Denise Taschereau – CEO and Co-Founder of Fairware

Denise is chief executive officer (CEO) and cofounder of Fairware where she is responsible for business development, product sourcing as well as 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.

She is currently a mentor for Spring.is, an accelerator and incubator that is using business as a force for good to empower social impact leaders with the know-how, network and support needed to build a better business. Denise was 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. 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.

 

Sarah White – COO and Co-Founder of Fairware

Fairware got its start in Sarah’s garage in 2005, and now has a bustling office in south Mount Pleasant where she and the Fairware team work on changing the world, one t-shirt at a time. Sarah’s day-to-day involves systems, human resources, project management and making sure Fairware’s culture of humour, creativity, inclusion and high fives is alive and thriving.

Social justice and equity have been central to everything Sarah has been involved with. She believes creativity and collaboration, through the lens of social justice, makes positive change possible. A willingness to explore what it takes to hold others’ differing perspectives with respect, is a cornerstone of her leadership capacity.

Sarah is an active volunteer and serves as president on the Board for the Vancouver Street Soccer League, an organization that uses soccer to inspire and empower marginalized people on the downtown east side of Vancouver. She is also active in the B Corp community and has immersed herself and learning and sharing with her team the importance of diversity and inclusion.

In 2017, Sarah joining the Presidents Group, a network of change-driven BC business leaders who are champions for more accessible, inclusive workplaces. The Presidents Group is engaging with employers and business owners around the province to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities in BC and create a more accessible consumer marketplace.

Before Fairware, Sarah was doing what she still does today – working for something she believes in. Sarah’s path has always been one of creativity and building something new. Her passion for community, empowerment, and collaboration to reach shared goals has been realized through her work facilitating large scale community public art and design projects, including Mosaic Creek Park in East Vancouver, and in the elementary school system.

Outside of work, Sarah cherishes time spent with her family and friends, and encouraging vegetables to grow in her back yard. You’ll also find her very content watching or playing sports of any kind. She lives in Vancouver with her partner and is venturing down the path of empty nesting, with two sons away at university.