment stewardship responses. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 3 – Taking up the Call to Action: Opportunities for investors to support economic reconciliation and Indigenous rights
If we are to succeed in forever changing the power dynamic between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, investors need to join the growing movement to build economic reconciliation. This breakout session will look at ways in which investors are putting reconciliation into action in their asset selection and stewardship practices including identifying opportunities to invest in Indigenous enterprises and communities and to support the revitalization and growth of the Indigenous economy. Speakers:
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| WORKSHOP 4 – Investor Stewardship 2.0
Traditional approaches to investment analysis tend to focus investor attention on evaluating the risks and returns associated with individual companies or assets. Generally speaking, approaches to stewardship have followed a similar formula. However, such a narrow lens can conceal significant macro-level issues that can have broader social, environmental and economic implications. This session will look at how investors are deepening their stewardship practices and evaluating the results not by counting conversations but by measuring real world impacts. Speakers:
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| 3:30 PM | AFTERNOON NETWORKING & COFFEE/TEA BREAK | ||
| 3:45 PM | PLENARY – THE POWER OF MANY: MODELS OF COLLABORATION
Addressing the world’s toughest problems requires more than the brilliance and benevolence of a few; it requires the leadership and collaboration of many. Panelists will share their own stories of where collaboration has been effective in addressing broader challenges such as the transition to a low-carbon economy, community economic development and accountable capital markets. This plenary will plant the seeds for Day 3 of the Summit which is designed to provide spaces for participants to come together and build action plans with their peers and around key topics including just transition and reconciliation. Speakers:
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| 4:30 pm | CLOSE DAY 2 |
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Thursday, February 20
DAY 2:
SHARE 20th Anniversary Celebration
2020 marks SHARE’s 20th anniversary and we invite all Summit participants to join us for an evening of celebration.
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SEE DETAILS
Starting at 5:30pm, join us at the VISTAS restaurant on the 19th floor of the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront for a stand-up cocktail reception.
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Friday, February 21
DAY 3:
Network Gatherings & Thematic Sessions
Friday morning will feature network gatherings, where you will join with peers to talk about ways of deepening collaboration in 2020, and in-depth thematic sessions where you will help design programs of action related to the just transition and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
CLICK FOR AGENDA
AGENDA
SHARE Investor Summit
Join pension funds, Indigenous trusts, foundations, endowments and other investors to forge alliances, address global challenges, design solutions and build a sustainable, inclusive and productive economy.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21st, 2020
| 7:45 am | BREAKFAST |
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8:45 am |
NETWORK GATHERING SESSIONS
The morning of Friday, February 21st will feature opportunities for Summit participants to participate in caucuses where you will join with your peers to talk about ways of deepening your networks and to identify opportunities for collaboration in 2020. Canadian Capital Stewardship Network Join us for the launch of the Canadian Capital Stewardship Network (CCSN)– a network of Canadian trade union representatives and labour-nominated trustees working to mobilize workers’ capital in Canada in support of decent work. The launch event will provide an opportunity to learn more about the CCSN and ways to get involved in building decent work-related capital strategies campaigns in Canada. Foundations and Indigenous Trusts: A Discussion on Building Community Wealth and Resilience An opportunity to connect investors with interest, and/or practical experience, investing in ways to build community wealth and strengthen local economies. This in-depth roundtable discussion seeks to foster connections, facilitate peer learning and help turn aspirations for investing in local communities into action.
Religious Investors Network Gathering Join with other faith based investors from across Canada to discuss front of mind issues, share experiences and consider opportunities of working together in 2020.
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| 10:30 am | MORNING NETWORKING AND HEALTH BREAK |
| 10:45 am | THEMATIC SESSIONS
The second half of Friday morning will feature two in-depth thematic sessions where you will have the opportunity to help design programs of action related to the just transition to a low carbon economy and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Mobilizing Investors for a Just Transition The transition to a low-carbon economy will impact communities and workers that are already being affected by job losses, stagnant wages and precarious work. Join with members of the Principles for Responsible Investment Just Transition Working Group to identify the role investors can play to ensure that the social dimensions of the low carbon transition are considered in efforts to tackle climate change, including in their engagement with companies and policy advocacy efforts. This thematic session will feature roundtable discussions looking at opportunities for investor action and collaboration both in Canada and globally leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) taking place in November 2020 in Glasgow, UK. Advancing Reconciliation through Our Investments In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set forth 94 calls to action to advance the process of reconciliation in Canada, addressing all parts of society. Five years later, while progress has been made in some areas, there is an enormous amount of work to do. Investors have a critical role to play in taking up the call to action, and embedding the TRC’s recommendations into their investment policies and practices. This in-depth session will showcase opportunities for investors to meaningfully and tangibly contribute to advancing economic reconciliation in 2020.
