Alison Lawton is an accomplished business executive and social innovator who uses her financial, social and intellectual capital to influence change makers. Lawton started her business career with private equity sales in the areas of syndicated software, film, television, real estate and tax shelter offerings and was also one of three founding partners of ideaPARK, a leading technology business incubator listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Lawton turned her passion for investing and her interest in social development into establishing Mindset Social Innovation Foundation (Mindset). Under her leadership, Mindset and the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business are launching a major new initiative: OPEN HEALTH. OPEN HEALTH will research how drugs are developed and distributed around the world, while showcasing and developing innovative and collaborative entrepreneurial solutions to help life-changing drugs reach more people.
Mindset’s past accomplishments include a major awareness campaign surrounding the 20-year civil war raging in Northern Uganda. The “Uganda Rising” campaign included: a United Nations press conference; a policy forum for various stakeholders (government, civil society and NGO sectors); and a media lobbying effort and the production of a feature-length documentary titled “Uganda Rising”, which has screened at film festivals around the world and has been the recipient of several ‘Best Documentary’ awards.
A humanitarian driven by passion and social conscience, she is Chair of the “Unite for Children Unite against AIDS” campaign for UNICEF Canada. As a social entrepreneur, she produced UNICEF’s World AIDS Day Concert in Montreal, as well as their first Canadian art tour and auction “Unite With Art for HIV/AIDS”. She is also an advisor to Richard Branson through his Canadian Foundation, Virgin Unite, which is working on establishing a Branson School for Entrepreneurship for the Canadian Aboriginal community.
As a social venture philanthropist, Lawton has worked with Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Canadian Government and has also toured Africa with Nigel Fisher, President & CEO of UNICEF Canada; The Clinton Foundation; and Virgin Unite. She has been honoured to have held private audiences with other global stewards such as Former President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson, Stephen Lewis, the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates and Nelson Mandela.
Lawton has an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from Concordia University and a Masters of Arts in Applied Science from Simon Fraser University. She has been a keynote speaker for numerous events for organizations such as the International Leadership Association and Association of Fundraising Professionals and speaks on topics including social innovation, philanthropy, social justice communications and the media’s influence on grassroots movements. Lawton was appointed to the John F. Kennedy School of Government Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University; is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia; Chair of the OPEN HEALTH campaign Advisory Board; and is a member of the UBC Graduate School of Journalism Advisory Council. She is very honoured to have received UNICEF Canada’s Champion for Children Award and Visionary Award, Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 Award and the 2007 Simon Fraser University Outstanding Alumni Award for Community Service.
