Jason Potts Presented with First IISD Outstanding Achievement Award

IISD is pleased to announce Jason Potts as the recipient of the inaugural Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his vision and leadership in championing inclusive sustainability standards.

“At this critical moment in the world’s history, IISD recognizes the value of creative, smart and visionary leadership,” said Scott Vaughan, President-CEO of IISD. “This award shows our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of so many individuals working to advance sustainability solutions.”

Throughout his career, Jason has dedicated himself to forging new paths of sustainability and justice to advance communities and protect nature around the globe. At IISD, Jason led the State of Sustainability Initiative (SSI), which tracks and issues regular reports on the characteristics, performance and market trends of sustainability initiatives internationally.

His innovative leadership has resulted in globally respected entities such as the Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA), the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST) and the Sustainable Commodity Assistance Network (SCAN), all of which work to champion and monitor sustainable trade.

Jason has common and civil law degrees from McGill University, is an Ashoka Fellow and acts as an advisor to a host of multistakeholder and multilateral initiatives.

In addition to his highly impressive list of achievements, Jason has always proven himself to be a gracious and generous colleague to all at IISD.

“Jason truly embodies sustainability in everything he does, inspiring everyone to endeavour to a sustainable future,” said Vivek Voora, an associate of IISD who has worked with Jason for years on SSI. “His uncanny ability to remain thoughtful no matter what the circumstance, along with his insightful and delightful personality, are some of the many qualities enabling him to coalesce people together to address sustainable development challenges.”

“It is a privilege to work with Jason,” says Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Director of IISD’s Economic Law and Policy Program. “His tireless search for excellence and precision, and his ability to distill the essence of complex processes and to work towards a more sustainable world are incredibly inspiring.”

The Outstanding Achievement Award is issued annually to recognize individuals and partners who have made a significant and lasting impact in advancing sustainable development and in improving economies, communities, ecosystems and lives.

Congratulations, Jason!