“People wonder how we will come up with a new group each year, but as a search firm, we identify accomplished and effective leaders every day.” <br/> Gavin Pitchford is executive director of the Clean50, and CEO of prime sponsor Delta Management Group
The 2017 Clean50 list features a wide cross-section of Canadian business executives, venture capitalists, academics, politicians and environmental advocates whose activities are helping Canada reduce its greenhouse gas footprint.
"People wonder how we will come up with a new group each year, but as a search firm, we identify accomplished and effective leaders every day," says Gavin Pitchford, who serves as both the executive director of the Clean50, and CEO of prime sponsor Delta Management Group.
This year's list is a combination of well-known executives with long histories of combining environmentally positive actions with their day jobs, as well as some lesser-known individuals, selected for their innovative approaches to move Canada towards a lower carbon future.
Among the honourees is Cycle Capital founder Andrée-Lise Méthot, a venture capitalist "who has probably funded more clean tech startups than anyone else in Canada," says Mr. Pitchford. "We also have wind energy pioneer and now Blue Fuel Energy CEO Juergen Puetter."
Other business leaders include former Shell Canada CEO Lorraine Mitchelmore, the first executive of a major oil producer to call for a carbon tax. Among her continuing efforts, Ms. Mitchelmore is now working alongside fellow honouree Annette Verschuren (former CEO of Home Depot Canada and China, now CEO of NRStor), as co-chairs of Smart Prosperity, "a group of senior Canadian leaders from multiple sectors that provides the government with advice on combining low carbon and a growing economy."
Mr. Pitchford says the lesser-known winners have great stories as well and were chosen for their innovation and the potential of their ideas and inventions to engage Canadians and help replace technologies that harm our climate with alternatives that can both help save the planet and help Canada's economy. "A number of our Clean50 honourees are leading a charge that will produce a stream of high-quality jobs across the entire economy as Canada's clean tech manufacturing and renewable energy sectors continue to grow."
The entire list of the 2017 Clean50 and their accomplishments will be presented in the Report on Business on Friday, November 25, 2016, and is also on the Clean50 website: www.clean50.com.
This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation