Alison Lawton attended the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, after which she started volunteer work for Earth Day International.
23 Facts About Alison Lawton
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In 1997, Alison Lawton founded her own private equity boutique investment firm, Winfield Venture Group Ltd, now known as Mindset Venture Group Ltd.
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Alison Lawton completed a Master of Arts degree in Applied Sciences at Simon Fraser University in 2006.
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In 2000, Alison Lawton married Canadian businessman and philanthropist Frank Giustra.
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Alison Lawton is currently in a relationship with Venezuelan actress, model and philanthropist Patricia Velasquez.
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In 1998, Alison Lawton was one of three founding partners of Vancouver-based leading tech incubator IdeaPark Ventures, Inc that was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
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Alison Lawton continued her business career by investing in start-up companies and was an early stage investor in Alida and Yoga.
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Alison Lawton served on the Board of Directors of Vision Critical, now known as Alida, as well as the advisory board of LX Ventures Inc.
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Alison Lawton was an early investor in the Acumen Fund, one of the first impact investment funds in the US.
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Alison Lawton partnered with Richard Branson's Virgin Unite and the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing to launch Canada's first social impact investment fund, the MaRS Catalyst Fund, now known as Amplify Capital.
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Alison Lawton continues to invest in early stage companies with rapid growth potential through her Vancouver-based private boutique investment firm Mindset Venture Group Ltd.
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In 2005, Alison Lawton was appointed Chair of the Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign for UNICEF Canada.
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Alison Lawton produced a 25-minute educational documentary for UNICEF; Hope in the Time of AIDS featured Stephen Lewis and was narrated by Pierce Brosnan.
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Alison Lawton met Lloyd Axworthy, former Director of the University of British Columbia's Liu Institute for Global Issues and former Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, in 2004.
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Alison Lawton encouraged her to cover the forcible conscription of children in Uganda's civil war.
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In 2006, Alison Lawton founded Mindset Media Society, now known as Mindset Social Innovation Foundation.
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Alison Lawton joined the Board of Directors of the Sarah McLachlan Foundation in 2006.
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Alison Lawton donated $1M to the University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 2009 to establish the International Reporting Program.
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Alison Lawton holds the position of Honorary Chair of the GRP's Advisory Board.
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In 2009, Alison Lawton launched the Open Health Initiative as the new focus of Mindset Foundation.
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In 2019, Pain BC, a non-profit organization advocating for the treatment and support of people living with chronic pain, approached Alison Lawton to help expand its offering across Canada.
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Alison Lawton joined the World Refugee and Migration Council's Canadian Task Force Against Global Corruption in 2023.
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Alison Lawton published a paper on the viability of creating The Canadian-Ukrainian Social Impact Reconstruction Trust Fund to aid victims of the unlawful occupation of Ukraine by Russian forces.