Businesses across Canada’s economy have embarked on programs to achieve net zero emissions. Despite strong momentum over the past several years, these programs face new challenges related to policy shifts in the U.S., a federal leadership change and the withdrawal from net zero alliances by major corporations. Where do we go from here?
Join Report on Business magazine for the third annual Road to Net Zero summit, where business leaders and investors will discuss plans and priorities in a shifting sustainability landscape.
For more than half a century, WWF-Canada has worked to protect and restore nature. As the country’s largest international conservation organization, we connect the power of a strong global network operating in more than 100 countries with on-the-ground conservation efforts across Canada. We are committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive.
Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.5 million customers coast to coast. As a subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, we are part of a trusted insurance group which has financial strength and scale and has operated for more than 325 years.
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Prabh is the Vice-President of Sustainability with Aecon Group Inc., where she leads the development and delivery of Aecon’s sustainability strategy. Furthering the company’s ESG strategy, Prabh is responsible for identifying and implementing solutions to advance energy transition projects and operationalize sustainability. Prabh co-hosts a sustainability podcast, called Road to Net-Zero, which focuses on topics related to the decarbonization of the construction industry. She is also a part-time professor at Seneca College and Guest Lecturer at University of Toronto, teaching corporate sustainability.
Pascal Dessureault is Chief Public Affairs, Marketing and Communications Officer for Aviva Canada. In his role, he has oversight of the company’s communications, marketing, sustainability, and government relations in Canada.
Hailing from Quebec, he started his career in federal politics. Prior to joining Aviva Canada, Pascal worked at leading global and national financial services companies including HSBC, Intact Financial Corporation and TD Bank Group. He's had a diverse career journey, with sell side and buy side M&A integration experience in financial services, and experience building and leading high-performing teams in communications and public affairs.
Pascal has been active in Canada’s public policy scene for decades as former Vice Chair of the Board of the Banff Forum and former Chair of the Board of The 519 Community Centre in Toronto. He studied Political Science at the University of Toronto and Corporate Innovation at Stanford University.
Megan Leslie is President & CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada. Since taking on this role, Megan has led WWF-Canada’s bold 10-year plan to Regenerate Canada by expanding habitats, reducing carbon in the atmosphere, lowering industrial impacts and, as a result, reversing wildlife loss and fighting climate change. She is also passionate about engaging Canadians to take action for nature.
Before assuming the role of President & CEO, Megan was WWF-Canada’s Vice President, Oceans. Prior to that, she was a Member of Parliament representing Halifax for two terms during which she was deputy leader of the Official Opposition, environment critic and vice-chair of the government committee on environment and sustainable development. As a Parliamentarian, Megan introduced a motion to ban plastic microbeads, which led to a ban on the Canadian manufacture, sale and importation of these products. She also expedited the creation of Sable Island National Park Reserve.
Megan is the proud recipient of an Honourary Degree from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and she serves on the ArcticNet Board of Directors.
Fate joined Mackenzie in 2017. She oversees the Sustainability, Marketing and Client Experience teams. With more than 15 years of experience in the financial sector, she has championed sustainable investment practices and capabilities to position Mackenzie and its investment boutiques as leaders in the space. In mid-2023, Fate took on an additional role as head of marketing and client experience. Since then, she has focused on elevating the voice of the client in marketing through research, insights and innovation, enabling fact-based and client-centric decision-making across the organization.
In 2021, she joined the Responsible Investment Association’s Leadership Council. She was also named a Clean50 2022 Honouree in recognition of her efforts to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada. Fate has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
Roger serves as President and CEO of Addenda Capital, an investment management firm that looks after insurance, pension, private wealth, corporate and foundation assets. Addenda is majority-owned by Co-operators Group Limited, of which he is a member of the senior management team. Under his tenure, Addenda has launched one of Canada’s first impact fixed income funds as well as two climate transition equity funds. The firm is part of the worldwide Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative since 2021 and is a founding participant in Climate Engagement Canada.
He is a board member and former Chair of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) and sits on the boards of Finance Montréal and the Transition Accelerator. Additionally, he serves as an Advisory Board member of the Institute for Sustainable Finance at the Smith School of Business (Queen’s University). He also presented on climate-related topics and moderated panels on Indigenous economic reconciliation. In 2021, he was a recipient of Canada’s Clean5O and Canada’s Clean16 Awards as a leader in the Financial and Services Organizations category. In March of this year, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of sustainable finance. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from McGill University as well as the CFA® designation.
