Benchmarking Study

About Us

Through partnerships, community and advisory services, we explore and navigate your unique path to a prosperous business that serves people and planet.

Our Mission
Our Vision
Our Values
Our Team

Our Mission

We believe businesses can be a force for good – no matter their size. 

That’s why our mission at Goodwork Sustainability is to empower small and medium sized businesses to think and act big on sustainability. 

We’re community builders who inspire our clients to think critically about sustainability, and understand the value of their sustainability journey. There is no one-size-fits-all sustainability solution, so we help businesses create scalable strategies tailored to them.

By embracing sustainability, small businesses can achieve true prosperity for the humans they work for and with, and for the planet we all share.

Our Vision

Our vision is one that puts people at the heart of sustainable business. We believe in the power of small and medium sized businesses to become the sustainability leaders of the future. 

To help them unlock this power, we work with a trusted team of global professionals who are passionate about helping clients develop and implement purpose, people and planet strategies.  

Our community is built on kindness and authenticity. 

Leading with a human approach, we inspire our clients to build impactful solutions at every step of their sustainability journey.

Our Values

Seven principles guide us in how we work together with our colleagues and clients.


Walk beside, not ahead

We believe real change happens when we travel the journey together;  step by step, milestone by milestone. We don’t impose paths, we illuminate them.


Progress over perfection

This is a journey, not a destination.  We celebrate messy progress and every step forward.  We know that small, intentional actions can create the biggest long term impact.  Even if things work out differently than expected, we can make progress through learning.


Purpose in every step

We are driven by more than profit. Purpose shapes how we walk, who we walk with, and where we are going. Every product we build, every decision we make, must serve something larger than ourselves. 


Resilience through action

We help businesses build strength by acting with clarity and confidence,  because resilience isn’t something you hope for; it’s something you build, decision by decision.  Earned by action not status.


Shared prosperity

We believe success should lift communities, not just companies. We work to ensure opportunity flows wider, and resilience is rooted in every place we serve.


Empowerment, not instruction

Every SMEs journey is unique. Our role is not to dictate, but to empower, equipping businesses to own their story and shape their future.


Lead with heart, deliver with head

We balance empathy and expertise. We lead with understanding, act with intelligence, and build trust at every step.

MEET THE TEAM

Our Team

We’re spread across the globe, working alongside specialist experts and advisors, all united in our mission to  simplify sustainability for SMEs.

Lisa Foster

Co-Founder and CEO

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Rebecca Cooke

Co-Founder, Communications
Lead

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Thanuja Thananayagam

Co-Founder and People Lead

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Amelia Bai

Co-Founder, Operations Lead

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Lisa Foster

  • Co-Founder & CEO
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Co-Founder & CEO
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I’m thrilled to be joining my co-founders in bringing Goodwork Sustainability to small and medium sized businesses and organizations across the globe. I’ve spent the last twenty years helping clients build their company strategy, achieve sustainable growth that’s good for the people and the planet.  Now, through Goodwork Sustainability, I have the opportunity to help clients not only manage risk, but also create value by becoming a more sustainable business.  

I’m originally from New Brunswick, a small province on the eastern coast of Canada, where the people of the province, first the indigenous peoples of the Mi’gmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkatiyik, then newcomers from all around the world including my family, have for centuries made their living from the ocean, the rich agricultural land, and the abundant forests that cover more than 70% of the province. Generations of my own family have been farmers and foresters so I’m deeply connected to the importance of sustainable farming and forestry. I’ve recently committed my family’s 50-acre homestead as protected land to ensure that the trees and natural water sources will continue to support the wildlife habitat and ecosystem in the area for years to come. This connection to planet and people, combined with my passion for helping businesses be more sustainable, has led me to co-founding Goodwork Sustainability. We are looking forward to helping your company on its sustainability journey. 

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Rebecca Cooke

  • Co-Founder & Communications Lead
  • UK / Aotearoa, New Zealand
  • Co-Founder & Communications Lead
  • UK / Aotearoa, New Zealand

As a climate and energy content writer and communications professional, I’ve been working in the clean energy, environment, and sustainability space for nearly 7 years.

I’ve helped small and medium-sized businesses share their work to become sustainability champions, and seen firsthand how this positively impacts their growth, reputation and customer relationships. I know that building a sustainable business strategy is a journey – and these journeys make fantastic stories to share with clients, supporters, investors and shareholders.

My own sustainability journey began in 2018, when I chose to transform my lifestyle to learn to live off-grid, relying on the abundance of nature and renewable energy. My work and life is powered by solar panels, my office is built from all recycled materials, my water access is siphoned from a spring, and I’m growing (with mixed results) my own fresh produce. And yes, this  means the work I do with Goodwork Sustainability  is powered completely by renewable energy too! 

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Thanuja Thananayagam

  • Co-Founder & EDIB Lead
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Co-Founder & EDIB Lead
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

As a part of Goodwork Sustainability I’m able to help SMEs on their journey towards sustainability and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belongingness. As a Sri Lankan-born antiracism practitioner with over two decades of dedicated experience in holistic human resources, I bring my rich experience and lived experience into Goodwork Sustainability’s practice. 

I’m a seasoned professional in various fields including talent acquisition, talent management, equity, diversity, and inclusion. My experience is centered around cultivating an environment where every individual feels a sense of belonging. My passion for fostering inclusivity and fairness has led me to become a prominent advocate for equity and diversity, consistently driving initiatives that bridge gaps. Beyond my HR expertise, I’m also a passionate academic striving to shape the next negation of leaders.

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Amelia Bai

  • Co-Founder, Operations Lead
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Co-Founder & Operations Lead
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I have a diverse background that spans engineering, data, and Enterprise Resource Planning solution architect. I specialize in technology consulting with a focus on cloud data migration. 

Understanding cutting-edge technology and its real-world applications to solve problems for a broad range of businesses allows me to see how SME’s can harness these solutions to help them in their sustainability journey. As an ERP entrepreneur,I find great satisfaction in inspiring my clients to envision what their best work looks like, and guiding them on the path to achieving it.

I have always felt compelled personally and professionally to make this world a better place. I live my life recycling, working to  reduce my carbon footprint, and now I’m using my skills to streamline Goodwork Sustainability’s operations as Co-Founder and Operations Lead. I believe that through helping small businesses, each of us will be able to amplify our impact to make this world a better place, together, and that regardless of a business’s maturity level, it is never too soon to take the first step on a transformational sustainability journey.

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