Corporate Knights

Nicholas Parker is Chairman of Corporate Knights Inc. He is also the co-founder and chairman of the Cleantech Group - the market-leading research company that introduced the cleantech concept to the investment and business community in 2002, The Blue Economy Initiative, and the WaterTAP Corporation, as well as on several boards, including Government of Singapore Energy and Cleantech Advisory Panel and the Canadian Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research and Parker Venture Management, his private investment and advisory business. Previously, Nicholas accumulated over 15 years experience starting and investing venture funds worldwide through limited partnerships, family offices, corporate funds and endowments. During this time, he pioneered the first "sustainability" driven private equity funds and participated in one of the first solar IPOs. In the 1990s, he also founded, built and sold an environmental finance firm. He’s advised economic development agencies, major corporations and institutional investors, spoken at most major industry events and been quoted by the leading media publications. Nicholas has authored or edited more than ten publications related to cleantech, finance and international business, starting with Investing in Emerging Economies in 1993. From 2003-08, he was Chairman of E+Co, the award-winning investment company for clean energy enterprises in developing countries. Nicholas earned a BA Hons. in Technology Studies (Carleton University, Ottawa), an MBA (City University, London), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America while currently residing in Toronto.

Toby is the president and co-founder of Corporate Knights. He is a current board member of Friends of the Earth Canada and chairman of E3 Canadian Roundtables, a series of roundtables to define a Canadian energy strategy that will catalyse the country’s clean energy superpower potential. He spearheaded the first global ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations in 2005. The rankings are now an annual staple of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and have also been published by Newsweek, BusinessWeek and Forbes. In 2008, Toby served as press secretary to Ralph Nader. Toby is a regular contributor to public debates in Canada and beyond about public policy and business responsibility, particularly related to environmental and developmental challenges. He authored a policy manifesto on how Canada could meet its Kyoto obligations and founded Option 13, a campaign for just global climate policies in the post-2012 era. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill University in economics, with a minor in international development, Toby spent 1997-98 in the Belgrade Field Program (LLB in Management Studies) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has been published in the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Toronto Star, and is a regular guest speaker on CBC. Toby is committed to cleaning up capitalism with practical tools, intelligence, and insights so that markets work to make the world a better place.

Tyler is the Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Knights since the fall of 2011. He remains a business columnist for the Toronto Star, where he writes a weekly column called Clean Break that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. Hamilton joined the Toronto Star in July 2000 as its senior technology and telecommunications reporter, later becoming energy reporter in 2006. Prior to the Star, he spent two years as technology reporter at Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail. He is also the author of the clean energy staple blog, "Clean Break", which he started in 2005.

He has an Honours BA in political science and legal philosophy from the University of Toronto (1989–94), and a Masters of Journalism from Carleton University (1994–96). In 2010 he received the award for Excellence in Science and Technology Reporting from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, the largest technology trade association in Canada. The same year he was appointed adjunct professor in the faculty of environmental studies at Toronto's York University.

Hamilton just published a book called Mad Like Tesla published in the fall of 2011 by ECW Press. It examines the various barriers to clean energy innovation and surveys the landscape of some potentially world-changing green technologies. In 2002 he co-authored a business book on consumer privacy call The Privacy Payoff. His co-author was Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Jeremy was originally brought on board to run the Corporate Knights university chapter program, and is now the Managing Editor for the publication. He was the assistant to the Editor-In-Chief, and also a contributing editor for Corporate Knights USA. Jeremy attended the University of Toronto, where he studied Political Science and History.

His interest in politics has led him to volunteer for numerous political campaigns, both municipally and federally. He previously assisted the Social Investment Organization in completing the 2010 Canadian Responsible Investment Review, a study that documents the total size and scale of social and responsible investment in Canada.

He was also previously a member of the Responsible Endowments Coalition steering committee, a US-based student advocacy group. The Steering Committee plays a leading role in designing the national campaign, organizing student conferences, creating resources for the larger student movement and providing the REC staff with feedback about how REC can continue to support students' work.

Victoria joined Corporate Knights in 2007 as an editorial intern and has stayed on in various positions since. Victoria holds a Queen's BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science from Queen's University and is current Program Manager of Waterlution - A Water Learning Experience. She is most interested in the role of meaningful education and cross-sector dialogue in achieving deep systemic change; her experience includes work with Burmese opposition groups on capacity-building initiatives, Dalhousie University's Office of Sustainability in developing social marketing strategies, and work with Apathy is Boring. As Assistant Publisher, Victoria provides support to Karen Kun.

Donna is a copy editor for Corporate Knights magazine. She first developed editing skills at The Canadian Press and Financial Post, putting to work an English degree from the University of Western Ontario and journalism education from Ryerson. Later, at a major bank, she managed production of the corporate annual report, an ethics document and strategic communications to employees, earning the Chairman’s Award for Excellence. As a freelancer for 10 years, Donna has written more than a thousand articles to educate investors and advisors about financial planning, using expertise gained through a number of investment certifications. More recently, Donna completed a certificate in environmental citizenship at the University of Guelph. Through her EcoWords business, she promotes solutions to create a more sustainable and just world, writing for governments and renewable energy companies. She also provides communications support to Opportunity International Canada, a microfinance organization, and Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, which is focused on building healthy, self-sustaining communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Doug Morrow has seven years of experience in the sustainable investment research industry. Before joining Corporate Knights Capital as Vice President, Research in 2011, he worked for three years as a Senior Associate at ICF International where he consulted for the International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank and large private equity firms under the rubric of sustainable investment management. Prior to ICF International he worked for four years as a Senior Analyst at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, the world’s then-largest research company focused on sustainable investment thematics. He has served as lead author of the Global FT500 Carbon Disclosure Project report and has worked with several institutional investors integrating sustainability metrics into investment decision-making. He holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations and Economics from the Munk School of Global Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations from the University of British Columbia. He completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2006.