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| 12:30 PM | LUNCH AND DOOR PRIZES |
| 1:30 PM | CONFERENCE CLOSES |
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SPEAKERS
SPEAKERS
Sharan Burrow is General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.
Sharan Burrow was re-elected for a third term as General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation at the ITUC World Congress in December 2018. Previously President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2000 – 2010, she served as inaugural President of the ITUC from its foundation in Vienna in 2006. Sharan has led union negotiations on major economic reforms and in labour rights campaigns.
The ITUC is a supporter of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). Under Sharan’s leadership the ITUC’s Workers’ Capital Committee has been strengthened. More than US$ 13 trillion of retirement funds are under joint trustee management and the ITUC and its affiliates are active in both trustee education, corporate governance and shareholder activism.
The ITUC is the world’s peak labour union body and has grown to represent 207 million workers in 163 countries and territories with 331 national affiliates.
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SPEAKERS
Henrik Jeppesen is Head of Investor Outreach for North America, Carbon Tracker
As Carbon Tracker’s Head of Investor Outreach for North America, Henrik has advised many of the world’s largest and most influential investment managers, public pension funds, insurance companies, faith-based investors, endowments and foundations on portfolio decarbonization, ESG integration and investment stewardship strategies. Henrik works to build awareness and understanding of carbon and stranded asset risk, broadening the distribution and usage of CTI’s proprietary research amongst institutional investors.
Prior to Carbon Tracker, Henrik spent more than 20 years in equity research sales and sell-side equity research covering traditional and renewable energy, consumer goods, transportation, materials and healthcare for SEB Enskilda in their New York, Copenhagen and London offices. Henrik began his career as a buy-side equity portfolio manager for Nykredit Asset Management in Copenhagen.
Henrik holds a M.Sc. in Finance and Accounting and a B.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Copenhagen Business School, where he also lectured on capital markets and the IPO process. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certificate of Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations as well as SASB’s Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential.
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SPEAKERS
Mark Sevestre is President and Chair of Reconciliation & Responsible Investment Committee.
In 2006, Mark became one of three founding members of the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association and is currently serving as the NATOA President. NATOA is a Charitable organization, dedicated to providing knowledge on trusts and investment for Indigenous communities.
Mark also currently serves as the General Manager of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation Community Trust since 1999. Prior to joining the MNCFN Community Trust, Mark has served as a Branch/Financial Services Manager with the Bank of Montreal opening a branch within the Onyota’aka (Oneida) First Nation near London, Ontario. Graduating from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in 1991, Mark worked as an Intergovernmental Affairs Officer with the Department of Indian Affairs. After leaving INAC, Mark served as the External Delivery Officer of the Aboriginal Business Canada program on behalf of the Off Reserve Aboriginal population in Nova Scotia for the Mikmakik Development Corporation.
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SPEAKERS
Joy Williams is a Senior Advisor at Mantle 314 Consulting
Joy Williams brings a multi-disciplinary approach to climate change and other environmental, social and governance issues. She made the move from traditional engineering to environmental and climate change issues over 15 years ago and has since worked in government, policy, management and strategic consulting and the financial industry. Joy’s approach to the complexity of these topics is to focus on what is relevant to her client’s strategy and provide pragmatic advice to support their growth.
Joy started her career as a traditional mechanical engineer working on aircraft landing gear before completing a Master’s of Applied Science with a collaborative in Environmental Engineering. Her years at ICF Consulting allowed her to work on a broad range of strategic and management projects on topics of climate change and energy for clients as diverse as forestry companies to power generation associations.
To deepen her experience in climate change, she moved to the UK where she was a technical lead on greenhouse gas emission projects for the UNFCCC carbon markets. She gained on the ground experience in preparing, educating and registering projects in developing countries for a venture cap firm.
Complementary her prior experience, Joy returned to Ontario to work for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in a large modernization project involving the Ontario Environmental Protection Act and Water Resources Act. Additionally, she led the change management project designing major process changes throughout the approvals branch.
Most recently, Joy applied all her previous experience establishing the responsible investing framework and acting as the in-house climate change subject matter expert at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Working across asset classes including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit and public equities, she helped to integrate environmental, social and governance practices in investment teams. A large part of her role focused on educating the organization on climate change and helping to develop a corporate response.
She has also been the chair for the Decarbonization Advisory Panel for the $209.1 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund on how to best to mitigate investment risks stemming from climate change and maximize opportunities from the new, low-carbon economy.
Joy is a Professional Engineer of Ontario and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.
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Vonda Brunsting
Program Manager for the Just Transition Project at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Center for Public Leadership
SPEAKERS
Vonda Brunsting is Program Manager for the Just Transition Project at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Center for Public Leadership
Vonda Brunsting works with the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Center for Public Leadership of the Harvard Kennedy School. In partnership with the Grantham Institute at LSE, she is launching a project on Investing in the Just Transition, which aims to build a clean energy economy that works for communities and working people.
