Senior Advisors

Yasmin is a recognized leader in the field of systems thinking applied to designing, transforming and marketing business enterprises and initiatives for multi-nationals, start-ups and consortiums in the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean. She heads up CTR Inc., an innovation and future focused communication and business transformation practice. In 2018, launched Re-Ignite.ca - a multi-disciplined group of senior experts - to help entrepreneurs and executives, of all ages, make better decisions on what’s next, how to get there. And is a sought-after keynote speaker on future ready leadership and innovation in a digital and multi-generational economy and workforce – with a core focus on making it real and relevant. Prior to this, she was a principal and solution accelerator at E&Y/CGEY; a senior marketing and business transformation leader for IBM and Nortel, respectively; and contributed to the development and launch of President’s Choice Financial. For over 28 years, Yasmin has also supported several charities — March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, King Bay Kids, InterCity, and Seeds of Hope — in developing wholistic and pragmatic strategies and actions for improving the lives of youth, families and local communities in North America and abroad. A skilled facilitator and systems designer, Yasmin has led over 220 collaborative strategy and solution design initiatives for private and public groups, with a common focus on advancing market leadership’ in a disruptive climate. She’s the recipient of numerous awards for strategy, change management and leadership, including the Global Trailblazer Award presented by Sir Martin Sorrell, Social Architecture Award for Windward Cooperative Housing (101-unit, integrated community on Bathurst Quay, Toronto); and, Inter-Generational Mentorship Awards.

Peter Love provides strategic and policy advice on energy issues for companies, non-profits and governments. He is an Adjunct Professor at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and does consulting through Love Energy Consultants. He is on the board of Energy Efficiency Alberta as well as a number of corporate and non-profit Boards active in the energy/environment area. In 2005, Peter was appointed Ontario’s first Chief Energy Conservation Officer with the Ontario Power Authority where his focus was on providing leadership in electricity conservation and advancing a conservation culture in Ontario. He was a leader in setting among the most aggressive targets for conservation in North America and reported that Ontario met its first conservation target of a five percent peak demand reduction by the end of 2007. Previously, Peter was the Executive Director of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, co-founder of the Summerhill Group and co-founder and first President of EnerQuality Corporation, the company that was created to deliver the R-2000 and Energy Star New Homes programs. An active volunteer, Peter is Advisor for the MaRS Cleantech practice and past chair of the Royal Canadian institute for Science. No stranger to the concept of a “cultural shift” in the Province, early in his career Peter worked as a project coordinator for Pollution Probe with the team that developed the 3Rs campaign “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. In recognition of Peter’s commitment to sustainable buildings and energy efficiency, he was inducted into the EnerQuality/R-2000 Hall of Fame and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sustainable Buildings Canada. He is also a recipient of the 2013 Clean 50 Award which honours Canada’s top 50 contributors to sustainable development and clean capitalism in Canada. Peter has an MBA and BA from the University of Toronto and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Paul Dowsett is the founding Principal Architect at SUSTAINABLE.TO Architecture + Building (STO), a professional architecture practice established in 2009. STO is a leader in an emerging movement of pragmatic sustainability – simple is the new smart - specializing in affordable, healthy and energy-efficient design. With more than three decades of local and international residential, institutional and commercial sustainable design and project management experience, Paul is uniquely qualified to lead a highly collaborative design team for projects of diverse scales, types, and complexities. Key projects include the Eco-Deco Deep-Green Energy-Retrofit of a 1930’s art deco masterpiece for the Daniels family; international competition-winning housing strategies for post-Katrina New Orleans and post-Sandy New York; and the ongoing, multi-phase, asset-based, authentically community-engaged reimagining of the East Scarborough Storefront and surrounding apartment towers in concert with the City’s Tower Neighbourhood Renewal initiatives. At the core of Paul’s philosophy and practice is the belief that design and construction solutions should be simple, sensitive, and sustainable. Paul & STO have been friends of Rethink Sustainability Initiatives for the past few years, helping with the educational and promotional outreach efforts. Paul has been a volunteer instructor and program director since 1988, teaching kids with disabilities to ski and to snowboard, Paul is the current President of the Ontario Track 3 Ski Association Board of Directors. Additionally, Paul has been a volunteer instructor since 2012, teaching kids with disabilities to sail, Paul is the current Vice-President of the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario Board of Directors. Providing opportunities to people of every ability. Since 2001, Paul has been the architectural advisor on the Public Advisory Committee for the R.C. Harris Filtration Plant, an Art Deco architectural masterpiece in Toronto. Paul has also recently joined the Board of Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG). Paul & STO have been Friends of TBG for the past few years, helping with the educational and promotional outreach efforts to help pollinators.

Peter Boyd enjoys working where strategy, marketing and sustainability meet. In 2014 he moved from launch director and COO of the Carbon War Room, to independently launching The Time4Good Group. This now spans a social startup and consultancy, that includes advising The B Team on its Net-Zero initiative, and an Executive Fellowship at Yale’s Center for Business and the Environment.

He has over fifteen years of commercial experience with the Virgin Group, latterly serving as CEO of Virgin Mobile South Africa. He started his career with McKinsey & Co. after graduating BA Hons. from Oxford University reading Philosophy, Politics & Economics.

In parallel to his work at Time4Good, he is a member of the board of trustees at Earthplace and serves on the mayoral Green Task Force in his hometown of Westport, CT (which also recently targeted a ‘Net-Zero by 2050’ sustainability goal).

Alec is a globally recognized leader in Operational Risk, Resilience & Security Planning. He is headquartered in Toronto, as principal of Southern Harbour; and at the University of Toronto, as an adjunct professor focused on infrastructure strategy and the operational resilience of communities and corporations. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and expert advisor to CEOs and senior decision-makers on the impacts of climate change on business and community infrastructure, and what’s required for translating future readiness strategies into sustainable action.

