The Natural Assets Initiative (NAI) is proud to announce Joanna Eyquem as the organization’s new Board Chair!
An expert in advancing nature-based solutions to address and adapt to climate change, Joanna’s leadership and experience will help guide NAI in its mission to transform how governments, watershed agencies, and other public and private sector organizations work with nature to deliver resilient, cost-effective services to Canadians.
“Having worked closely with the NAI team to advance national standards and guidance for natural assets over the last 4 years, I’m excited to take these efforts to a higher level in this role,” said Joanna. “I look forward to supporting the team in mainstreaming natural asset management practices across Canada, including francophone communities in my home province of Quebec.”
Joanna is currently the Managing Director of Climate-Resilient Infrastructure at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo. With nearly 25 years of experience as a Professional Geoscientist in Canada and the UK, Joanna has built a career focused on using nature to manage climate risks — and mobilizing this evidence to inspire real-world action.
“We are thrilled to have Joanna as our Board Chair,” said Roy Brooke, Executive Director of NAI. “She understands that natural asset management isn’t just an environmental approach—it’s a scalable solution that helps ensure service delivery for communities and addresses the challenges that local governments face daily, such as managing flood risk. Her national perspective will be a huge asset as we grow our efforts across Canada.”
In addition to her role at the Intact Centre, Joanna is widely recognized as a subject matter expert in climate adaption and is involved in over 30 boards and committees, including key roles in the National Adaptation Strategy, the National Research Council of Canada, and the Government of Quebec’s Expert Group on Adaptation.
As NAI embarks on the next chapter with Joanna as Chair, our focus will be on making wide-reaching change through the development of new national standard development and furthering progress initiated by the Getting Nature on the Balance Sheet report. We look forward to advancing our mission and collective goal of helping Canada’s communities address service and infrastructure challenges with nature.
