My name is Victoria Quick and I have lived an incredibly fortunate life thanks to the sacrifices of my parents and their dedication to my personal and professional development. I was born in Peterborough, Ontario a small rural town where I grew my love for the outdoors and feeling of community. I grew up as a competitive dancer which taught me balance and drive, which I applied to my education, ultimately earning me a place at Ivey. My personal goal coming to university was to develop my technical skillset to leverage into a professional role and in pursuit of giving back to my local community.

What is your personal definition of sustainability?

Sustainability for me is rooted in building a foundation that helps to maintain a core set of values that can be further built upon with strategy and planning. Sustainability should have the ability to be iterative and long lasting as well as be achieved at a local and global level. Sustainability is being in a symbiotic relationship with the environment around you and making decisions that are responsible and provide longevity for future generations.

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career?

Upon graduating and starting my full-time professional career, I have plans to advise the London Social Value Fund as a potential investment committee member so I can maintain my connection with Ivey as well as, with my fellow alumni. In addition to this, I am currently invested in ESG funds at Fidelity Investments and plan to continue to participate in sustainable finance when I believe in a portfolio manager’s investing principals. There has already been a substantial shift in the market towards sustainable finance and I believe this will grow as generational wealth transfer is underway and Generation Z’s accumulate more capital. In the long-term, my hopes are that the space has grown considerably 10 years into my career, and I am able to transition into a full-time role centric to sustainability. Whether this be social impact investing or more of an advisory role I would love to make the shift once I am financially more stable. From a community perspective, I would love to analyze the food insecurity issue in my hometown and see if I pursue a business venture that would address this insecurity.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

My first sustainability focused project was my service trip to Galapagos and Ecuador in 2017. While in Ecuador I had the opportunity to visit a native community and learn about their irrigation systems as well as, helped to plant trees and other crops. In the second half of the trip my group stayed on a self-sustaining farm where we irradiated invasive species, prepared for planting of new crops and assisted in cooking meals. This trip sparked my interest in contributing to the global community and truly understanding cultural differences and how they play into personal biases. When I came to university, I joined AIESEC, the largest student-run, non-profit organization that sends students on international learning experiences to help achieve the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. I was able to send 10 students on exchange in conquest of developing global citizens that understand systematic issues and how to approach cultural differences. Since coming to Ivey in the fall, I have been a fund manager for London Social Value Fund through which, I have meet more people in the social impact space and formally bridged the gap between the London community and Western that I have always felt as student living in London.