Vicky J. Sharpe

Vicky J. Sharpe

Board Director and Senior Fellow, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (Toronto, ON)

October 27, 2015

Vicky J. Sharpe is Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and a Director on several boards. At the IISD, Dr. Sharpe provides strategic advice to help shape the Canadian cleantech landscape.

Dr. Sharpe was the Founding President and CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), and while CEO, she increased the public funding pool from $100 million in 2001 to over $1.4 billion in 2014, and mobilized private sector capital resulting in more than $4 billion of investments for projects and commercialization activities.

With over 35 years of experience in the energy industry, Dr. Sharpe has successfully integrated sustainable development into business practices. As President of GRI Canada and Astral Group, she demonstrated leadership and vision in the use of innovative technologies across Canada’s primary economic sectors. As Vice President of Ontario Hydro International Inc., Dr. Sharpe created new global revenue streams for environmental and energy utilization practices. Prior to that, she held management positions in marketing, business development, and technology innovation.

Dr. Sharpe has served on numerous technology and industry association committees, in particular as an international advisor on sustainability issues; has represented the Canadian energy sector at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Forum; and chaired the National Advisory Board on Energy, Science and Technology. Dr. Sharpe sits on EnerTech Capital’s Advisory Board and on the Advisory Panel for Mercer’s Sustainable Opportunities Fund.

Dr. Sharpe has broad governance experience with an ICD.D (2005). She is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Alberta Enterprise Corporation, whose mandate is to finance and build new knowledge-based industries in Alberta, Carbon Management Canada Research Institutes (CMCRI), and the Biowaste to Energy for Canada integrated initiative Corp. (BECii). Recently she joined the Board of QUEST – Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow.

Dr. Sharpe holds a PhD in Microbiology and Surface Chemistry, as applied to water pollution control, from Trent University in the United Kingdom.


Role: Panel Member
Report: Technology and Policy Options for a Low-Emission Energy System in Canada (October 2015)