Previously, she was director of the Capital Stewardship Program Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Vonda served as a trustee on the SEIU Master Trust Pension Plan and on the board of the Council of Institutional Investors.
Prior to joining SEIU‚ Vonda Brunsting co-founded two community organizations devoted to leadership development and community change and worked on community finance initiatives at the University of New Hampshire and the Harvard Business School.
She currently serves on the SRI and Investment Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund. She received her B.A. from Calvin College and holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
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SPEAKERS
Edward Waitzer is Senior Partner and Head of Corporate Governance Group
Mr. Waitzer was Chair of Stikeman Elliott LLP from 1999 to 2006 and remains a senior partner whose practice focuses on complex business transactions. He also advises on a range of public policy and governance matters. He is a Professor and the Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance and is Director of the Hennick Centre for Business and Law at Osgoode Hall and the Schulich School of Business at York University. He served (1993-1996) as Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission and (until 1981) as Vice-President of The Toronto Stock Exchange. He has written and spoken extensively on a variety of legal and public policy issues and serves or has served as director of a number of corporations, foundations, community organizations, editorial boards and advisory groups. He is a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and an inaugural fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. Recipient of 2018 Corporate Knights Award of Distinction. He earned his LL.B. (1976) and LL.M. (1981) from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. Called to the Ontario (1978) and the New York (1985) Bars.
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SPEAKERS
Leslee White-eye is Board of Directors, King’s University College; Board of Directors, SHARE
Leslee White-Eye is the former Chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation during which she could see the role responsible investing could have on the economy to solve global issues of concern to First Nations people. She has served as a trustee on Chippewa’s Thunderbird Trust for eight years, serving four of the eight years as Chair of the Board. It was during that time, she gained firsthand experience as a trustee navigating a trade market within the parameters of a trust investment policy that valued portfolios made up of socially responsible companies who place value on Indigenous treaty relations, the environment and other socially just principles of conduct. Currently, she sits as corporate trustee on Wasauksing First Nation’s M’tigo Min Trust and as a Board member of Kings’ University College in London, Ontario. She currently works in Indigenous education and governance for eight First Nations in Ontario seeking jurisdiction over education called the First Nations with Schools Collective.
Prior to being Chief, Leslee was an Education Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education for nine years. Leslee was recently honoured to receive an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from Western University. She earned her Political Science and Master of Education degrees at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and her teaching degree at Nipissing University in North Bay.
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SPEAKERS
Mark Solomon is a Founding Partner in Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP’s San Diego Office and leads its international litigation practice
Over the last 23 years, Mark Solomon has regularly represented United States- and United Kingdom-based pension funds, and asset managers in class and non-class securities litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He has been admitted to the Bars of England and Wales (Barrister) and California, but now practices exclusively in California, as well as in various United States federal district and appellate courts.
Mark has spearheaded the prosecution of many significant securities fraud cases. He has obtained multi-hundred million dollar recoveries for plaintiffs in pre-trial settlements and significant corporate governance reforms designed to limit recidivism and promote appropriate standards. He litigated, through the rare event of trial, the securities class action against Helionetics Inc. and its executives, where he won a $15.4 million federal jury verdict.
The Legal 500 has named Mark a Recommended Lawyer in its nationwide category of “Securities Litigation – Plaintiff,” citing his dual qualifications in English and U.S. law and his leadership of the Firm’s international litigation practice. He has also been named a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer by Lawdragon and a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine. He earned his law degrees at Trinity College, Cambridge University, England, Harvard Law School, and the Inns of Court School of Law in London.
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SPEAKERS
Ted Howard is the Co-founder and President of The Democracy Collaborative
Ted Howard is the Co-founder and President of The Democracy Collaborative. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of the National Center for Economic Alternatives.
In July 2010, Ted was appointed the Steven Minter Senior Fellow for Social Justice at The Cleveland Foundation, a position he held for four years. Working with the Foundation, he was a member of a team that developed the comprehensive job creation and wealth building strategy which resulted in the Evergreen Cooperative Initiative.
Ted lectures frequently about community wealth building, most recently at the Clinton Global Initiative-America, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the Co-operatives United World Conference (Manchester, England), various regional Federal Reserve Banks, as well as at universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, MIT, Georgetown, Oberlin, Michigan State and the Ohio State University.
