Marc is a lawyer and MBA with expertise on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility law, policy and management, with additional experience in strategic planning, institutional and program evaluation as well as environmental assessment. Mr. Paquin has worked on a variety of assignments for national governments, the UN and other international organizations, as well as the private sector. He is also a management trainer and teaches at the Université de Sherbrooke.

Prior to founding Unisféra, Marc Paquin had been one of the first professionals to join the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America (CEC), an intergovernmental organization created in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). From 1995 to 2000, he was successively, in-house lawyer, program manager for special legal projects and Secretary of the CEC Council of Ministers. From 1991 to 1995, Marc Paquin was advisor on governmental and regulatory affairs (environment and energy) in the Environment Department of Hydro-Québec, a public utility. Mr. Paquin also worked on the development of a research and workshops program on trade and environment policy at the International Academy for the Environment in Geneva, and participated in a research project on corporate and environmental law at the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law. Marc Paquin began his career with the Montreal-based law firm of Mackenzie Gervais.

Marc Paquin holds a Law degree (LL.B.) from the Université de Montréal and a Master of Law (LL.M.) from McGill University. He also holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the Université du Québec à Montréal. He has been a member of the Bar of Québec since 1988. He is a Fellow of the LEAD International program (Leadership for Environment and Development) and an Arthur D. Little certified environmental auditor.

Marc Paquin is a member of the College of Reviewers for the Canada Research Chairs Programme, a member of the Advisory Board of the Network for Business Sustainability and a former member of the Trade Agreements Environmental Assessment Advisory Board set up by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Prior to his appointment with Unisféra International Centre, Dr. Mersmann was the managing director of the Global Mechanism, a subsidiary body of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification specialized in supporting developing countries in the mobilization of financial resources for sustainable land management. He has served as programme coordinator for trade and environment at FAO Headquarters in Rome and as director of UNDP’s and World Bank’s Programme on Forests (PROFOR). He has been the advisor to the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany on forest policies and on development finance for natural resources management.

Dr. Mersmann holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and a post-graduate degree in International Development, both obtained from the Institute for Social Economy at the Technical University in Berlin, Germany, as well as an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel in Germany.

Stéphane’s professional experience has led him to develop a strong expertise in information technology. In the early 2000s, he worked for a major multimedia producer and for a software solutions company in addition to participating in the start-up of a publicly traded e-commerce and e-training services firm.

Stéphane Séguin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from HEC Montréal and a certificate in arts and sciences from the University of Montreal.

Prior to joining Unisféra, she worked for RÉSEAU environnement, the most important environmental industry association in Québec, coordinating high-calibre scientific and technical projects before becoming Director of Member Services for close to 10 years. During her tenure, Ms. Oscarson planned and directed numerous technical and scientific events. She also elaborated public awareness campaigns on a provincial scale as well as memoranda on potable and waste water, waste management, site contamination, air and climate change, sustainable development and the agri-environment. In 2000, Ms. Oscarson was nominated as the Québec ambassador for Eco Canada at the GLOBE exhibition.

She holds a B.Sc. in Physical Geography and a certificate in Environmental Science from the l’Université du Québec à Montréal, and a diploma in management Hautes Études Commerciales.

Prior to joining Unisféra’s team, Catherine Cosgrove worked as a researcher and consultant, notably to the World Water Scenarios to 2050 project of the UN World Water Assessment Programme / UNESCO. From 2008 to 2010, she served as Policy Adviser to the Quebec Premier on a wide range of issues. From 2003 to 2008, she was Policy Director for a leading provincial political party, overseeing the party’s programme, policies and debates. Ms. Cosgrove has also managed internal communications for Canada’s largest leading voluntary healthcare organization and led strategic initiatives in internal communications, knowledge management and strategic capabilities for one of Canada’s largest insurance companies.

A member of the Quebec Bar since 1998, Catherine Cosgrove holds a Law degree (LL.B.) from Université de Montréal and a Master’s of Technology in Futures Studies from the University of Houston. She is also a member of the World Future Society and the Association of Professional Futurists.

Since 1995, Rick has worked on international projects in the fields of integrated water resources management and climate change adaptation for the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the World Water Council, the Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate and the Government of Japan. He was lead author for several chapters of UNESCO’s 3rd World Water Development Report and currently serves as the Facilitator for the World Water Assessment Programme’s Expert Group on Indicators, Monitoring and Databases. Rick recently served as Governor on the Board of the World Water Council and remains actively involved in the international water movement.

Rick also spent ten years lecturing on global biogeochemical cycles at the Université de Sherbrooke. He continues to lecture to graduate students about the global water crisis and regularly co-supervises graduate students at the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water education in the Netherlands.

Mr. Connor holds a B.Sc. from the Université de Sherbrooke and an M.Sc. in Biogeochemistry from the Geography Department at McGill University.

He is also professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles where he teaches global environmental politics. Jean-Frédéric Morin has an interdisciplinary background in international relations, including a dual Ph.D. in political science and law. From 2006 to 2008, he was a project leader at the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy at McGill University and taught intellectual property law, international trade law and environmental politics at three other universities. Jean-Frédéric Morin has published several peer-reviewed articles on various topics, including international patent lawmaking, biodiversity governance and international investment policy.

Having graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from Bishop’s University, Isabelle has several years’ experience in the field of environmental consulting. For more than three years, she worked on the asbestos, mold and substances team of a consulting engineering firm. During this period, she also completed a Masters in Environmental Health and Occupational Health at the University of Montreal. Part of her Masters included an internship of several months at Pratt & Whitney Canada in Longueuil to develop the new waste management program for its environment, health and safety team.