Meet Francisca Quinn, RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Momentum Finalist

Francisca is the Founder and President of Quinn+Partners. For 20 years, she has worked with leading companies and investors on climate change and sustainability strategies. Francisca stewards Quinn+Partners to execute its mission to advance sustainability in business and capital markets. Under her leadership, Quinn+Partners was listed as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by the Globe and Mail in 2021 and 2022. Francisca has spoken on ESG, sustainability, and climate change to executive audiences.

She is a sought-after moderator on ESG integration and a contributor to thought leadership. Francisca was also recognized as a Clean50 Honouree for her contributions to clean capitalism in Canada. Francisca started her consulting career in 1995 with Oliver Wyman where she specialized in growth strategies and organizational design for Fortune 500 companies. She joined the Carbon Trust in London in 2002, where she worked with UK-listed companies and global investors on carbon emissions reduction and identifying climate risks and opportunities. Francisca serves as a Board member and the Chair of ESG Committee of TSX-ventures listed Canada Nickel Company where she leverages her ESG and governance experience. She is personally engaged in environmental issues and is currently on her second low-carbon house renovation.

Entrepreneurship is made for me because… I’m not too fond of corporate structures and processes, and I want the freedom to act when I get an idea and am energized.

The impact I hope to make through my work is…to support our fight against climate change and provide meaningful jobs and careers.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey is… listen to others and get many perspectives.

My proudest accomplishment is…when our company is recognized by our clients as a significant partner in their sustainability journey.

The biggest risk I took that paid off was…to hire people and get an office before we had a meaningful revenue stream.

My biggest setback has been… when key employees left to pursue other opportunities.

I overcame it by… recognizing that the employees got their new “dream jobs” thanks to the skills they had learned at Quinn+Partners and being excited about hearing about their successes.

The best advice I’ve received as an entrepreneur was… to believe in yourself and trust your gut.

I surprise people when I tell them… that I did not intend to build a large company, only to pursue projects I found interesting. 

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would use it to… read and sleep more.

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… that I’m passionate about cross-country skiing and road biking, and I love to cook and bake.

The future excites me because… there is so much work to do in setting businesses up for a more sustainable future.

To keep up with Francisca, connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter (X).