The Canadian Business Youth Council for Sustainable Development is Canada’s largest student initiative on sustainable business. It was formed to unite Canadian undergraduate student organizations in sustainable business in order to grow the movement across the country by sharing best practices and disseminating essential knowledge on the topic.

It is composed of Canada’s most active student organizations in sustainable business. Only similar organizations which have shown extraordinary leadership within their university will be considered to join the Youth Council in the years to come.

About the Youth Council

Our Missions

Inspire

Sharing best practices to inspire Youth to Take Action in their school by creating their own student organization on sustainability or get involved in existing ones.

Educate

Creating a Youth Guide to Sustainable Business filled with knowledge from high-level executive leaders and a youth-led Manifesto on the future of business.

Represent

Advocating as a whole so that our voice can be that much louder when asking our universities, governments and companies to do more on sustainability.

9

Council Member Organizations

15K

Cumulated Social Media Followers

80+

Executive Members

30+

Youth Guide Contributors

30+

Universities Reached

DISCLAIMER made on 20/11/2020 at 5pm: We are currently fixing a quick problem which only recently appeared on this page. While we fix the issue on this page, here is the list of the Youth Council’s members and their LinkedIn:

Board Members: Maxime Lakat (President of Desautels Sustainability Network at McGill University), Elin Aakrann & Élizabeth Duboc (Co-representatives of CITÉ à l’Université du Québec à Montréal), Aglaée Cardinal (President of Groupe Humaniterre at HEC Montréal), Jevon Devasagayam (President of CSRSA at Ryerson University), Alex MacDonald (President of Ivey Social Impact Club at Western University), Emma Simon (President of JSEC at Concordia University), Étienne Petitclerc (President of AÉDDA at Université Laval), Bilal Saleemi (President of CSRS at York University), Joanna Lewis & Christopher Childs (Co-presidents of Sustainability in Business Laurier at Wilfrid Laurier University)

Support Team: Gareth Gransaull (Associate Director), Alix Albright (Marketing Director), Matéo Mazieres (Campaign Coordinator), Martin Nicolai (Campaign Marketing Director)

Meet the Board

Maxime Lakat

Chair/Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, Desautels Sustainability Network

McGill University

Bachelors of Commerce 2021

Major in Managing for Sustainability

Minor in Social Entrepreneurship & African Studies

Driven by cross-sectorial projects and the role of the private sector in tackling some of the most pressing social and environmental issues (without replacing the public and social sector).

Aglaée Cardinal

Board Member of the Youth Council

President, Groupe HumaniTerre

HEC Montréal

Bachelors of Business Administration 2021

Major in Applied Economics and Sustainable Development Management

Driven by the desire to activate change, in individuals, companies, and governments, to ensure a viable and fair future for all. Particularly interested in the protection of biodiversity and territories as well as clean energy.

Jevon Devasagayam

Board Member of the Youth Council

President, Corporate Social Responsibility Student Association

Ryerson University

Bachelors of Commerce 2022

Major in Global Management and a Minor in Business Law

I thrive to increase the awareness of sustainability in corporate businesses to ensure that our future generation focuses on the importance of change. Leading a team that share a similar passion, I actively work towards educating students about how sustainable business is applicable in every field of study. The Canadian business youth council is always teaching me new details about sustainability and I hope to be able to share these facts with Ryerson community members as well.

Emma Simon

Alex MacDonald

Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, Ivey Social Impact Club

Western University

Honours Business Administration, 2021

Sustainability Certificate, 2021

Passionate about triple bottom line reporting, impact investing, clean energy, and Indigenous reconciliation. Previous experience includes accounting, finance, and not-for-profit

Étienne Petitclerc

Bilal Saleemi

Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, the Corporate Social Responsibility Society

York University

Bachelor of Business Administration 2022

Driven by the opportunity for sustainable corporate innovation at the intersection of social impact and technology. A firm believer in giving without expectation, who views the world as what it could be, rather than what it currently is.

Joanna Lewis

Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, Sustainability in Business Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier University

Bachelors of Business Administration 2021

Throughout her life, she has had a passion for sustainability and has continuously gotten involved with various projects and initiatives that have had a sustainable background to them, and this is something she continues to do in her future career endeavours. With the new role she has taken on with the Canadian Business Youth Council for Sustainable Development, she will continue to meaningfully contribute to the world of sustainability and hopes to continue the conversation regarding the importance of sustainability.

Elin Aakrann

Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, Coalition interdisciplinaire pour une transition écologique

Université du Québec à Montréal

Master of Science - Corporate Social Responsibility

Committed to understanding how to shape sustainable, ethical environments and societies, Elin is currently researching how to link social lifecycle metrics within supply chains to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the CIRAIG. Forward-thinking and people-oriented, she believes in empowering, value-driven initiatives to propel societies towards a sustainable future.

Christopher Childs

Élizabeth Duboc

Board Member of the Youth Council

Co-President, Coalition interdisciplinaire pour une transition écologique

Université du Québec à Montréal

Master of Science - Corporate Social Responsibility

Passionate about environmental and social justice, Élizabeth's research focuses on the monetary valuation of social impacts of products and services as a way to integrate them into decision-making and is part of a larger work on life-cycle thinking at the CIRAIG. Motivated, meticulous and goal-oriented, her dedication to equity, inclusion, sustainability and animal rights can be felt in her daily actions and interactions.

Meet the Support Team

Matéo Mazieres

Gareth Gransaull

Associate Director

2019-2020 Co-President Ivey Social Impact Club

Western University

BA - Honours Business Administration 2021

BA - Honours Specialization in International Relations 2021

Activist by heart, businessperson by training. Currently interested in decolonization, circular economics, and energy issues. UWO National Scholar, pianist, and aspiring writer.