Empower Us 2018 – Michelle Edge

Co-Founder & CCO, Energy Disruptors

Michelle Edge is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of the Energy Disruptors Movement Inc., an initiative which aims to solve the world’s biggest energy challenges by uniting the entire spectrum of the energy industry through the principles of collaboration, innovation, and acceleration. Michelle’s underlying passion for the initiative stems from her desire to get the next generation of brilliant minds excited about future energy, to encourage women and young girls to embark on careers in Energy and Technology and to make sustainable, reliable energy accessible to those who are still living without.

In May 2018, Michelle and her two fellow co-founders held the inaugural Energy Disruptors: UNITE event in Calgary, playing host to an audience of 1,500 global energy trailblazers. With no former event experience or outside investment, the trio beat all the odds and managed to pull together an all-star lineup of over 60 speakers including the international business magnate Sir Richard Branson, TED talks legend Susan Cain and Bloomberg’s New Energy Finance Founder Michael Liebreich. Michelle was most proud of the unusually high female participation statistics of 40% women both on and off of the stage, an accomplishment Michelle aims to improve further to an even 50/50 in 2019.

Michelle also sits on the Board of Directors of Gems for Gems; a Canadian charitable organization which empowers and educates women with the aim to create enduring change and end the cycle of abuse.

An adopted Calgarian, Michelle moved to Canada from the UK after completing her Joint Honors MA in Law and Philosophy. From working in the Oil Sands with Shell, in the roles of Contracts Management and Category Management, to Co-Founding the Energy Disruptors Initiative, Michelle’s background has a solid foundation in Energy but her true passion lies in all things creative. Michelle is happiest when spending time with her husband and young children, reading and writing. She is most inspired by strong, authentic and determined women, namely J. K. Rowling and Emma Watson, who use their creativity to make a real difference in our world.