GLOBE Virtual

Join Jennifer Keesmaat, CEO of The Keesmaat Group and former Chief City Planner of Toronto as she sits down with The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and Michael Sabia, Chair of Canada Infrastructure Bank. This interactive virtual dialogue highlights the important role of infrastructure as a catalyst for Canada’s COVID-19 economic recovery, as well as the opportunities and challenges the crisis presents for making our communities greener, safer and better.

Speakers:

• The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Government of Canada

• Michael Sabia, Chair of the Board of Canada Infrastructure Bank

Chair:

• Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Executive Officer, The Keesmaat Group and former Chief City Planner, City of Toronto

Host:

• Elizabeth Shirt, Managing Director, GLOBE Series

With as much as $2.5 trillion USD expected to be spent on clean technology development by 2022 and investment and societal signals driving stronger action on climate change, it’s clear that the changes of tomorrow will be driven by the inventors of today. Not surprisingly, interest in entrepreneurship has grown among youth who are looking for challenging, meaningful, and impact-oriented careers.

Have you ever thought of a career in cleantech but are not entirely sure where to start? Then please join us for an insightful conversation with four Canadian cleantech founders to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and pivots they’ve made along their start-up journey.

The conversation focuses on students, recent graduates, and young people who are active in the cleantech sector or are looking to learn more about the sector.

Speakers:

• Kelcie Miller-Anderson, Founder, MycoRemedy
• Bo Simango, CEO & Co-Founder, Aquafort AI
• Apoorv Sinha, CEO, Carbon Upcycling Technologies Inc.

Expert on the line:

• Richard Adamson, CEO, Industrial Climate Solutions Inc.

Moderator:

• Kristine O’Rielly, Innovation & Cleantech Consultant, The Delphi Group

The year 2020 has brought unanticipated change to every sector and energy is no exception. With much of Canada’s current economic system reliant on hydrocarbon energy, it is more prudent than ever to examine how our hydrocarbon resources can be useful sources of opportunity and prosperity in a low-carbon future. Meanwhile, attracting capital is a major priority for the energy industry, a crisis made even more urgent by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price collapse in the first quarter of 2020.

Building on the GLOBE Advance session on future-fit hydrocarbons at GLOBE 2020, the work of the Energy Futures Lab and other actors on related innovation, and ongoing developments in transition finance (an emerging pathway for organizations to raise capital to transition emissions-intensive sectors, facilities, and projects to lower-carbon alternatives), this session explores:

• What innovation pathways are key to making Canada’s hydrocarbon resources fit for the future?
• In light of global investors’ increasing concern with climate change and growing appetite for low-emissions/transition-oriented opportunities, how might transition finance support innovation for future-fit hydrocarbons?
• How might we attract greater investment into innovation and infrastructure for future-fit hydrocarbons?

Speakers:

• Jamie Bonham, Director, Corporate Engagement, NEI
• Jon Mitchell, Vice President, Sustainability, Suncor
• Erin Romanchuk, Director of Partnerships, Energy Futures Lab
• John Zhou, Vice President of Clean Resources, Alberta Innovates

Moderator:

• Chad Park, Vice President, Sustainability and Citizenship, The Co-operators

Host:

• Matt Beck, Director, The Delphi Group

The current global health crisis and economic downturn mean many organizations are, or may be, cutting back on hiring and recruitment activities. What does this mean for young people hoping to enter the workforce and advance sustainability priorities? Hear from people who have faced rough markets or roadblocks on their path to securing meaningful employment. They offer empathetic insight, tips, and strategies for pursuing a career path with purpose when times are tough.

Content focuses on students, recent graduates, and young people seeking sustainability-related employment.

The shift to a circular economy is not only about managing waste—it presents a new economic paradigm for rethinking how we design, use, and reuse our resources (both products and services), with an estimated economic output potential of USD $4.5 trillion per year by 2030. According to the World Economic Forum, circular business models provide a competitive edge because they create more value from each unit of resource than the traditional linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model. This can result in business, investment, and job creation opportunities that are long-term and more resilient to commodity shocks and economic and supply chain disruptions.

Drawing on the findings from the GLOBE 2020 Circular Economy Advance Workshop join us to explore how long-term thinking that applies a circular economy lens could help establish a more resilient and sustainable economy in Canada.

• Why does advancing the circular economy model make sense at this time for Canada?
• What policy and investment priorities should be front and centre as part of the post-pandemic recovery?
• How are businesses, large and small, adopting circularity principles and business models to become more resilient over the long term?

Speakers:

• Dr. Tima Bansal, Professor of Sustainability and Strategy, Ivey Business School, Western University and Chair, Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) Expert Panel on Circular Economy in Canada
• Leah Canning, Director, World Circular Economy Forum 2020, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Adam Corneil, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Unbuilders; Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Heritage Lumber
• Frances Edmonds, Head of Sustainable Impact, HP Canada

Moderators:

• David Hughes, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Natural Step Canada; Executive Co-Chair, Circular Economy Leadership Coalition
• Paul Shorthouse, Senior Director, The Delphi Group

In this interactive virtual webinar, we bring together leaders from across the economy to share how they are keeping their organizations’ sustainability and climate programming on track in this time of uncertainty. You learn firsthand how to prioritize projects and shape your sustainability and climate positioning in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Speakers:

• Janet Drysdale, Vice President, Financial Planning, CN Rail
• Adam Garfunkel, Co-owner and Managing Director, Junxion
• Candace Laing, Vice President, Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations, Nutrien
• Shilpa Tiwari, Head, Global Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship, Manulife

Moderator: 

• Ted Ferguson, President, The Delphi Group

Hear from people who have been through it all before and have lived to tell the tale. Our inaugural GLOBE Virtual webinar featured experts in the fields of HR, financial management, and communications who shared their insights and lessons learned. GLOBE Series and Delphi Group CEO, Mike Gerbis, also provided his tips on how to prioritize and lead during times of crisis.

Featuring:

• Margo Crawford, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Sherpa Group
• Mark Emond, Founder and President, Demand Spring
• Mike Gerbis, Chief Executive Officer, GLOBE Series and The Delphi Group
• Jake Stacey, Vice President, Vancity Community Investment Bank