He is the author of numerous articles appearing in popular and community development publications. His chapter “Owning Your Own Job Is a Beautiful Thing” is included in a book of readings (Investing in What Works for America’s Communities) published in 2012 by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He is also co-author of a chapter on “Economic Democracy” in Achieving Sustainability: Visions, Principles and Practices (Macmillan) and a chapter on “The Essential Connection: Environmental Sustainability, Community Stability and Equitable Development” in Ensuring a Sustainable Future: Making Progress on Environment and Equity (Oxford University Press). His most recent publications include The Anchor Mission: Leveraging the Power of Anchor Institutions to Build Community Wealth (co-authored with colleagues at the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning) and The Anchor Dashboard: Aligning Institutional Practice to Meet Low-Income Community Needs (with Steve Dubb and Sarah McKinley).
Ted serves on the board of directors of LIFT, a national organization dedicated to engaging young Americans in combating poverty in our nation’s core urban areas; its chapters are based in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. He is also a member of the board of directors for BALLE, a national alliance championing sustainability, social finance and community-based economic development, and is also a founding member of the board of the Evergreen Cooperative Corporation.
Ted was designated a CFED Innovation Award recipient in 2010. The magazine Utne Reader named him one of “25 visionaries who are changing your world.
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SPEAKERS
Jill Johnson is an Investment Officer with the Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS)
Jill Johnson is an investment officer with the Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS). She joined SCERS in 2013 and is the lead on both public equity investing and environmental, social and governance issues. Prior to SCERS, Jill worked at Russell Investments for nearly 12 years as an asset allocation portfolio manager. She began working in the financial markets while living in Paris, France in the late 1980’s. She has been an equity options trader, a fund manager for French pension plans and a researcher of financial market trends. She is a member of the Société Française des Analystes Financiers, the French chartered financial analyst group. Jill graduated from Reed College with a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey with a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Communications/International Business.
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SPEAKERS
Sussanne Skidmore is Secretary Treasurer for B.C. Federation of Labour (BCFED)
Sussanne Skidmore was elected BCFED Secretary Treasurer in November, 2018. A well-known social justice advocate and queer-and-human-rights activist, she is also the chair of the BCFED’s Human Rights Committee and is active in the Women’s Rights Committee. Sussanne represents a generation of leaders working to grow the labour movement to meet today’s challenges. She is unafraid to defend, and expand on, the rights workers have fought generations to secure.
Sussanne has been a member of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) since 1997. She has been fortunate to serve in nearly every elected position in her union—from steward to executive vice president— between 2014 to 2018. As a local BCGEU chairperson, Sussanne represented government administrative services workers in the Prince George area of north-central BC.
By profession, Sussanne is a training analyst in the Court Services Branch of the Ministry of Justice where she worked for more than a decade. Sussanne is also the Treasurer of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and a Vice President of the BC NDP.
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SPEAKERS
Harpinder Sandhu is the Board Trustee for the BC Public Service Pension Plan
Harpinder Sandhu is the Board Trustee for the BC Public Service Pension Plan since 2015, with total assets of approximately $34 Billion. He was also appointed to the $54 Billion BC Municipal Pension Board in July 2019 by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
He has an interest in the importance of public awareness and the longevity of pension plans. His proactive approach to responsible investment is demonstrated as a committee member of the UN sponsored Principles of Responsible Investment (Western North America Chapter). He is also a Board member for the Shareholder Association for Research and Education, and founding member of the Canadian Capital Stewardship Network.
Harpinder is the Vice President of CUPE Local 1767 (union representing BC Assessment employees), working as a property appraiser. His appraisal experience with redevelopment land, residential, commercial, industrial and strata properties provides solid background and context for real estate as a fund investment. He has also co-authored two major policy papers on housing affordability that have been key in influencing provincial housing legislation.
A graduate of Simon Fraser University, Harpinder holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Geography and Economics, focused on international trade, finance, sustainable urban development and public policy.
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SPEAKERS
Kevin Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of the Shareholder Association for Research and Education.
Kevin joined SHARE in 2013 as a Senior Analyst on social issues and became Executive Director in 2018. Prior to working with SHARE Kevin was the Director of Advocacy for the Maquila Solidarity Network, a labour and women’s rights organization, where he advised companies, governments, and public institutions on the development and implementation of policies and practices to improve respect for worker rights in global supply chains.
From 1998 to 2009 Kevin served as a political advisor to the Chief and Governing Council of the Lubicon Lake First Nation in Alberta, Canada, and as Chief Negotiator for treaty negotiations with the Federal and Provincial governments. He also negotiated land use, environmental protection and economic benefit agreements with oil, gas and forestry corporations.
Kevin holds an LLM in international business law (with a focus on securities law, corporate governance, taxation, trade, and arbitration) and an Honours BA in Environment and Resource Management from the University of Toronto.
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SPEAKERS
Katherine Wheatley is Project Lead of the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative (RRII), SHARE
Katie joined SHARE in August 2019 as Project Lead for the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative. The Initiative, a partnership between SHARE and the National Aboriginal Trust Officers’ Association (NATOA), aims to promote responsible investment policies and practices that include reconciliation goals.
