Elizabeth (Shirt) Gamble
President,
GLOBE Series
The world is grappling with unprecedented challenges, from climate change and income inequality to economic uncertainty and geopolitical unrest.
The President of GLOBE Series, Elizabeth (Shirt) Gamble, believes overcoming these challenges comes down to equipping people with ways to engage with others and draw them into a more productive space.
“Words matter. In this tense political climate, with so much polarization, it’s important to remember that we ultimately all want the same things,” she said. “Despite our different political views, we can align on our core values — we want healthy, safe communities; we want competitive and prosperous businesses and industries; we want to accelerate the most promising technologies and attract investment. To get this, we need to show leadership by being open, transparent, and authentic — and creating space for the frank conversations that will help us move forward, together.”
With over 30 years of running Canada’s largest climate and sustainability conference, GLOBE Series has built a unique network that includes thousands of the country’s leaders and changemakers: private, public, Indigenous, finance, not-for-profit and community organizations, entrepreneurs, innovators, philanthropists, activists, and more. Their conference programming, swapping annually between GLOBE Forum in Vancouver and GLOBExCHANGE in Toronto, features speakers from diverse sectors and regions, hands-on workshops, and powerful networking opportunities designed to inspire action and get results.
“We bring incredibly diverse perspectives together. We curate outcomes-oriented activities and create opportunities for people to connect. When we have safe spaces for constructive dialogue, we realize our goals aren’t so different. When we build trust and work with one another, that’s when progress is possible,” said Gamble.
Gamble added, to be successful in a global economy companies need to embed a culture of sustainability into their organizations — into policies, processes, governance, and decision making. And they shouldn’t agonize over getting it exactly right.
“When it comes to sustainability, doing something, doing anything, is better than doing nothing at all. We need progress, not perfection; we need pragmatism, not idealism; it’s not all or nothing,” Gamble said. “We need to create the space to start and innovate and if it fails — to adjust quickly.”
To learn more, visit globeseries.com/globexchange/.
