Denise is chief executive officer (CEO) and cofounder of Fairware where she is responsible for business development, product sourcing and Fairware’s ethical sourcing and sustainability programs.
Denise got the idea to launch Fairware when she noticed how difficult it was to source promotional merchandise that reflected the social and environmental priorities of many of the brands and organizations she admired.
Prior to starting Fairware, Denise spent seven years as the Director of Sustainability and Community for Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s largest outdoor retailer. At MEC, she oversaw the Co-op’s national environmental programs, community grant-making and ethical sourcing programs, and wrote their award-winning first Sustainability Report.
Denise is a member of ETSY’s Manufacturing Advisory Board, a Board Member with the Green Meeting Industry Council and the past co-chair of Vision Vancouver, Vancouver’s ruling municipal political party. She has a Masters of Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University.
When she’s not working, Denise obsesses about anything to do with bikes and municipal politics. She lives in East Vancouver with her partner, their two boys and lots of bicycles. Future plans include becoming an interior decorator for political backrooms and drinking coffee on the sidelines of Giro d’Italia.