Prior to joining SHARE, Katie worked in intergovernmental affairs with various First Nations to protect their Aboriginal rights and title and enhance environmental conservation through government relations, negotiation with industry, and international advocacy. She has previously worked to advance social development and reconciliation through conducting research and furthering grassroots community initiatives at several non-profit organizations, a private family foundation, and a municipal government in Eastern Canada.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Joint Honours International Development and Anthropology from McGill University, as well as a Master of Arts in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Saskatchewan.
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Brodie Guy is the Executive Director of Coast Funds
Brodie is the Executive Director of Coast Funds, stewarding funds in excess of $100 million and leading a team dedicated to strengthening the well-being of First Nations and the ecological integrity of the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii regions of British Columbia. Over more than a decade, Brodie has held management roles with funds investing in sustainable development led by First Nations and rural communities.
Recently, Brodie worked closely with Coast Funds’ board of directors to author investment guidelines that set a new standard with specific and directive proxy voting guidelines to ensure recognition of Indigenous Rights by the boards of publicly traded companies. He has facilitated lending and investment into companies, social enterprises, and co-operatives, while also funding a diversity of non-profits and local governments. With particular expertise in conservation, forestry, bioenergy, ecotourism, environmental technology and social finance, Brodie has served in an advisory capacity to government and philanthropic organizations across Canada.
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SPEAKERS
Jennifer Coulson is the Vice President, ESG for BCI
Jennifer Coulson has worked in the financial services industry for over 17 years. She began her career in the mutual fund business working for a national firm that specializes in responsible investing solutions. As a senior member of the Public Markets Department at BCI she now oversees Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk analysis for portfolio companies; engages with companies to manage ESG risk; develops public policy submissions on ESG matters of broad relevance to the investment industry; and oversees the proxy voting program. Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in Environment & Resource Management from the University of Western Ontario as well as a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. She has attained the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D); serves on the PIAC Investor Stewardship Committee; the 30% Club of Canada Steering Committee; and the Investment Advisory Committee for the University of Victoria Student Investment Fund. Jennifer was recently recognized as one of B.C’s Most Influential Women in Finance by BC Business Magazine.
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Jason Campbell is the Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Power
Jason Campbell is a citizen of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Jason is the CEO of Sovereign Power. Sovereign Power is an energy company wholly owned by the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Sovereign Power drives unique integrated leading edge energy solutions based upon the implementation of renewable energy. Sovereign Power is currently utilizing partnerships across public, private and non-profit sectors. Sovereign Power is growing capacity in power marketing, power production, and power distribution. Jason, through Sovereign Power, strives to contribute to an improved quality of life for tribal citizens in a way that reflects the core values of the Spokane Tribe.
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John Pesa is the Administrator of Local 213 Electrical Workers’ Benefits and Pension Plans
John Pesa is the Administrator of Local 213 Electrical Workers’ Benefits and Pension Plans. Prior to becoming the Administrator, John was an Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 213, and was Chair of Board of the Local 213 Electrical Workers’ Benefits and Pension Plans. John is currently COO of Electrical Investments Ltd, a company owned by the Local 213 Pension Plan. John is also a Director of Electrical Estates for the Union, and a Director and Secretary/Treasurer on the Electrical Joint Training Committee Society. John is a Director of Concert Properties Ltd. and on his spare time John enjoys cycling, watching sports and spending time with his family.
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Aaron Brenner
Assistant Director of the Capital Stewardship Program of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
SPEAKERS
Aaron Brenner is Assistant Director of the Capital Stewardship Program of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
Aaron Brenner is assistant director of the Capital Stewardship Program of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The UFCW represents 1.3 million members in the United States and Canada, working in the food retail, food processing, and non-food retail sectors. UFCW members participate in approximately 30 pension funds with about $40 billion in assets. The CSP spearheads the union’s efforts to protect the retirement security of its members and promote corporate sustainability. We work with UFCW pension trustees on issues such as fund administration, pension reform, and sustainability of pension investments. A core part of our sustainability efforts is the engagement of corporations in our industries, almost always in collaboration with other investors. Before UFCW, Aaron worked in the capital stewardship program of SEIU, taught at universities, and was a journalist. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
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SPEAKERS
Mario Tremblay is the Vice-President, Public and Corporate Affairs, Solidarity Fund QFL
Mario Tremblay has been Vice-President, Public and Corporate Affairs, at the Solidarity Fund QFL since September 2008. As such, he sits on the Fund’s Executive Committee.
Before being appointed to this position, Mr. Tremblay was Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications for two years. Mr. Tremblay joined the Fund in 2001 as Corporate Business Director and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Thanks to his extensive skills and professionalism, Mr. Tremblay has played a key role in the Fund’s strategic planning.
