Staff Spotlight: Our ESG Manager, Jen Stone

As Senior Manager of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) at Making Waves Swim School, Jen brings passion, creativity and an analytical lens to the design and implementation of our operational, sustainability and DEI initiatives.

How did you get into Aquatics?

I had a near-drowning incident as a child and started swimming lessons shortly after which propelled me into a 15 year swimming career. I represented Canada on the National Team for over 8 years, becoming a National champion, record holder,  and  Youth Olympic Champion. I organically moved into coaching after retiring from competition and joined the Making Waves team in 2015 as Manager of our Milton location. 

Tell us about your new role – What is ESG?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance and represents a set of standards we use to evaluate and improve our social impact. Our goal is to be intentional about our corporate social responsibility; to lead with purpose, and to ensure that people, planet and profit are equal priorities in our decision making.

Why are you passionate about ESG? 

One of the projects I’ve been working on is our B Corp certification and I’ve really loved the process. Each milestone not only moves our business forward, but really makes a positive impact on our staff, communities and the environment. 

I’m honored to help lead our company in this space and grateful to work with a team who sees the value in leading with social purpose. We aspire to become the first swim school in Canada certified as a B Corporation- stay tuned!

As a mom of two boys, I see the world through a different lens and love that I get to live my purpose through my work and that I can do my part in making the world a better place for them to grow up in. 

What’s a Certified B Corporation? 

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. We’re excited to join other B Corps who are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy by using business as a force for good.

What do you enjoy most about working at Making Waves?

I feel really grateful to work for a purpose-led organization that genuinely cares about its staff and the communities we serve. We save lives by teaching amazing swimming lessons, and we lift each other up with kindness and compassion to help create amazing people that continuously pay it forward in our organization and our communities. 

What do you hope to accomplish as Sr. Manager of ESG?

I hope to continue to build relationships in order to elevate the diverse voices within our organization. Social and Environmental issues impact everyone and it’s important to listen to effectively identify shared interests and create new and better opportunities for dialogue as we continue to develop and measure our purpose.