Meet the Team
Our story
Nets for Net Zero was founded in 2021 by three passionate, experienced, and motivated experts coming from different backgrounds working together to protect the ocean : Nina Lantinga, an experience as a multidisciplinary systems thinker; Emily Charry Tissier, with her experience working in coastal and arctic ecosystems; and Marcela Quintero Aguirre, with her consulting services specialized in helping impact-driven organizations amplify their reach.
In its early days, Nets for Net Zero was introduced to a unique regenerated nylon made in part with recycled ghost fishing gear. Research on repurposing recycled plastic from ghost fishing gear into circular functional goods outside textiles followed.
Today, Nets for Net Zero invests in research and innovative technologies to bridge the gaps in knowledge surrounding ghost fishing gear; connects ghost gear recycling solutions with buyers that can turn raw material into useful circular goods; and uses its platform to raise awareness about the ghost fishing gear problem, advocate for circular economies and assist companies in becoming more sustainable through supply chain consulting.
The Team
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Nina Lantinga
President & Co-Founder
Nina is an award winning entrepreneur, international speaker, and innovator. She is passionate about advancing policy and research to drive systems that enable a net zero future and for our oceans.
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Isabelle Bujold
Communications & Project Coordinator
As project coordinator, Isabelle plays a key role in supporting our research initiatives within the plastics circular economy.
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Purnank Shah
Research & Innovation Coordinator
Purnank is a motivated and detail-oriented Technical Research Coordinator, playing a pivotal role in our mission for a sustainable future.
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Dr. Abdellah Ajji
Director, Department of Chemical Engineering
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Dr. Abdellah Ajji is a full-time professor and director of the department of chemical engineering at École Polytechnique de Montréal. His areas of expertise include rheology and processing, biomedical materials, and properties of polymers. His research interests involve the development of multilayer films for safe, smart and sustainable packaging.
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Shadi Khamani, Ing Jr - M.Sc.A
Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Shadi holds a master's degree in Chemical Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal and specializes in the realm of polymers. Driven by a fervor for promoting sustainable solutions within the industry, Shadi possesses a strong foundation in polymer testing, analysis, and recycling.
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Claire Cercé, M.Sc.A
Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Claire holds a master's degree from École Polytechnique de Montréal in chemical engineering. She is a researcher for the Industrial chair for packaging "3S Pack": Safe, Smart and Sustainable packaging, has expertise in project management, laboratory management, technical and academic assistance on research projects.
The Board of Directors
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Nina Lantinga
As a multidisciplinary systems thinker, Nina is passionate about solving complex problems that drive positive impacts for people and the planet. As co-founder and President at Nets for Net Zero, she strives to build a circular system to solve the biggest plastic problem in our oceans today, abondonned, lost and discarded fishing gear.
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André Laperrière
Among his many assignments, Mr. André Laperrière created the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) initiative, focusing on global nutrition security on the 2050 horizon. During his career, Mr. Laperrière has led and managed numerous projects on behalf of large Private Corporations and subsequently, within the United Nations and the World Bank.
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Frédéric Leduc
Driven by the entrepreneurial flame, Frédéric is an active member of the Canadian life sciences community. Through his communication skills and his desire to create a better world, Frédéric contributes in many ways to the ecosystem through the creation of biotech start-ups, the creation of partnership events and his participation in the training of the next generation of scientific entrepreneurs.
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Dominique Payette
Dominique is a technology and A.I. lawyer. For 8 years, she has researched and advised different entities on the responsible and ethical deployment of A.I. and other finance technologies. She has recently joined Royal Bank of Canada, as their Senior Privacy Counsel. She is a published author and public speaker on the topics of robo-advisers, A.I. fairness and governance, and digital currency. First and foremost, Dominique is passionate about preserving the oceans and marine life.
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Scott Van Doormaal
Scott has over 12 years of experience in the apparel industry, working in various roles across product, technology, and supply chain operations. He currently is the head of Revenue and Operations at tentree, a sustainable apparel brand that's restoring the planet by planting trees. Scott oversees all revenue-generating activities, global operations, and business systems, driving the company's growth and commitment to sustainability.
Scott enjoys spending time outdoors, riding bikes, hiking, or relaxing at the beach with his wife and two kids.
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Valérie Vedrines
Valérie is a seasoned Chief Marketing Officer with over 20 years of Marketing experience. As the head of Marketing for big organizations in Retail, E-Commerce and Customer Packaged Goods, she has been the agent of change behind many organizations’ strategy shift towards more diversity, inclusivity and sustainability.
The Founders
Hailing from very different backgrounds but with a similar goal, Nets for Net Zero was founded by three passionate, experienced, and motivated ocean lovers working to protect it. Today, we continue to grow our team so we can deliver on our mission, both in Canada and internationally.
Nina Lantinga
As president and co-founder of Nets for Net Zero, Nina designs circular systems to address abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear. With extensive experience in building circular systems, she ensures high standards of social and environmental performance. As Canada's delegate to the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance, she develops policy recommendations to support young entrepreneurs and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Emily Charry Tissier
Emily is a biologist with 20 years of experience working in coastal and arctic ecosystems. Passionate about working with multidisciplinary teams and sustainable growth, she is the co-founder and CEO of Whale Seeker, Certified B Corporation® and Techstars Montréal AI 2020 company.