Council provides advice and guidance related to evolving best-in-class ESG practices
Export Development Canada (EDC) announced new details of its ESG Advisory Council today, taking another step toward ensuring strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices are at the forefront of all its work. The export credit agency renamed the council (formerly named CSR Advisory Council), and updated its mandate and terms of reference.
“These changes to the council will ensure EDC has access to a broadened range of expertise, in line with the rapidly evolving ESG landscape,” said Justine Hendricks, Senior Vice-President and Chief Corporate Sustainability Officer at EDC. “These prominent experts from varied fields will challenge us to ensure we are considering ESG-related topics material to EDC and Canadian trade more broadly.”
The council’s perspectives and expertise span government, industry, academia, and civil society. Members will continue to act as a sounding board, provide strategic intelligence, and flag ESG trends relevant to EDC.
“The council has been helping shape our ESG approach for more than 20 years and will continue to be instrumental in our journey ahead,” said EDC President and CEO, Mairead Lavery, who also chairs the ESG Advisory Council. “These enhancements to the council are a key part of how we’re strengthening our ESG governance as we work to integrate ESG into everything we do and position Canadian companies for success through strong sustainability practices. I look forward to continuing to work with our esteemed members, integrating their perspectives into our strategy and decisions.”
Five new members to the eight-person council bring expertise in climate, biodiversity, cleantech, sustainable innovation, stakeholder engagement and ESG strategy implementation to their roles. Members will meet three times per year, up from twice under the previous mandate, and have shorter terms – two years with the option to renew for another two. EDC’s Chair of the Board of Directors will continue to attend meetings, as per the council’s longstanding practice.
New Members:
Janet Annesley – Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiwetinohk Energy Corp.
Dave Collyer – Former President, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Judy Cotte – Head of ESG, Onex
Lawrence Lewis – Founder, OneFeather
Mario Thomas – President and Board Chair, Precision Biomonitoring
Current Members:
Rosemary McCarney – Diplomat in Residence at Massey College and the James Coutts Scholar in International Relations at Trinity College, University of Toronto
Marie-Lucie Morin – Former Executive Director, World Bank
Anita Ramasastry – Dean, Roland Hjorth Professor of Law and Director of the Sustainable International Development Program, University of Washington School of Law
To view the member biographies and learn more, visit the ESG Advisory Council webpage here.
