Yonni Fushman (’01) Prioritizes Sustainability and Ethics at Aecon Group
Despite starting his legal career the day before 9/11 at a firm with many technology clients amid the dot-com implosion, Yonni Fushman was not deterred. He left the Boston-based corporate firm to work at a litigation boutique in his home city of San Diego, where he honed his advocacy skills before moving to Toronto in 2005 to join the legal team at Aecon Group Inc.
Fushman steadily climbed the ranks within the legal division of the Canadian infrastructure development and construction company, earning the title of chief legal officer in 2017. He now wears multiple hats — most recently taking on the addition role of chief sustainability officer in August 2020. In this role, he collaborates with many different departments.
“I would say sustainability is probably the most interesting and exciting area for me. It is partly a legal issue in terms of governance, reporting and disclosure, partly business strategy, and partly financial,” says Fushman. He also links the issue of sustainability to investor relations, communications and operations.
Since taking on his new role, Fushman has spearheaded two sustainability reports, reporting against two frameworks: the “Sustainability Accounting Standards Board” and the “Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.”