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VP, Corporate Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, Engineers Canada: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"As we step into the future, we embrace our boldness and we journey together." - Jeanette Southwood, VP, Corporate Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, Engineers Canada, Canada & The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Jeanette Southwood, an award-winning engineer and leader, serves as the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at Engineers Canada, the national organization representing Canada’s engineering regulators. With over two decades of experience, Jeanette has played a transformative role in driving sustainability and diversity in engineering. Prior to Engineers Canada, she led Canadian Urban Development & Infrastructure and Global Sustainable Cities initiatives for a major international consulting firm, breaking barriers as the first Black woman to hold the role of Principal. A celebrated figure in engineering, she has earned numerous accolades, including the Engineering Excellence Medal from Ontario Professional Engineers and Canada’s Governor General's Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.
Jeanette’s dedication to advancing sustainability is paralleled by her commitment to advocacy and mentorship. Her efforts have earned her recognition as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, membership in the Order of Honour from Professional Engineers Ontario, and an Honorary Captaincy with the Royal Canadian Navy’s Naval Engineering Community. Passionate about sharing knowledge, Jeanette has authored articles, book chapters, and technical papers and has also contributed to Harvard University’s Zofnass Institute on climate risk and resilience. Through her leadership, she has driven transformative projects across sectors, championing a more sustainable, inclusive future for the engineering profession.
Born in South Africa during apartheid, Jeanette has firsthand experience with institutionalized racism and segregation, an experience that fuels her drive for social equity and sustainability. Moving to Canada as a young child, she became the first in her family to attend university and often found herself navigating new spaces as an underrepresented voice in engineering. These experiences have strengthened her resolve, enabling her to inspire countless individuals and open doors for underrepresented groups.
Her bold leadership has paved the way for a more equitable and sustainable engineering landscape. As Canada’s engineering profession aligns itself with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Jeanette remains steadfast in her vision, pushing boundaries and inspiring collaboration among professionals and stakeholders. This award serves as a testament to her resilience, leadership, and tireless commitment to a sustainable future.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
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The SustainabilityX® Magazine is a proud member of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, serves as a cause-based media partner for various events such as WIRED Impact, and officially delivers remarks at international conferences such as UNESCO's annual World Press Freedom Day Conference.
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