Marjorie Brans

Marjorie Brans was born into the average Vietnamese-Chinese-German-Scottish-Irish family in Texas. Today, she works with leadership teams all over the world. For the past 20 years, she has obsessively wondered: “Can any type of free market be reconciled with deep care for the planet and all of its creatures?” Seeking an elusive answer, she has hunted for clues by living and working in North America, Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and the Subarctic. Around the world, she has advised large non-profits, multinational corporations, venture capital funds, and tiny social businesses on questions of sustainability and social justice.

To recruit fellow explorers on the quest for a better world, she has (co)founded five non-profit initiatives in the areas of culture, community development, climate change, social intrapreneurship, and COVID rapid response. Somewhere along the journey, she became a BMW Foundation Network Driver and was named Environmental Defence Green Champion of 2017 and Winner of the Spirit of Michael Young Award.

Because she can’t make up her mind on whether to be a techno-optimist or pessimist, she’s hedged her bets. Her interests include green technology and caveman survival skills. In exchange for endless supplies of baked goods, her family tolerates her quirky obsessions and endless lectures during road trips.

Oh, yes, and despite their tired feet, Marjorie and her co-travelers suspect the answer is “yes”.