Mr. Tremblay serves on the boards of the Fondation du Maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse and the Agora de la danse.
Called to the Barreau du Québec in 1996, Mr. Tremblay practiced corporate and international business law, first as an attorney and subsequently as a partner at Goodrich Riquelme y Associados in Mexico from 1997 to 2001, where he advised many Québec and Canadian firms. He also acted as an international observer during the 1997 Mexican elections for the Canadian Embassy and worked with the Québec Delegation, notably, during the economic mission led by Premier Lucien Bouchard in 1999.
Mr. Tremblay received his law degree, magna cum laude from the University of Ottawa.
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SPEAKERS
Brian Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Rhiza Capital Inc.
Brian is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor and creative organizer for sustainable business and impactful economic development. He has led and helped deploy private equity placements and institutional investments that have derived impressive returns and demonstrable impact. He is a co-founding partner in Rhiza Capital mandated to grow the ecosystem of investments that can support social ventures and apply the principles of business for positive social and environmental impact. Having founded and led successful non-profits, for-profits, and co-ops, Brian is uniquely skillful in a variety of models that have a positive impact.
Brian co-founded and is the Chair of the Board of Persephone Brewing Company – “The Beer Farm”. Persephone is renowned for both award winning beer, the early adoption of ecologically positive systems and community impact, and is the only Certified B Corp brewery in Western Canada. Brian holds a BA in Economics from Simon Fraser University, an MA in Planning from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and a Professional Certificate from the UBC Sauder School of Business. Brian and his social ventures have received a number of awards including: Top 100 Impact Companies in North America (2019), Canadian Social Enterprise of the Year (2017), Widening our World Award (2016), Land Award (2016), Celebration of Excellence Award (2014), and Top 40 Under 40 Business People in Vancouver (2009).
Today, he is focused on supporting venture capital and growing social ventures through impact investment and the development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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Sarah is a Shareholder Engagement and Policy Analyst at SHARE
Sarah joined SHARE in January 2019 as a shareholder engagement and policy analyst. Prior to joining SHARE, Sarah carried out research on transparency in the extractive industry and climate change-related disclosure at the Goldcorp Research and Innovation Chair in Natural Resources and Energy Law. Before, Sarah worked as a non-financial statutory auditor for an international accounting and advisory firm in France.
Sarah holds a master’s degree in environmental law from Laval University, a master’s degree in sustainable development and CSR from Paris Dauphine University, and a master’s degree in comparative public law from Panthéon-Assas University.
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Murray Gold is a Senior Partner in the pension and benefits practice at Koskie Minsky LLP
Murray advises governing boards of public sector and jointly trusteed pension and benefits plans across Canada in regard to compliance and best-practice issues. He counsels the fiduciary boards of public and private sector pension and benefits plans as well as boards of trustees of multi-employer pension plans. He has led governance and financial restructurings of major public sector pension and benefits arrangements in Ontario, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Alberta, and represents a range of plan sponsors, retiree groups and active members in the education, public, healthcare and multi-employer sectors, including in regard to major insolvencies.
Murray has long played an active role in the area of pension reform. In 2008, he was one of four Expert Advisors to the Ontario Expert Commission on pensions, and has since been committed to pension reform in regard to public sector and multi-employer pension plans. In 2014, he was appointed to Ontario’s Technical Advisory Committee on Retirement Income Security, and in 2015 was appointed as one of three initial members of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Administration Corporation. In 2016/17, he served as one of four panel members on Ontario’s Pension Asset Expert Advisory Panel in relation to the Province’s treatment of its jointly sponsored pension plans on its financial statements.
In 2009 – 2010, he led Koskie Minsky’s team in establishing Canada’s first funded postretirement health care trust in the auto sector. He worked with stakeholders to create the tax and governance framework for Canada’s first Employee Life and Health Trust’. He has since coordinated Koskie Minsky’s teams and worked closely with stakeholders in the governance and financial restructuring of health benefits arrangements in Ontario’s education sector and British Columbia’s health sector.
Murray Gold is a Fellow of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, an honor in recognition of his work in regard to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Murray Gold graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in 1981 and from the University of Toronto Law School in 1984.
Murray was Koskie Minsky’s Managing Partner for two terms, from 2012 and 2016.Sarah joined SHARE in January 2019 as a shareholder engagement and policy analyst. Prior to joining SHARE, Sarah carried out research on transparency in the extractive industry and climate change-related disclosure at the Goldcorp Research and Innovation Chair in Natural Resources and Energy Law. Before, Sarah worked as a non-financial statutory auditor for an international accounting and advisory firm in France.
