The launch of the 2025 State of the Sector Report marks a milestone moment for Canada’s impact investing community. Over the past five years, the sector has evolved from an emerging network into a credible ecosystem driving measurable social and environmental outcomes. This panel brings together leaders from CAFIID’s community, including FinDev Canada, MEDA, and the report’s editor, to reflect on the sector’s progress, key findings, and the collective action needed to mobilize capital at scale.
Panelists will explore how Canada’s ecosystem can move from proven models to systemic leadership in sustainable finance — integrating impact across policy, practice, and investment. The conversation will highlight the latest developments from Findev Canada and MEDA, examine the call to action for government and institutional investors, and discuss how collaboration, integrity, and innovation can define the next chapter of Canada’s leadership in global impact investing.
State of the Sector Panel will feature:
Susanne Courtney: Journalist and Writer/Development Finance
Stephanie Emond: VP & Chief Impact Officer, FinDev Canada
Lindsay Wallace: Chair, CAFIID (Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development) and Senior Vice President, Strategy, Communications and Impact, MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates)
RSVP at sarona@saronafund.com
About the Panel
Journalist and Writer/Development Finance
A bilingual Canadian, Susanne has extensive experience in leading, researching, and consulting on transformative international development strategies both as an executive, a technical writer and as a journalist.
As a journalist, she writes for the Paris-based News-Decoder.com and for PassBlue.com, an independent UN-focused website based in New York City. Technical writing clients include the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development, the MasterCard Foundation, and CAFIID.
As Executive Director of Action Against Hunger Canada, Susanne’s early investigations into the establishment of a development impact bond (DIB) led to a deep interest in development finance and a recognition of the importance of establishing an ecosystem within Canada to increase the flow of capital to achieve the SDGs.
Ultimately, Susanne was part of the formal incorporation in 2017 of the Canada Forum of Impact Investment and Development (CAFIID) bringing together the diverse communities of practice and players to collaborate, contribute, and educate investors on the opportunities to positively increase social and economic impact in low and middle-income countries without sacrificing returns.
A career start as a Trade Commissioner with the Canadian Foreign Service included a posting to Abidjan where she was responsible for liaison with the African Development Bank (AfDB). The experience working with the AfDB and on bilateral assignments ignited a profound interest in delivering long-term change for people living in low-income countries with a particular emphasis on women and children.
VP & Chief Impact Officer, FinDev Canada
Stéphanie Émond is VP and Chief Impact Officer at FinDev Canada’s, overseeing the Impact Enablement team responsible for development impact, technical assistance, environmental, social and climate risk management and thought leadership.
Stéphanie is a board member of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, and is a member of the investment committee of the McConnell Foundation.
Prior to joining FinDev Canada, Stéphanie served as the Executive Director of FINCA Canada, a microfinance organization with the mission to alleviate poverty through lasting solutions that help people – women in particular – build assets, create jobs, and raise their standard of living.
Before FINCA, she worked as a management consultant with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, on business and strategic planning, market analysis and marketing strategies, and for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA – now Global Affairs Canada) as an economic advisor focusing on private sector development and financial inclusion. Prior to that, Stephanie worked with FINCA Peru, a Peruvian microfinance institution, and for Newad, a Canadian place-based media company, as Director of Marketing.
She holds a MBA from HEC Montreal
Chair, CAFIID (Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development)
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Communications and Impact, MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates)
Lindsay Wallace currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Strategy & Impact at MEDA. Over the past two decades, Lindsay has spearheaded impact measurement, program design, and strategic initiatives across a variety of organizations. Prior to joining MEDA, Lindsay led strategic consulting assignments for the Gates Foundation, the Toronto Centre and the Millenium Challenge Corporation. Lindsay previously spent eight years at the Mastercard Foundation, where she assumed multiple roles, including as Head of Impact, Director of Strategy and Learning. In these capacities, she led the conception of their new strategy, championing private sector growth and business-driven solutions to alleviate poverty. Lindsay’s career has been characterized by her steadfast advocacy for translating intricate concepts into accessible thought leadership, catering to diverse audiences. Lindsay’s academic background includes an M.A. in Public Administration and Policy from Carleton University, along with an M.A. in Economics specializing in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from McGill University.