Company: Origen Air Systems Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia
Company Description: Origen Air is a Canadian women-owned small business founded in 2019 by CEO, Susan Blanchet. Origen Air delivers plant-based indoor air quality solutions that incorporate genetically engineered plants capable of removing volatile organic compounds from the air. Origen Air and its CEO have received numerous awards and recognition, including being a 2023 WE Empower UN SDG Challenge Awardee.
Nomination Category: Thought Leadership Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Thought Leader of the Year - Business Products
 Nomination Title: Susan Blanchet, CEO & Founder, Origen Air Systems Ltd.
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Susan is a CEO, Founder, environmental lawyer, and international speaker with a dedication to empowering women and fostering awareness about the critical significance of air quality and climate change. Prior to founding Origen Air, Susan practiced as senior civil litigation counsel and advisor to the Climate Action Team for the Province of British Columbia for 14 years. She built an English school in Cambodia prior to founding Origen Air in 2019, to proactively clean air after her father died from environmentally caused early-onset dementia, Susan negotiated a global license with the University of Washington for genetically enhanced plants capable of removing toxins from air which she combined with mechanical filtration and air sensors. In 2020, Susan led her team in winning the Grenoble High-Level Forum “Beyond Crisis” Award, Rocketbuilders Emerging Cleantech Rocket and was a panelist for the Cleantech Forum, Startup Canada, Volition, Spring Activator, Innovation Asset Collective, Alacrity Canada’s CleanTech Talks Podcast and the #CanStartupStories for Foresight Cleantech. She was chosen for Trade Missions to Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. Her resolute dedication to raising awareness about indoor air quality (IAQ), addressing climate change, and promoting equal opportunities is exemplified by her active and vocal engagement that continues today.
- Outline the nominee's thought leadership achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
In 2022, Susan was chosen for the Women in Cleantech California Program and as a top 30 Female Canadian Founder in the Herstory Pitch Competition by The 51 and Alberta Innovates. She was a finalist for WBE 2022 Excellence Awards' Top Rising Star, second runner-up in the TiE Women Vancouver pitch finals, and a finalist for the 2022 MaRS Women in Cleantech and the Lazaridis Institute ScaleUp Program. Origen Air won the Chamber of Commerce Innovation Business Award, Douglas Ten to Watch, and was a finalist for the KPMG Tech Titan Innovator Competition and VIATEC Awards Product & Startup of the Year. Susan continued to spread awareness of IAQ while pitching Origen Air during Dragons’ Den 17th season and speaking at the Cleantech Forum in California and for IAC on national and international panels. Susan’s passion for empowering women and delivering clean air has led her on 2022 Women Business Missions to India and Japan.
In 2023, Susan was a Panelist at Realcomm Proptech in Las Vegas, named a Clean50 finalist, and BCTECH TIA Finalist for Company of the Year - Startup. Recently, Susan spoke on an Investor Connex International Panel, was moderator for a BOMA panel on air quality, featured in the Toronto Star, and selected as WE Empower United Nations SDG Challenge Awardee for the Europe and North America Region (first Canadian!) where she will attend invite-only events/conferences to pitch and speak as a panelist about IAQ and climate change, as part of UN Climate Week in NYC.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 134 words used.
The following links have been added as evidence of the awards Susan and Origen Air have won and/or been finalists for: 2022 Chamber of Commerce Innovation Award, Rocketbuilders Emerging Cleantech Rocket, Douglas Magazine Ten to Watch, VIATECH Business Awards, WBE Rising Star, KPMG Tech Innovator, HerStory Pitch Competition (pitch video and shoutout link), 2024 Clean50 CleanTech nominee shoutout on the Clean50 August 24th Article (not released yet), WE Empower UN SDG Awardee,
Links added as evidence for Origen Air & Susan being featured in media: Douglas Magazine, Dragons’ Den, Toronto Star feature,
Links added as evidence of Susan participating in speaking engagements: #CanStartupStories podcast,
As attachments, I have added Susan's pitch for HerStory, a Trend Video that showcased Origen Air and Susan Blanchet, and a three page pitch PDF that highlights Origen Air's success.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below:
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 175 words used.
Since the founding of her company, Origen Air, in 2019, Susan's accomplishments have transcended local acclaim and now command global recognition. Susan’s most recent accomplishment, being a WE Empower UN SDG Challenge Awardee, is unlike any award she’s achieved thus far. It will provide Susan the opportunity to speak about critical issues during the GF23 Global Futures Conference during Climate Week, an internationally renowned event.
Susan transitioned from being an environmental advocate during her time as legal counsel for the Province of BC - where she advised on cap and trade programs and practiced in areas of contaminated sites, tax law, riparian rights and general civil litigation - to being an environmental advocate as CEO of a cleantech startup. Her commitment to social justice and environmental responsibility has led her to be a thought leader on local, national, and global stages. She has also, through her role as CEO and Board Member, become a champion of female founders applying for the Women Business Enterprises (WBE) committee and championing other women to raise awareness on DEI.
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