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Laetitia Tankwe is an Advisor to the President of the Board of Trustees of Irantec
Laetitia Tankwe is advisor to the president of the board of trustees of Ircantec, a €11Bn pay as you go complementary French pension scheme. She has more than 15 years of experience in the financial sector. She joined from Banque Populaire Méditerranée, where she was advisor to the chief executive. She joined the BPCE financial group in 2011. She previously worked at Bâtirente, a Canadian pension fund, as extra-financial risks manager, and has been involved in different working groups of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.
She is steering committee member of the Initiative Climate Action 100+ and member of the UN PRI francophone advisory group. Since 2019, she is also member of the PRI Board and of the Frenchsif board.
She has a MBA with honors of HEC Montreal, a Master 2 f finance and economics of university Paris IX Dauphine and a Master 2 of Sciences politics of University Paris 1 Sorbonne.
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Michael Musuraca is Strategic Advisor of ESG and Labor of Blue Wolf Capital Partners LLC
Mr. Musuraca spent the bulk of his career as an Assistant Director in the Department of Research and Negotiations, District Council 37 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO. District Council 37 is one of the largest public-sector unions in New York City, representing 125,000 members who work for the City of New York, its covered organizations, and certain agencies of the State of New York. He worked for District Council 37 from 1988-2009. From 1996-2009, Mr. Musuraca was a designated trustee to the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS), a 300,000 plus member pension fund with assets of more than $40 billion. He also served, from 1997 until 2009, as a trustee to the Cultural Institutions Retirement System. Mr. Musuraca was also a founding member of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Board and was the labor representative to the Advisory Board of the New York City Independent Budget Office. He is currently serving on the board of Sustainalytics and is chair of the Verite board, as well as a member of the Steering Committee of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights. He also acts as a Strategic Advisor on ESG and Labor for Blue Wolf Capital Partners, and a consultant on pension and capital strategies for the North American Building Trades Unions and the American Federation of Teachers.
Mr. Musuraca has published a number of papers on labor affairs and urban history and politics in academic journals.
Mr. Musuraca received a B.A. in Political Science from New York University, a M.A. in American History from the University of Massachusetts/Boston, and a Master’s of Philosophy from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Since 1994, he has taught in the Department of Urban and Labor Studies at Queens College and has also taught at City College, Rutgers University, and the New York City campus of Cornell University.
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Scott Connolly is ACTU Assistant Secretary
Scott Connolly was re-elected ACTU Assistant Secretary at the ACTU Congress in July 2018.
Prior to this he was Assistant Secretary at the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Queensland branch.
Scott grew up in western Sydney, and like many young Australians, his first job was working the trolley at Woolworths during high school, where he stayed for 12 years in a variety of roles from dockhand to payroll.
It was there he began his involvement in the union movement, joining the SDA and becoming a delegate so he could have a say in management’s decisions.
Scott started at the TWU as an Industrial Officer before moving across three branches over 16 years where he was instrumental in protecting workers in the transport industry, including legal changes to recognise trucks as a workplace and protecting bus drivers from violence.
Scott was also involved in achieving domestic violence leave and increasing parental leave entitlements for Virgin members and leading the 2011 Qantas members’ campaign when management grounded the airline.
As ACTU Assistant Secretary, Scott is passionate about fighting for a better future to ensure the next generation are not left worse off by the current generation.
Scott has a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations, writing his honours thesis on the ACTU and the TWU during the Accord, and has studied in trade union leadership at the Harvard Law School.
Outside of work, he is a proud father of three kids and on his son’s advice, is a Western Bulldogs supporter.
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Shannon Rohan is the Chief Strategy Officer at SHARE
Shannon joined SHARE in 2006 as a Program Officer and currently holds the position of Chief Strategy Officer where she works with pension funds, foundations, Indigenous trusts and universities to develop and implement responsible investment policies and practices. Shannon also leads strategic projects for SHARE including the Valuing Decent Work Initiative and the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative.
Prior to joining SHARE, Shannon worked with the Johannesburg-based African Institute of Corporate Citizenship where she conducted research on responsible investment in Africa and helped to establish the Centre for Sustainability Investing. Shannon has conducted training with the International Finance Corporation and sat on the African Task Force of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.
Shannon has a Masters of Arts degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University.
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Andrea Moffat is Vice President of the Ivey Foundation
Andrea Moffat is the Vice President of the Ivey Foundation whose mission is to help create a shared vision for Canada’s future that integrates the economy and the environment, achieves resource efficiency, and fosters innovation and investment for a smarter, sustainable economy. Previously, Andrea was the Vice President of the Corporate Program at Ceres, where she led the work with business on sustainability issues such as climate, energy, water, and supply chains. With more than 20 years of experience, Andrea has worked with more than 80 companies to help them meet sustainability commitments and achieve greater performance results. She was the lead author of The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability and the corporate benchmarking reports based on this framework and has contributed to a wide range of other publications. She is a skilled facilitator of action-oriented initiatives and collaborations between the private sector, government and non-for-profit organizations. Andrea is a board member of the International Institute of Sustainable Development, and the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network, and speaks at a wide range of events.
