22 | Acquisition International, Issue 8 2024 Most Dedicated CleanTech CEO 2024 (Canada): Jennifer Look-Hong Green Earth Movement (GEM) is an Ontario-based food technology company that strives to create a food chain that is more secure and focused on the environment, in turn, benefiting individuals and communities across the planet. Driven by a trio of core aims that see the team here work towards eliminating single-use packaging, upcycling food by creating freeze-dried meals, and ultimately reducing food waste, GEM’s solutions are all transparent, traceable, and highly efficient in yielding lasting change. Contact: Jennifer Look-Hong Company: Green Earth Movement Email: [email protected] At the helm of GEM is Founder and CEO Jennifer Look-Hong, who began this journey more than five years ago with a comprehensive idea and the desire to spark a food-based revolution. Trained as an accountant and with a wealth of experience as a senior executive, Jennifer’s knowledge spans everything from operations and HR through to finance, with this pioneer having outlined and executed a number of corporate strategies across a diverse range of industries, be it biotech, office fit-up and construction, insurance or cyber security. With the immense knowledge and vast experience of its influential female leader in tow, GEM’s customers are afforded unparalleled confidence regarding the quality, safety, and sustainability of the food that is being produced and consumed. The company’s primary area of focus is the snack food/convenience markets, with its solutions able to be rolled out easily and integrated effectively, offering an almost immediate ROI for businesses, consumers, and, as suggested by this award, the environment. The varied client base that benefits from GEM’s offerings today is comprised of everything from international, industryleading giants with large micro-kitchen installation abilities through to local offices, hotel chains and community support organizations. With such a diverse offering GEM’s client portfolio will continue to expand into areas of local convenience stores, cinemas, stadiums and the list goes on. Jennifer’s experiences across a variety of industry settings are incredibly useful as GEM builds their portfolio, the same can be said for managing GEM’s day-to-day operations, particularly when it comes to such areas as operations, expansion and development. Despite her successes, Jennifer’s more than 25 years of experience have not been without hardships, many of which have stemmed from being a woman in these maledominated business environments. Jennifer explains, “I have learned that in general, women have more difficulty across all roles than males in the same position. This has changed to a certain extent with increasing female executive and director presence in certain areas, but one area continues to be extremely problematic.” Jennifer continues, “female founders and senior executives often find it much more difficult to raise capital on the same terms as male founders and executives.” There are several different reasons for this, but primarily, the overarching one that is the older men who hold a lot of power and financial interest in these settings continue to have the outdated sentiment that men are more competent than their female counterparts, and that a woman cannot achieve the same standards without coming across as too assertive, aggressive, or ‘unfeminine’. Determined to overcome these hurdles, Jennifer established her first company at 22 years old and has not looked back since, building a career on such elements as determination and innovation. Asked to pick just one highlight of this storied career so far, Jennifer cites her being chosen at the age of 22 to run the due diligence for capital and creating/managing the cash portfolio for one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing biotech companies, complete with a board of directors that consisted of the executives of some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical brands. Having achieved success like this as a result of her tireless efforts, Jennifer is today passionately committed to providing similar opportunities for others, as seen in her active involvement in a non-profit that offers food services and related activities to disadvantaged women and marginalised communities. GEM also collaborates closely with this organization to allow it to reach a larger audience, something that is especially poignant given that this non-profit also contributes to the environment, upcycling food and other materials. On this note, upcycling is something that GEM is focusing particularly strongly on over the coming months, with it seeking to deliver its robust food upcycling solution to the market in 2025, along with a singleuse plastics removal distribution system for snacks that will be launched end of 2024. Interest has already been shown in both products from some major players in this space, allowing GEM to continue to fulfil its dual ambitions of becoming an industry leader whilst advocating wholly for our planet and its people. For pioneering said strategies, Green Earth Movement CEO Jennifer Look-Hong is more than worthy of being celebrated here for her dedication and innovation.
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