Coro Strandberg, Principal of Strandberg Consulting, is an influential sustainability strategist and thought-leader. She brings insight, ingenuity and pragmatism to the greatest global challenge of our time: the transformation to a more sustainable world. She works with businesses, governments and communities to inspire sustainability leadership and economic innovation that enhance quality of life and protect and restore the environment.

A Canadian trail-blazer in values-based business practices and market sustainability, Strandberg uses market levers such as finance and investment, supply chains and corporate governance to catalyze sustainable growth and development. Learn about many of Coro’s practical tools in Publications and Tools.

Her clients include retail, transportation and finance firms; trade associations; environmental organizations; social enterprises and governments. In 2010, two of Coro’s clients received national recognition for their sustainability leadership: The Co-operators placed second on the Corporate Knights list of the 50 Top Corporate Citizens in Canada and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games received the Corporate Award for Environmental Excellence (Facilities and Events) from the GLOBE Foundation.

Strandberg has contributed to the evolving field of CSR and sustainability for more than 20 years. She was a director of Vancity Credit Union for 12 years (three as chair of the board), where from 1988-2000 she helped position the credit union as an international leader in corporate social responsibility.

During her tenure at Vancity, Strandberg helped:

• Catalyze the Vancity Capital Corporation, a $25-million company that invests in economic development, green economy, non-profit enterprise and co-operatives;
• Create the Vancity Community Foundation, an over $11-million foundation that supports community economic development;
• Launch the Shared World Term Deposit, which channels investments to support micro-businesses in third world countries, and
• Launch one of the first third-party verified sustainability reports in Canada.

In addition, she was a founding trustee of Ethical Funds Inc., the first family of responsible investment mutual funds in Canada.

As social policy director and green economy policy advisor for the BC Government from 1995 to 2000 Strandberg designed government-wide sustainable development and green economy strategies. From 1990 to1993, she was the first social planner for the City of Surrey, Canada’s fastest growing municipality at that time, where she created an affordable housing fund and catalyzed the launch of the Surrey Foundation.

More recently, Strandberg co-founded the Victoria Values-Based Business Network. She was also instrumental in creating the Sustainability Purchasing Network (now Buy Smart), which helps organizations integrate environmental, social and ethical perspectives into their buying decisions.

Coro is an active public speaker, facilitator and writer. She contributes her sustainability expertise to many organizations including:

• Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, associate;
• Canadian Standards Association, Technical Committee on Sustainability Events;
• ethiquette.ca, Criteria and Selection Committee (a Canadian consumer information service on socially and environmentally responsible products and services), and
• ethipedia.net, advisor (a resource for sustainability professionals, which presents leading socially and environmentally responsible business practices from around the world).

She was a finalist for the Business in Vancouver Influential Women in Business Award, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the Burnaby Entrepreneur of the Year.

Coro’s new green home was awarded LEED Gold status and received a Burnaby Environmental Award.

About Strandberg Consulting
Coro Strandberg founded Strandberg Consulting in 2004. Based in Burnaby, B.C., the independent consultancy provides strategic advice and facilitation services to organizations that seek to integrate social and environmental factors into their business models. Strandberg Consulting also provides thought leadership, research and project management services to organizations advancing sustainability in the economy.

Contact Coro Strandberg.

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