On November 19, International Men’s Day celebrates the positive value that men bring to the world, their families and communities. We wanted to take this opportunity to spotlight a few of the men in our shared mobility community and the work they are doing to encourage gender equity in the transportation sector.
Keep reading for a Q&A session with Patrick Nangle from Modo and Gabriel Scheer from Elemental Excelerator.
Patrick Nangle
CEO at Modo Co-operative
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work
“I am CEO at Modo, a member-owned carsharing co-operative based in Vancouver and operating in 25 municipalities across British Columbia. We celebrated our 25th anniversary this year. The Modo model is thousands of members co-owning, through their co-op, and sharing hundreds of vehicles. The sharing economy in the purest sense of that expression. I am committed to Modo realizing its Purpose and living its ethos of people before profit. Leading the Modo team in delivering affordability, convenience, inclusion and environmental sustainability for the benefit of members and the wider community is at the heart of my work.”
What does gender equity mean to you?
“Gender equity means making available opportunities fairly to all without regard to gender. At Modo that applies to membership in the co-op, participation on the Board of Directors, and employment at the co-op including in leadership positions. In the specific case of employment, pay equity is a fundamental part of gender equity.”
Why is gender equity in the transportation space important?
“Gender equity in transportation is important largely because it’s a sector that has historically been dominated by men. And there is no good reason for it. And while we are definitely seeing some progress, that is still substantially the reality today. My experience is that better decision making happens when there is more diversity around the table and in the workforce generally. I have had the benefit of working with many women in transportation in many roles and know that they are equally capable and committed.”
In terms of your own actions, what are you most proud of doing (ie. a new practice, policy, …) to help advance gender equity in your organization or industry?
“We have adopted a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as one of our five strategic priorities. We do that in order not to lose sight of the importance of DEI amongst all the others demands that arise within a business. We have created related initiatives, track our progress with key performance indicators (KPIs) and report on those to our Board. I am proud of the fact that the leadership team at Modo includes four women and four men. Our leadership team discussions encourage everyone to give voice to their ideas and points of view. Not only equity in numbers and pay, but also in voice. In terms of functional responsibility, women lead our fleet operations, information systems, marketing and communications, and people and culture teams. Everyone around the table brings a different perspective influenced by their identity, and gender is one important aspect of that.”
Is there another man you’d like to acknowledge or recognize on International Men’s Day, who you believe has done a lot to advance gender equity, personally or professionally?
“The authentic practice of gender equity doesn’t emerge from a CEO decision. It must be embraced for all the right reasons by men and women throughout the organization. I would therefore like to recognize the men in leadership positions at Modo that have embraced the value of an inclusive work environment and are committed to it being real for their colleagues.”
Gabriel Scheer
Director of Innovation – Mobility & Energy at Elemental Excelerator
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work
“I am currently Director of Innovation for Elemental Excelerator, leading the mobility & energy portfolio. I’m really fortunate – I get to talk to countless entrepreneurs working to fight climate change while building a more just world! Day to day, that means I work to understand trends in mobility & energy and seek to identify diverse founding teams working at the cutting edge of climate tech who might be a good fit for Elemental’s approach to investing in and working with startups. I also support our existing portfolio – which is an incredible group of entrepreneurs.”
What does gender equity mean to you?
“Working for gender equity, to me, means working for a future in which anyone, regardless of gender, has access to the resources and opportunities they need to achieve their full potential.”
Why is gender equity in the transportation space important?
“Gender equity in transportation, as in any space, is important so that (mobility) solutions are designed for everyone – not just part of society. For example, designing a new vehicle type or a new mobility service without contemplating the range of people can result in developing vehicles or services that serve only a subset of the population. This not only impacts the individuals whose needs aren’t served – it also reduces society’s overall ability to improve our cities, reduce climate change, and build a more healthy, resilient society.”
In terms of your own actions, what are you most proud of doing (ie. a new practice, policy, …) to help advance gender equity in your organization or industry?
“Elemental is a nonprofit accelerator focused on funding first-of-a-kind projects for climate technologies in real communities and embedding equity in by design. As part of the portfolio team, I get to support our entrepreneurs in their equity journeys as well as working to recruit new companies who represent or aspire to equity. It’s awesome to be able to find and support people solving significant climate-related challenges while building a more just future!”
Is there another man you’d like to acknowledge or recognize on International Men’s Day, who you believe has done a lot to advance gender equity, personally or professionally?
“Russ Shaw of Tech London Advocates.”
Learn more about what movmi is doing to promote gender equity in transportation by checking out our Empower Women in Shared Mobility 2023 Pitch Award here.
