Our Mission
We're building the circular economy by empowering passionate people to bring business or community-led climate solutions to life.
Our Vision
A flourishing circular economy built by diverse innovators that benefits the community, economy, and ecosystem of Toronto.
Meet The Team
Erin Andrews
Founder & Executive Director
erin@impactzero.ca
(647) 560-8445
Kayli Derryberry
Operations Director
kayli@impactzero.ca
Melissa Suárez
Marketing Director
melissa@impactzero.ca
Paul Renard
Fundraising Director
paul@impactzero.ca
Why The Circular Economy?
By empowering people to build circular businesses to become infrastructure, we can have a twofold impact:
First, consumers have more choices and the ability to impact demand for goods and services. Changing our consumption habits towards renewable and circular products will slowly force producers to adjust their offerings. This change won't happen overnight but companies will be forced to make changes over time.
Second, we can directly reduce the amount of resources being extracted from the planet while also reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. Decomposing trash in landfills is one of the largest sources of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide and a major contributor to global warming.
By increasing the level of circularity of our economy from 9% to 18%, we can realize that 39% reduction with relatively little effort compared to other solutions (Circularity Gap Report, 2019).
The circular economy requires significant local action, including solutions built by people who understand the people around them.
Meet the Board
Cameron Dunkin
Chair of the Board
Cameron works with Vibrant Healthcare Alliance as the Vice President, Operations and Strategy.
Cameron has over 17 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, following his passions for addressing environmental, development and global health issues.
With an M.A. in International Studies from Stellenbosch University, Cameron is interested in how education and local focus can bring about dynamic change.
Cameron also participates in the Climate Change Giving Circle through the Toronto Foundation.
In his spare time, Cameron loves camping, travelling, board games and books.
Sophiya Khan
Chair of the HR Committee
Sophiya is an Architect and Urban Planner who recently relocated to Canada following her role as a city planner for the City of New York. Currently, she works as an Account Executive at B4brand, leading the placemaking and stakeholder engagement initiatives, and runs a private practice as an independent Urban Design consultant in New York and Toronto. With over a decade of expertise in Placemaking and Urban Design, she specializes in the sustainable development of Main Streets & Downtown Revitalization projects. Holding licenses as an Architect in India and an International Architecture Associate with the American Institute of Architects, Sophiya is dedicated to sustainability both professionally and personally.
Sophiya is an active member of the APA Urban Design and Art & Culture Committee and serves as a juror for the ASLA Design Awards. On the weekends, Sophiya can be found on the George Brown College campus studying Fashion and Fashion sustainability or exploring new restaurants in the city with her partner.
Molly Fremes
Strategic Partner & Director
Molly Fremes has worked in circularity for nearly a decade, and comes from a background in community food sovereignty, ecological economics and redistributive justice. She is currently a Senior Consultant in Circular Material Innovations at Canadian Tire Corporation, supporting circular economy partnerships and sustainable packaging initiatives. Molly was a director at the Toronto Tool Library and Makerspace, a program manager at Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad at the City of Guelph, and has been a member of Resource Movement since 2015. Molly can often be found in the garden, kitchen, or on the dance floor.
Ana Badour
Chair of the Governance Committee
Ana launched and co-leads the Fintech practice at the law firm McCarthy Tetrault.
In her financial regulatory practice, Ana works with both large financial organizations and start-ups to launch and structure financial services products.
Ana is recognized both domestically and internationally as one of the leading lawyers in Canada in banking, financial services and Fintech, and was previously recognized as a change agent in the law and among Canada’s Top 40 lawyers under 40.
Ana is passionate about helping innovators grow and scale their vision and is excited to be working with an organization supporting innovators in the circular economy.
In her spare time, Ana enjoys kayaking and spending time with her partner and their dog, Waffle.
Christine McNerney, CFA
Director
Christine is an Associate Portfolio Manager and Credit Analyst with over 15 years of experience. She currently works on an alternative asset portfolio.
Christine is passionate about sustainability and the environment. She has earned her Responsible Investment Specialist certification from the Responsible Investment Association, and is also a Certified Sustainable Investment Professional (Concordia University).
Christine is keen to encourage consumers and businesses to build a circular economy and positively impact their communities.
Christine graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a CFA Charterholder.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her family and practicing yoga.
Jay Thakkar
Director
Jay is a global leader in strategy and sustainability with deep expertise in leveraging technology to drive growth and profitability. Jay has collaborated with consortia like WEF, WBSCD, UNGC, GeSI, NAEM etc. to shape the global ESG agenda.
As a Partner at ERM, Jay leads North America Digital Advisory practice and drives Innovation CoEs for ESG Reporting, Scope 3 Emissions, and CE topics, serving Fortune 500 leaders.
Often engaging at the cross-section of business and technology, Jay consults senior leaders on solving and scaling Circular Economy (CE), ESG, and Sustainability priorities. He advises on strategy, ideation, business model innovation, product innovation, supply chain transformation, and technology intervention.
Jay is a strong advocate for last mile circularity solutions, which typically materialize by engaging small businesses and civil society.
As a Board Director with Impact Zero, Jay is keen to materialize the vision of a circular economy that benefits the community, economy, and ecosystems of Toronto.
Daniel Hengeveld
Director
Daniel is the Vice President of Investment Attraction with Toronto Global, the Greater Toronto Area's investment promotion agency.
With over a decade of leadership experience, Daniel's work is focused on advising multinational firms on their international expansion strategies, as well as overseeing the organization's global market coverage. His work centres on economic growth, targeting new job creation, investment and competitiveness that positions Toronto as a leader on the global stage.
Daniel has held a number of roles in infrastructure, delivery, and finance where he has worked on sustainability-linked initiatives, including the development of the Province of Ontario's Green Bond Program whose proceeds fund sustainable or green projects across Ontario. He has served on a number of Boards dedicated to the arts and culture in the City of Toronto. In joining Impact Zero, his aim is to continue to spur sustainable economic growth and building of the circular economy.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from the University of Guelph, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from McMaster University.
Peter Nguyen
Director
Peter is the Senior Vice President, Legal, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Compliance Officer at Descartes, where he leads the company’s legal strategy and operations. He oversees Descartes’ Legal Team, managing contracts with customers and suppliers, protecting intellectual property, resolving disputes, and advising on mergers and acquisitions. As Corporate Secretary, Peter works closely with the Board of Directors on corporate governance and public company compliance. In his role as Compliance Officer, he leads Descartes’ corporate ethics and compliance program.
Before joining Descartes in 2020, Peter served as General Counsel for two high-growth software companies and held in-house counsel roles at several technology organizations. His work has earned him recognition from numerous organizations, including The Legal 500 (GC Powerlist: Canada) and Canadian Lawyer (Top 25 Most Influential. He has also received accolades such as the Precedent Magazine Innovation Award and the LEXPERT® Zenith Award for being a change agent in law.
Peter is a frequent speaker and contributor on topics such as legal technology, legal operations, and in-house law practice. He holds a law degree from the University of Toronto and is licensed to practice in both Ontario and New York.
Contact our Leadership
Executive Director: erin@impactzero.ca
Board of Directors: board@impactzero.ca
Headquarters:
Centre for Social Innovation
192 Spadina Ave, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario