Judy Fairburn, MSc,P.Eng,MBA,FCAE,ICD.D

Addressing the urgent need for climate resilience through innovative investment, Judy stands at the forefront of sustainable innovation. She is Co-founder and General Partner of The51 Food and AgTech Fund, which is investing $45 million towards transformative solutions in food and agtech, tackling some of the planet’s most pressing climate challenges. Her work extends to The51 Ventures Funds I and II, where $18 million from over 250 investors—90% of whom are women—is funding groundbreaking women-led startups like Ayrton Energy, which focuses on safe, energy-efficient hydrogen storage. As Chair of the Petronas Canada People and Sustainability Committee, Judy has championed the integration of sustainability strategies into the business. Her leadership at Creative Destruction Lab, Alberta Innovates, and co-founding of Evok Innovations and the Clean Resource Innovation Network underscores her commitment to advancing cleantech innovation. Judy’s strategic vision and multifaceted approach has driven substantial progress in sustainable development and investment for Canada. For many years, Judy’s leadership at Cenovus transformed the company’s approach to GHGs and sustainability, and led to a groundbreaking partnership amongst oil companies who shared their clean innovations freely with each other, resulting in significantly lower emissions – and a 2013 Clean16 award.