Previously: DIALOG Resilience & Security practice leader; British Royal Engineers specialist for over 25 years in fortifications and infrastructure development in various global assignments (the Americas, High Arctic, South Atlantic, Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Asia); and, Infrastructure Protection planner for the NATO estate in Afghanistan.

A Chartered Engineer, licensed in Alberta and Ontario, Alec is a Fellow, mentor and peer reviewer of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Royal Engineers. He is also International Secretary of the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists.

Other qualifications include: founding Director of the University of Toronto Centre for Resilience of Critical Infrastructure; Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Capacity Building Panel, responsible for futuring civil engineering competencies in the 2025 international marketplace and beyond; Founding Trustee of the Explora Foundation and director of its veteran widows and orphans education charity and research not-for-profit; Author; and a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Alexander Hay is RSI Senior Advisor and was an RSI Director from 2014 to 2019.

Gary has earned a solid reputation for providing forward thinking leadership and expertise in research and data analysis, strategic planning and partnership development for industry, academia, and non-profit sectors.

He currently heads the Operations and Innovation of the fast-growing environmental solutions organization Green Circle Salons. A speaker and writer on Innovation, Gary is praised for his clear communications reporting on complex issues and the development of effective solutions in the sustainability space. He was also an advisor for the renewable energy company ZooShare and, mentors young business professionals looking for a career in sustainability.

Prior to Green Circle Salons, Gary consulted for clients small and large within healthcare, real estate, biotechnology, and waste management. Earlier in his career, he formed a vibrant social networking organization for the young professionals of Baltimore, providing opportunities for engagement at events that brought in acclaimed speakers.

He holds a PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Joanna practices as an environmental lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto, combining her law degree and background in science to provide advice on various environmental legal matters. Joanna has extensive experience advising clients on compliance with existing and proposed environmental legislation, environmental permitting issues, federal and provincial environmental assessments, the rehabilitation and redevelopment of contaminated sites, waste and product stewardship obligations, as well as climate change related issues, including compliance with greenhouse gas legislation. Joanna is a former adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she taught a class on environmental law. She is also the Public Liaison for the Environmental Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association and a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. Joanna holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) from Queen’s University and a JD from the University of Toronto.

Mike is a purpose-driven, problem-solver with more than 20 years’ experience strengthening individual and community identity in the non-profit, educational, and corporate spaces. He has led or been part of teams raising more than $50M for higher-education and community organizations. His leadership in hundreds of grassroots outreach programs has helped recruit more than 20,000 participants for causes in Montreal and Toronto.

Mike currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kindness.org, which leverages scientific research to inspire and educate people all over the world to choose kindness. Mike’s mandate is to help: strengthen the Board of Directors; refine and spread the organization’s brand story; and double the organization’s Mezzanine funding within two years.

An outcomes-based leader, Mike currently serves as Executive Director of The House – an Agency of UJA Federation of Toronto. He is tasked with increasing the relevance of community and cultural identity in the lives of Millennials. Under his guidance since 2017, the organization has: doubled its program recruitment, participant engagement, and revenue; and secured strategic partnerships to transition community members between agencies and secure life-long involvement in community.

Mike also led the innovation initiatives for Forum Properties - researching and experimenting with processes to: increase footfall and client engagement time at retail properties; increasing value per square foot for residential tenants; and building community around commercial and residential spaces. He was also responsible for raising internal efficiencies by streamlining inter-departmental processes.

Prior to that, Mike led an innovation incubator on personal identity and community for a partnership between the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation and Federation CJA. There he honed his creative skills, running an innovation laboratory that launched more than 150 initiatives for the benefit of individuals and the community.

An award-winning engineer, Jeanette Southwood is Vice-President - Strategy & Partnerships at Engineers Canada, the national organization of the 12 engineering regulators that license Canada's 280,000 members of the engineering profession. She leads a team focusing on the future of the engineering profession, in particular strategies to sustain and grow the profession for the continued benefit of society.

Prior to joining Engineers Canada, she led the Canadian Urban Development & Infrastructure Sector and the Global Sustainable Cities teams at a large global consulting firm where her teams focused on the strategic integration of cutting-edge international innovation and knowledge into value-creating solutions for public and private clients. For more than 20 years, she has directed and participated in numerous projects related to urban intensification and the sustainable revitalization of communities.

A dedicated volunteer on several Boards over the years, Jeanette is a Fellow of Engineers Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a recipient of the Province of Ontario “Leading Women Building Communities Award”, and a Canada’s Clean50 2014 honouree. In 2015, she received the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) Engineering Excellence Medal and was named one of the WXN Top 100.

Jean Turnbull is a experienced financial services professional and global strategist with 25+ years of delivering leading-edge anti-fraud solutions for Fortune 500 finance and technology corporations. A strong advocate of environmental and social issues, passionate about making positive change by educating, driving financial inclusion, and promoting a circular economy and food and shelter security.

She brings a wealth of cross-sector experience in the delivery and execution of CEO-trusted enterprise and global anti-fraud solutions. Profile highlights: PWC, Managing Director in the Financial Crimes Advisory team. TD Bank Vice President of Strategy, Solutions and Innovation where she led a multi-faceted shared service function for the North American Financial Crimes and Fraud Management Group. Accountable for the delivery of business fraud strategies, business intelligence reporting, robotic process automation and enterprise fraud initiatives.

Jean is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified International Financial Crime Investigator (CFCI), and a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists (CAMS).

Outside of work, Jean enjoys cycling, travel, and spending time with her family and son. Her desire to leave this world a little better than you found it, has taken her Cambodia to participate in several urban water supply and sanitation projects.