Women with Non-Linear Careers in Sustainability
Women with Non-Linear Careers in Sustainability
Join us for a hybrid in-person and online conversation with women whose paths into sustainability didn’t follow a straight line. Most career advice in this space assumes a tidy progression — degree(s), decades of work experience, sustainability title.
The reality, especially for women, is messier and more interesting. This event creates space for the real stories: the pivots, the transferable skills, the unexpected on-ramps, and the work of repositioning the experience you already have.
Through an honest and practical conversation with women working across sustainability, climate, policy, media, entrepreneurship, governance, and impact, we will explore how non-linear careers can become a source of strength rather than uncertainty. Attendees will leave with insight, encouragement, and language to better understand and communicate the value of their own experience.
This event is brought to you by Good Principles™, founded by Katie Elder, which supports impact-driven businesses with growth and practical pathways for scaling, and The SustainabilityX® Magazine, founded by Supriya Verma, an award-winning, digital, female-founded and female-led non-profit media initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through dialogue, systems thinking, and women’s leadership.
Hosts & Speakers
Co-Hosts:
Katie Elder, Founder, Good Principles, Canada (in-person, Toronto)
Supriya Verma, Founder, The SustainabilityX® Magazine, Speaker & Author, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance, Canada (virtual from Toronto)
Speakers:
Jennifer Turliuk — President at Koru Labs, Climate & AI Lecturer at MIT and Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School (virtual)
Dr. Dianne Saxe — Toronto City Councillor, Ward 11, University-Rosedale & Environmental Champion , Canada (virtual from Toronto)
Tara Milburn — Founder & CEO, Ethical Swag (in-person)
Honourable Rosa Galvez — Senator, Senate of Canada (virtual from Ottawa)
Sylvia Yu Friedman — Author, Speaker & Chief Creative Officer, Epic Tales Global, Canada/Hong Kong (virtual from Vancouver)
Jaclyn Whittal — Meteorologist, Climate Journalist & Founder, One Earth Communications, Canada (virtual)
Who is this event for?
People in early or mid-career considering a pivot into sustainability or climate work
Sustainability professionals who took non-traditional routes and want to learn
Founders and leaders in cleantech, B Corps, and impact-driven businesses
Toronto Climate Week attendees looking for career-focused programming.
About the Hosts:
Katie Elder is the founder of Good Principles where she supports mission and impact driven businesses with growth enabled by AI. She brings 20 years of leadership in product management and governance across CPG, retail, and eCommerce, including over a decade with P&G in Canada and Asia. Katie currently serves as Board Chair at Brightspot Climate, one of Canada’s pioneering Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). She holds a BComm Honours from Queen’s Smith School of Business and a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge (CISL).
Supriya Verma, WELL AP is an award-winning corporate executive, global sustainability leader, speaker, author, and social entrepreneur dedicated to reimagining leadership for a more just and sustainable world. She is the author of Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance (2026)—her groundbreaking debut book that explores how women around the world are redefining courage, leadership, and systemic change in an era of global backlash. She also serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer at Belnor Engineering, a leading Canadian firm advancing sustainable building technologies and innovation. As the founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine, she has built an influential global platform that amplifies women’s voices and advances courageous, inclusive leadership across sectors and generations. She has spoken at multiple international events, such as UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day Conference and Cornell Keynotes, and has served as a Board Member at Fojo Media Institute's Sustainable Journalism Partnership at Linnaeus University in Sweden, and as a member of the International WELL Building Institute's WELL Faculty. In 2019, she was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership by Corporate Knights, and awarded McMaster University’s prestigious Alumni Arch Award in 2021 for unique and significant contributions to society. She was recognized as one of The SustainabilityX® Magazine’s inaugural Global 50 Women in Sustainability Awards™ awardees (2022), as one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders (2024) as a young leader under 40 shaping Canada's economy, culture, and society, and also named a Global Impact finalist in the Women Empowerment Awards (2024). Supriya is also a distinguished member of Nature Canada’s invite-only Women for Nature network—a prestigious group of women from across Canada united in their mission to protect the nation’s natural treasures, safeguarding Canada’s rich natural heritage for generations to come.
About the Panelists:
-Jennifer Turliuk — Climate & AI; Harvard, MIT (virtual)
Dr. Dianne Saxe is a respected environmental lawyer, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, and current Toronto City Councillor for Ward 11, University–Rosedale. For decades, she has been a leading voice on climate action, environmental accountability, and public-interest sustainability policy in Canada. Her work bridges law, governance, science, and community leadership, with a strong focus on building healthier, more resilient cities. She continues to champion evidence-based climate solutions and civic leadership rooted in responsibility to both people and planet.
