“The pandemic has been an eye-opener on human resilience and vulnerability. We must address inequities in everything we do, or we’ll face difficult societal challenges.”
Executive-director of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund, Marie-Claude Bourgie manages an investment fund dedicated to pushing climate-change solutions.
Passionate about increasing the social and environmental effects of projects, Bourgie was a consultant for Global Consult and EcoRessources, guiding governments and the private sector on international climate-change policies and financing models.
Vice-president of development at One Drop Foundation, a non-profit organization created by Cirque du Soleil that’s focused on access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, Bourgie says environmentalism, once a domain of academics and hippies, “is now on everybody’s lips and it’s driving economies and policies.”
Proudest moment
“I’m quite humbled to be given a mandate to establish the Greater Montreal Climate Fund. It is an honour and recognition of the work I’ve done in the private and philanthropic sectors.”
Getting an MBA
"My first love is the environment, and I started with an MA (environmental geography). I realized that to move the goal posts and drive these big environmental projects, I needed to understand the financial language.”
The Concordia factor
"The structured curriculum prepared me technically. In terms of human skills, everything was based on teamwork. We learned to work together. Concordia was successful at developing and positioning itself in the business world as a leader in sustainability. That really put wind in my sails.”
Inspiring Concordia professor
“Catalin Ratiu, PhD 11, brought philosophical questions to strategy, not just spreadsheets, to think about business issues in a broader context.”
Career advice
“One of my bosses said, ‘You have to think outside the sandbox; go outside the usual suspects, and talk to anyone about anything to expand your vision and influence others’.’ That was extremely useful when reviewing strategies of organization.”
Pandemic lessons
“It’s changed my vision of the potential of the organization I am leading — we need to be nimble and adaptable because we don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s been an eye-opener on human resilience and vulnerability. We must address inequities in everything we do, or we’ll face difficult societal challenges.”
Giving back
Canadian Forum for Impact Investment and Development, Montreal Climate Partnership and the SPCA. “I really believe in protecting animals.”