Wayne Wachell

Co-founder, CEO & CIO, Genus Capital Management

With over 1.3 billion in fossil-free assets under management, Wayne proved that divesting from fossil fuels pays off financially as well as environmentally delivering annualized five year returns of between 9 and 14% on various fossil free funds. Through the development of a winning fossil-free investment strategy and the production of several Divestment Reports on the data of the fossil-free portfolios, he’s encouraged Canadian investors that even in a resource-heavy economy, it is possible to build a financial legacy that does not contribute to climate change. In the process, the company has driven investment into clean energy and technology companies.

Maia Becker

Director, Environmental and Social Risk Policy, Royal Bank of Canada

Maia leads RBC’s efforts to identify, assess and mitigate climate-related risks that may have an impact on the bank. She also works to create greater awareness of climate-related risks, including speaking publicly on behalf of RBC and drafting publications, such as RBC’s Climate Change Position and Disclosure Statement (2017), which was the first such disclosure in Canada. Other Canadian banks, such as BMO, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, and Scotiabank have since followed suit with similar commitments to climate-related disclosures. Maia also led the coordination of RBC’s participation in an initiative led by the United Nations to develop, pilot, and publish methodologies for Financial Institutions globally on how to assess the impact of climate change scenarios on loan portfolios.

Karen Lockridge

Principal, Responsible Investment, Mercer (Canada) Limited

It has been said that organizations won’t change their behaviour until investors require it. Karen has consulted on climate change engagements for asset owners representing over $600 billion in assets leveraging Mercer’s Investing in a Time of Climate Change research, helping them to understand why it is incumbent on investors to have a clear policy on ESG issues and to ensure that their strategy is consistent with that policy. Karen was a member of the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Results and has led research projects on the topic of sustainable infrastructure investment. She leads the Canadian MMC Green Team and represents Mercer on MMC’s corporate sustainability team.