Tara Milburn is the Founder and CEO of Ethical Swag, a Certified B Corp reimagining the promotional products industry through technology, AI, and sustainable supply chains. Before launching Ethical Swag, Tara served as CEO of a cybersecurity company specializing in network threat detection. That chapter followed earlier roles with the NBA's first international expansion into Canada and the launch team for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games - experiences that taught her how to dream big, build something new at scale and measure positive social impact. Today, Ethical Swag runs as a remote-first eCommerce business serving the US and Canada with a fully distributed team across three continents. Tara and her team use AI and digital infrastructure to make ethical sourcing easy at scale. From an entirely custom-built platform and vetted supplier integrations to AI-enabled customer experience and operations, Tara is the visionary and architect behind it all. She believes exploration, curiosity, and the right technology are vital to business success, and is passionate about proving that profitability and responsibility can absolutely coexist.
The Honourable Rosa Galvez is an engineer, independent senator, and one of Canada’s leading voices on climate policy, sustainable finance, and environmental protection. Appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2016, she has advanced national conversations on the transition to a low-carbon economy and the role of finance, governance, and legislation in addressing climate risk. With a background in civil and environmental engineering, Senator Galvez brings deep technical expertise to public policy. Her leadership reflects a commitment to climate accountability, intergenerational justice, and a more sustainable future for Canada and the world.
Sylvia Yu Friedman is an award-winning author, speaker, filmmaker, and pioneer in anti-trafficking advocacy in Asia whose work focuses on modern slavery, storytelling, and social change. As Chief Creative Officer of Epic Tales Global, she uses media and narrative to illuminate hidden injustices and amplify voices that are too often silenced. Her books, films, and advocacy have helped raise awareness about human trafficking, gender-based violence, and the power of compassion-driven leadership. Based between Canada and Hong Kong, Sylvia’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to truth, dignity, and transformative storytelling.
Jaclyn Whittal is the Founder and CEO of One Earth Communications, a firm specializing in climate risk and sustainability communications. A climate journalist and meteorologist with nearly 20 years of experience, she is known for her work with The Weather Network and as host of Storm Hunters, where she reported from major weather disasters and extreme environments around the world. Her work has been featured by CNN, BBC World News, and National Geographic, reflecting her role as a trusted voice in climate and weather storytelling. Through One Earth Communications, Jaclyn helps translate complex climate science into accessible, human-centered stories that advance climate literacy, preparedness, and meaningful action.
About the Co-Hosting Organizations
Good Principles™ supports mission- and impact-driven businesses with growth strategy, market positioning, and communications, helping organizations turn sustainability ambition into practical, scalable action. Founded by Katie Elder, Good Principles brings together experience in business growth, product management, governance, AI, and sustainability leadership to help companies clarify their purpose, strengthen their strategy, and expand their impact. Katie brings 20 years of leadership experience across CPG, retail, eCommerce, and sustainability, including more than a decade with P&G in Canada and Asia, and currently serves as Board Chair at Brightspot Climate. Good Principles is rooted in the belief that better business growth should be guided by clearer principles, stronger systems, and measurable positive impact.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded and female-led non-profit media initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future. Founded in 2016 by Supriya Verma, an award-winning sustainability leader and author of Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance (2026), the platform advances thoughtful dialogue on sustainability through an integrated, systems-based lens that connects climate, energy, business, governance, social inclusion, and women’s leadership.
Built on four foundational pillars — Environmental Stewardship, Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusion, and Just Governance — The SustainabilityX® Magazine explores sustainability beyond silos, highlighting the interconnected realities shaping communities, economies, institutions, and the planet. As the platform expands its mission to further align with the Women’s Empowerment Principles, it continues to champion women’s leadership as a powerful force for transforming systems and accelerating progress toward a sustainable future.
The platform is also home to the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™, an international recognition program celebrating women leaders who are advancing sustainability across sectors, disciplines, and geographies. Through the awards, editorial content, global conversations, partnerships, and thought leadership, The SustainabilityX® Magazine creates space for voices across science, engineering, business, law, policy, media, and civil society to help shape the future of sustainability.
Celebrating 10 years of The SustainabilityX® Magazine in 2026 and the 5th annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™, nominations for this year’s awards are now live — nominate a woman leader shaping a more sustainable future today.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is a proud member of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, has served as a cause-based media partner for international events including WIRED Impact, and has delivered remarks at UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day Conference.
SustainabilityX® is a brand of the non-profit social business SPSX Group. ®SUSTAINABILITYX AND SUSTAINABILITYX DESIGNS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.®
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