Dianne Hadad is the Chief Marketing Officer of Corporate Knights Inc., where she leads marketing and events functions, with a key focus on building out the Corporate Knights brand in international markets. Prior to joining Corporate Knights in 2011, she developed and managed strategic and tactical marketing solutions for the wholesale division of Scotiabank Group. With over 15 years experience, Dianne has held a succession of roles at Princess Cruises, Brunico Communications, and Scotia Capital. Dianne has a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University.

Susan McLean has more than 15 years experience in the capital markets and emerging technologies fields. Before joining Corporate Knights Capital as a Senior Advisor in 2011, she held management roles at both the TSX and Sustainable Development Technology Canada. While at the TSX she initiated both an ETF listing focus and later a Cleantech Sector listing focus. TSX has gone on to be one of the most active exchanges globally in both these sectors.

Michael Yow leads the research and analysis of the clean capitalism performance of companies internationally and establishes company rankings for various blue chip indices worldwide. Michael is also in charge of Corporate Knights' corporate-specific and industry-specific clean capitalism performance benchmarking service. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration degree with specialization in accounting and sustainability from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada.

Brian Lee is an Analyst with Corporate Knights Capital and is responsible for conducting clean capitalism equity research. Prior to joining the company, he worked as an ROI Analyst at Ziff Davis Enterprise and as an equity research associate at a boutique investment bank. He holds a BASc in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, and is a CFA charterholder.

Chyna Witzke joined Corporate Knights in the fall of 2011. She holds an Honours BA in Anthropology from the University of Ottawa. Her interest in sustainability, globalization, and environmental conservation led her to the office coordinator position at Corporate Knights.

Addy Cameron-Huff has been a web developer for nine years. He was the winner of Yahoo's North American university programming competition in 2009, and the 2010 TechCrunch Disrupt and PayPal X Innovate Hackathons. He was a part of the team behind Ralph Nader's 2008 Presidential Campaign and currently administers several non-profits' websites in addition to his work at Corporate Knights. Addy is a graduate of the University of Waterloo (H.BSc.) and is currently in his third year of law school at Queen's University.

Karen is publisher of Corporate Knights and director and co-founder of Waterlution – A Water Learning Experience. She is a current DiverseCity Fellow, and board member of the Small Change Fund, Leadership Development at the Banff Centre, and the Living Lakes Network Canada.

Karen has a combined business-environmental background, including a commerce degree from Concordia University specializing in international business and an advanced geography education from York University with a focus on water and environmental management. She founded Waterlution in 2003, after participating in the World Summit for Sustainable Development and piloting water-learning programs in South Africa with local stakeholders.

With experience as a consultant in the UK and a field worker in Colombia, Costa Rica, Bolivia and South Africa (via Oxfam-Quebec and CUSO), Karen has developed extensive strategy and research capabilities around environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility. She is devoted to advancing social change, systems thinking, and ecological diversity, and one of her greatest passions is encouraging inter-generational learning and transferring knowledge through mentorship opportunities.

Melissa was Managing Editor of Corporate Knights from 2007 to 2010 and is currently Managing Editor at Advisor Group, which publishes Advisor's Edge and Advisor's Edge Report. With expertise at the intersection of the environment and the economy, Melissa led multiple national surveys on topics ranging from corporate citizenship and leadership diversity to responsible investing during her time at Corporate Knights. She writes and presents on these topics and has served as an advisor to various initiatives of The Natural Step Canada, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and Me to We Style.

Melissa makes regular appearances speaking in English and French on CBC and other national print, radio, and television media. She is a graduate of the Schulich School of Business at York University.

In 2009, Melissa travelled to Stockholm to undertake a major investigative report on Swedish environmental and energy policy and the potential implications for Canada. In 2010, the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources selected Melissa to be a Great Waters fellow.

Rachel Pulfer currently runs international programs for Journalists for Human Rights, an international media development organization headquartered in Toronto with programs in five sub-Saharan countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Formerly features editor, correspondent, columnist and editorial writer with Canadian Business magazine and 2009-2010 Canadian Journalism Fellow at Massey College, she was fortunate enough to be in the United States through the market mayhem of 2007-2009. There, among other topics, she wrote about Lehman Brothers from an insider's perspective the day the bank went bankrupt, went for a spin with the seed financier of the Tesla electric sportscar, scrummed Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain through the presidential primaries, chased down the wonks behind California's low-carbon fuel laws (and the oilsands moguls who loathe them), and travelled to ground zero of the housing market meltdown to tell that story through the eyes of a subprime mortgage broker.

Throughout those experiences, she kept close tabs on Corporate Knights for its beyond-the-curve ideas, solid data, exceptional access to global decision-makers and idiosyncratic takes on conventional wisdom. As a contributing editor, she hopes to maintain that commitment to quality--while adding a few ideas of her own.

Paul is a McGill graduate and the co-founder of Corporate Knights. Based in Washington DC, Paul has written for Investor's Digest and was formerly the associate editor of the Fund Counsel. Paul worked in Budapest and Prague before settling in Riga, Latvia, where he co-founded Baltic Elite, a market research consultancy. Paul previously worked in New York City on emerging markets for Zurich Scudder. He is fluent in Russian, French, and Latvian.