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Thomas McKechnie organizes Foodsters United.
Thomas is a union and environmental organizer and playwright based in Toronto, Treaty 13. He is an organizer with Foodsters United who seeks to create an industry-changing union for couriers employed with the app-based German food delivery company, Foodora. His plays deal with capitalism, precarious work, Canadian labour history and clinical depression. Publicly presented plays include: 4 ½ (ig)noble truths, Remembering the Winnipeg General, The Thirst of Hearts and The Jungle (with Anthony MacMahon). He also helps bring artists and activists together to create artistic, performance protests with Artists for Climate and Migrant Justice, and Indigenous Sovereignty. He also does all this with a number of mood and cognitive disorders and believes that you can too.
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Loren Rodgers is Executive Director of the National Centre for Employee Ownership
Loren Rodgers joined the National Center for Employee Ownership as its research director in 2005 and became its executive director in 2011. Before the NCEO, he worked for ten years as a consultant to employee-owned companies. He is a frequent speaker and writes extensively on many aspects of employee ownership in professional and academic publications. He works with companies on plan design, operational issues, assessment, governance, communications, and ownership culture. He also consults internationally on employee ownership as public policy. He received his masters degree from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Public Policy Studies, where he focused on employee ownership in the United States and in Slavic countries.
Loren grew up in the Midwest and lived in Czechoslovakia for three years. He is taking a deep breath after renovating an old house in Oakland with an extensive garden and a bee hive. He is a rock-climber, cooks Indian food, and is humbled at the opportunity to keep the NCEO a strong and vital contributor to employee ownership.
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Trish Nixon
Director of Capital and Investments, Vancity Community Investment Bank and CEO, CoPower Inc.
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Trish Nixon is Director of Capital and Investments, Vancity Community Investment Bank and CEO, CoPower Inc.
Trish leads the team responsible for product and funding strategies for VCIB and its subsidiary, CoPower Inc. She has spent her career working to accelerate impact investing in Canada. As an early member of CoPower’s executive team, Trish was instrumental in the development of the firm’s clean energy investment products, in building a client base of over 800 mission-aligned investors, and in facilitating the firm’s acquisition by VCIB. In prior roles at MaRS Discovery District, she provided advisory services to impact investors and intermediaries and founded an impact accelerator and venture fund. Trish is the 2016 Recipient of the Edward Newton Award for Social Innovation and co-recipient of the 2017 Clean50 Award for Environmental Entrepreneurship. She holds a Masters of International Relations from the University of St. Andrews.
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Kim Novak is President, UFCW 1518
Kim Novak is a passionate social justice advocate and first female president of UFCW 1518, a union that represents more than 24,000 workers across British Columbia. She is dedicated to building the power of union members through education and engagement, striving to amplify the voice of working people. President Novak began her career with the union when she worked as summer student at Safeway, whose employees are represented by UFCW 1518. From there she began working in the union’s Communications Department, rising through the organization to become a director and then Secretary-Treasurer. In 2019, she was elected President of UFCW 1518, running on a platform of member empowerment. Her long term goal for the union is to continue to build collective worker power in BC and to be a leading advocate for precarious and gig economy workers in the province.
President Novak has a bachelor’s degree in history from University of British Columbia.
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Emma Pullman is the Capital Stewardship Officer for the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union
Emma Pullman is the Capital Stewardship Officer for the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU), one of B.C.’s largest and fastest growing unions. Emma has built BCGEU’s leading capital stewardship program, leveraging its fully divested $110 million general and strike fund to push for stronger investments that protect workers and the planet.
Prior to the BCGEU, Emma worked at corporate accountability watchdog SumOfUs.org as their Lead Campaign Strategist where she led their Canadian campaigns team and shareholder work. Emma has worked as a journalist, writer and researcher, and as a policy analyst for the B.C. and federal public services. She holds a Masters of Arts in Political Science.
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Tamara Herman is SHARE’s Senior Program Officer, Responsible Investment Leadership
Tamara works with the Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC), providing support to trade unions and their pension decision-makers on issues related to worker capital stewardship and responsible investment. She is also a member of SHARE’s Responsible Investment Leadership Team.
Prior to joining the CWC, Tamara worked nationally and internationally on environmental and social issues. Her experience includes working on social policy at the Carnegie Community Action Project and the Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group, as well as trade and human rights issues at Rights & Democracy.
Tamara holds a Master’s Degree in Studies in Policy and Practice from the University of Victoria, where her research focused on mining, corporate social responsibility and land acquisition in Mexico.
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