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Chief Sustainability & DEI Leader, Global Mentorship Initiative: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"I strongly believe that there isn’t anything women can’t accomplish once they set their minds to it. Our tenacity, resilience, and sisterhood is rooted in accomplishment and I sleep better at night knowing that some incredible women are focusing their time and energy on today’s global challenges." - Marilyn Johnson, Chief Sustainability & DEI Leader, Global Mentorship Initiative, United States & The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Marilyn Johnson, an accomplished executive and thought leader, has spent over 25 years at the forefront of business sustainability, diversity, and community leadership. Known for her impactful work across global, matrixed organizations, Marilyn has advanced initiatives that promote sustainability, equity, and cross-cultural partnerships, setting a new standard for ethical leadership. Her dedication to integrity and inclusivity has earned her recognition among the top 500 Global Sustainability Thought Leaders by the American Energy Society at COP 26, as well as other prestigious accolades, including Eco-Champion status in 2022 and a finalist nomination for Women of the Year in Chemicals in 2023.
Throughout her career, Marilyn has transformed the sustainability practices of major corporations such as IHS Markit, Clarivate, and Arxada, where she developed and led programs that improved ESG ratings, implemented DEI programs, and garnered recognition for each organization’s sustainability progress. Her strategic approach in these roles exemplifies her commitment to building a just and sustainable future. Marilyn holds an MHSc from the University of Toronto, a BA in Biology, and a BPHE from Queen’s University. She also holds certifications in Sustainability Leadership, Executive Leadership, Positive Change, and DEI in the Workplace, further reinforcing her multifaceted expertise.
In addition to her executive leadership, Marilyn is a dedicated community leader, serving on the Leadership Advisory Council for the Global Mentorship Initiative, as President of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), and as President of the National Charity League’s Emerald City chapter. During her tenure with ISSP, she played a pivotal role in launching the industry’s first professional certification for sustainability, establishing a benchmark for professionalism and expertise in the field—a groundbreaking initiative that continues to influence the career paths of countless sustainability professionals.
Marilyn’s philosophy on bold leadership reflects her approach to driving change: taking calculated risks, fostering collaboration, and challenging norms to create long-term value. Her commitment to inclusivity ensures that every stakeholder’s voice is heard, and her collaborative approach galvanizes collective action. Marilyn is deeply inspired by the power of diversity in problem-solving, as she believes true progress requires listening to diverse perspectives and building mutual respect.
Marilyn’s bold leadership has not only led to transformative results in her organizations but has also ignited change in the communities she serves. She believes that empowering women in sustainability is essential to accelerating global progress, advocating for bold steps like setting gender diversity targets in leadership roles and creating safe spaces for women to navigate the unique challenges in sustainability roles.
Receiving the Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award™ holds deep significance for Marilyn, affirming her lifelong dedication to a field she has helped shape. For her, this honour is a validation of the hard work, resilience, and passion she brings to every project. It underscores her vision of sustainability as a powerful driver of ethical business and social change, inspiring her to continue pushing boundaries and inspiring others to join her in creating a sustainable future for all.
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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