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Business: Policy Area
Laurier SBE Alumnus Mike Morrice named Ashoka Fellow
School of Business & Economics
May 23/12
Mike Morrice '08 has been named one of three Ashoka Fellows
in 2012. These fellows are building economies in conflict-prone countries,
engaging businesses to create realistic environmental action and building
capacity among sustainable agricultural producers in developing countries to
access financing.
Mike Morrice created
Sustainable Waterloo Region in light of inadequate national and global
responses to pressing environmental problems. Through a community-led approach,
Sustainable Waterloo Region inspires and facilitates organizations to co-create
ambitious yet realistic public commitments to reduce their environmental
impact, measuring and reporting back on their accomplishments. In 2009,
Mike was selected by The Waterloo Region Record as one of Waterloo Region’s
inaugural Top 40 under 40. He participates in several local Advisory Boards and
graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2008.
Mike is joined
by Scott Gilmore, founder of Building Markets, who has been elected as a
Senior Ashoka Fellow. He is stimulating economic growth in the most
conflict-prone countries in the world, such as Afghanistan and Haiti, by
building the market for local entrepreneurs and vendors. His solution to the
lack of demand and financing was to work with international aid and
humanitarian agencies and multinational corporations, changing the buying
practices of foreign missions to support the local economies in which they
operate. Building Markets was the only Canadian organization to win the G20 SME
Finance Challenge in 2010. Senior Ashoka Fellows, at the time of election, have
had continental impact and made a ‘scratch on history’. Scott is based in
Ottawa.
The third fellow,
Jason Potts, is founder of Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST), and
is facilitating access to finance for sustainable small and medium-sized
enterprises located in developing countries. Through FAST, he is developing
innovative tools that help socially oriented financial institutions and commercial
lenders to provide finance more efficiently to those most in need. Jason is
based in Montreal.
These three social
innovators are the new Ashoka Fellows, joining a network leading social
entrepreneurs implementing systems-changing solutions for tackling major social
challenges in Canada. There are more than 3,000 Fellows in 72 countries who are
building better communities around the globe.
“Ashoka Fellows are
creative innovators who have developed ground-breaking projects that address
social issues at their roots. They impact thousands of people in Canada and the
world. We believe that a new idea in the hands of a social entrepreneur is the
most powerful force for social change in the world. We are thrilled to elect
Mike, Scott and Jason, particularly as we celebrate 10 years of Ashoka in
Canada” says Elisha Muskat, Executive Director of Ashoka Canada.
Ashoka believes that
the only solution to the world’s social problems is more problem-solvers. The
organization identifies and supports people (rather than projects) as top
changemakers who inspire and motivate others to be changemakers, showing the
world it is possible to solve social issues.
“This election is an
incredible honour – I’m humbled to join such esteemed company as an Ashoka
Fellow,” says Mike Morrice. “To have the support of Ashoka Canada and to learn
from other Fellows will go a long way towards efforts to scale our impact in
Waterloo Region and as we share our model with other communities.”
As a global
association of social entrepreneurs with the vision of creating a world where
everyone can be a changemaker, Ashoka helps everyone realize their potential to
be changemakers: to have the confidence, resources and societal support to do
so. As part of its Fellowship program, which Scott, Mike and Jason are elected
to for life, Ashoka supports them to grow their systems-changing new ideas to
broaden and deepen their impact. Ashoka provides support and professional
services through its international strategic partners, such as McKinsey &
Company, H+K Strategies, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and Egon Zehnder
International.
About Ashoka Canada
Ashoka is the leading global
organization that identifies and invests in social entrepreneurs. Over the last
10 years, Ashoka has selected and supported 43 social entrepreneurs in Canada,
from stipend support to capacity building and consultancy from leading
companies. All Ashoka Fellows go through a robust selection process where they
are evaluated according to five criteria: innovation, creativity, entrepreneurial
quality, systemic social impact and ethical fibre. For more information, visit
www.canada.ashoka.org or www.quebec.ashoka.org.
Ashoka’s Vision
Ashoka envisions a world
where everyone can be a changemaker: a world that responds quickly and effectively
to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and
societal support to address any social problem and drive change.
For more information, visit www.canada.ashoka.org
Scott Gilmore: http://canada.ashoka.org/fellow/scott-gilmore
Mike Morrice: http://canada.ashoka.org/fellow/mike-morrice
Jason Potts:
http://canada.ashoka.org/fellow/jason-potts
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