At Blu Advisory, we help clients build sustainable businesses and brands by researching, developing, implementing, positioning and continuously improving environmental, social and governance practices.We believe the best way to create value is through values. Our unique approach of bridging responsible operations communications creates a virtuous cycle of performance driving reputation. Our client goals: higher sales, reduced costs, investor access, top talent, and meaningful work.We have advised many global brands and mentored early stage comanies in sectors as varied as energy, resources, retail, agriculture, fashion, lotteries, space, and more. We have worked with most international sustainability standards and even developed two, including the Responsible Gaming Framework used by 135 World Lottery Association members globally.The agency’s Principal, Rick Petersen, was described in Marketing magazine as “one of the world’s leading experts in corporate responsibility”.He served on the Advisory Boards for the Carbon Disclosure Project (the world’s largest network of institutional investors), the Network for Business Sustainability (Canada’s leading sustainable business think tank), and authored “Capital Markets and Sustainability” for the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.He also founded the annual Tremblant Forum on Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, one of Canada’s leading international conferences. His articles have appeared in Corporate Governance Quarterly, Marketing, and the book, Sustainable Development & Communications. His own book, Voices For Sustainability, was published in 2011. He is an active speaker internationally and lectures at several Canadian universities in business and communications. Rick has served on the Boards of Fondation Dr Julien, MUHC Foundation, Oxfam Quebec, and others, is the proud father of 4, and is currently training for his 4th full Ironman (and 15th triathlon).

Naked Sports Innovations is a leading manufacturer of accessories and footwear for endurance athletes and creator of the first high-performance running band and, more recently, the world’s first laceless trail racing shoe. With distribution in (at least) 75 countries, we support the needs (and dreams) of trail runners, marathoners, triathletes, nordic and skimo skiers, paddle boarders, mountain and gravel bikers and count among our customers many world champions and amateurs of all levels. Run. Free.

As a Mentor for Cycle Momentun for nearly 10 years, I have had the great privilege of helping promising entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize clean technology businesses.

Since 2018, I have been advising numerous organizations in the government-sanctioned cannabis industry and was the author of the Responsible Cannabis Framework, the first international standard for the safe and responsible production, distribution and consumption of legal recreational cannabis. This Environmental, Social and Governance certification standard was modeled on another standard I authored back in 2005, the World Lottery Assocation’s Responsible Gaming Framework, now the norm at 135 government regulated operators around the world.

As Executive Vice-President, Corporate Citizenship for one of the world’s largest apparel companies, I was responsible for environmental performance/social compliance in global manufacturing facilities, employee engagement and labour compliance among 27,000 colleagues, community support and investment, as well as all internal and corporate communications.

As a Partner, I founded and led the Corporate Responsibility practice of NATIONAL Public Relations, a practice that was ranked in the Top 10 in the World for communications firms by Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine. The practice provided strategic sustainability counsel and communications services to leading corporate and government clients in Canada and abroad.

Strategic corporate and marketing communications counsel for clients in sectors, including law, forest products, retail and others located in Canada, the US, and Europe.

As VP Sales, oversaw all marketing and sales for publisher clients across Canada; as head of marketing communications, oversaw all branding and positioning activities for the Newsprint Group - the company's largest unit ($1B +) and, at the time, the leading producer of recycled newsprint in the world.