Alex Osborne-Saponja is the Director of the Climate Solutions Methodology Team at Morningstar Sustainalytics, where she leads the development of Sustainalytics' Climate Solutions. Notably, she is a co-creator of Morningstar Sustainalytics' flagship Low Carbon Transition Rating product, which supports organizations in navigating the complexities of the low-carbon economy.
Alex joined Sustainalytics in October 2019 as a carbon subject matter expert. Initially, she focused on carbon-related analysis, thought leadership, and research initiatives. With the establishment of the Methodology Climate Solutions Team in 2021, Alex transitioned to her current role, playing a critical part in shaping the company's climate-focused methodologies.
With 18 years of professional experience in the carbon and climate sector, Alex brings a wealth of expertise. Before her tenure at Sustainalytics, she held leadership roles in both academic research and consulting. For 11 years, she headed a sustainability consulting unit, where she worked with government entities, NGOs, and corporations to create robust sustainability strategies. Her focus ranged from carbon risk management to leveraging opportunities in carbon markets and climate adaptation.
Alex’s project experience spans a wide array of areas, including carbon policy and strategy development, compliance and reporting, footprinting and emissions modeling, mitigation planning, nature-based carbon solutions, climate risk modeling, and the development of regional carbon markets. Before relocating to Canada, she served as an advisor to HM Government on carbon strategy.
Academically, Alex holds a background in environmental biology and environmental modeling. She is an alum of the University of Nottingham and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, reflecting her commitment to advancing sustainability through both education and professional practice.
Gabe currently serves as Vice President for Schneider Electric’s Global Sustainability Business. Over the past 24-years, Gabe has played pivotal roles in operations as well as the commercial side of the business growing what is today broadly recognized as an industry-leading, global energy and sustainability advisory organization that currently serves thousands of C&I end user customers as well as being accountable for executing and delivering strategic initiatives that drive value across Schneider’s own portfolio of assets and manufacturing facilities. The power of Schneider Electric is rooted in our global expertise, practical experience, and holistic capabilities to connect strategy with execution, driving impact all the way through to implementation.
Building on this strong foundation, Gabe is even more excited about the future. There has never been a better time to embrace innovation, harness the power of AI, and leverage automation to increase resiliency and scale the value equation for business. Customers and stakeholders continue to expect more, and the key to delivering value in today’s environment is recognizing that what got us to this point is not the same thing as what is needed to get us to where we are going. Gabe approaches the future with a growth mindset, and he is energized by the opportunity to collaborate with new partners on the innovative solutions of tomorrow.
James Bradshaw is the Institutional Investing Reporter for the Report on Business, based in Toronto. In that role, he is responsible for coverage of Canada's largest pension plans, private equity firms and alternative asset managers, which collectively control trillions of dollars of investments ranging from real estate to public infrastructure.
Previously, he spent six years as The Globe's banking reporter, covering the financial services sector, including the largest banks, fintechs and financial regulators.
Since joining the Globe and Mail in 2007, James has covered media, higher education, arts and cultural policy, and national news. He has occasionally written Editorials as well.
He has won a SABEW Canada Best in Business Award and the Edward Goff Penny Memorial Prize.
Dan is a partner and nature lead in PwC Canada’s Sustainability practice. He represents PwC globally as a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and leads working groups focused on Nature-related Data and Metrics. With a career dedicated to ecological and environmental consulting, Dan delivers innovative and effective solutions for managing nature-related risks, developing nature and biodiversity strategies, and addressing environmental risks in supply chains. His academic background focused on quantitative ecology and he is a registered professional biologist in BC. Dan has published peer-reviewed articles on conservation biology, nature metrics, and species at risk. He is passionate about driving positive change and creating value for both businesses and society.
A growing awareness of economic oversights in environmental and human issues is what launched Carolyn on her sustainability journey. After completing her MSc in environmental sustainability, she founded a consulting business and then detoured into financial services in response to the global financial crisis, reshaping insurance, risk management, and Brexit negotiations for a global systemically important bank. Seeking to enhance her ability to drive pro-environmental behaviour change, she also found time to earn a second MSc in social psychology.
Strongly focused on transparently integrating climate risks into decision-making for a more resilient future, Carolyn leads initiatives to align organizations with Guideline B-15 from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), overseeing climate risk assessments and guiding effective risk management. Her team advises organizations on assessing their current position, defining future goals, and communicating clearly and openly with stakeholders.