Zita Cobb

Zita Cobb, CM, is a Canadian businesswoman and social entrepreneur.[1][2] She launched Shorefast, a Canadian charity, with her brothers Tony and Alan Cobb on Fogo Island.[2][3][4]

Early life

Born into the Cobb family, Mary Zita's father was an inshore fisherman. She has six brothers with a fifteen year age gap between herself and the eldest. Zita battled and survived tuberculosis at the age of six which she credits for her confidence which she has carried with her later into her career.[5]

Education

Zita studied Business at Carleton University, Ottawa.[6]

Career

She started working with various oil companies in Alberta. After ten years working for JDS Fitel and becoming the CFO, the company merged with Uniphase in 1999 becoming JDS Uniphase.n.[7]

Fogo Island Inn

Cobb founded Shorefast, a registered Canadian charity, in response to the economic and cultural difficulties her outport home had experienced over the past decades.[8] Shorefast built the Fogo Island Inn which opened in 2013 and continues to operate it.[9][10] The Inn is a community-owned economic asset. Because Shorefast’s mandate is to help secure a resilient economic and cultural future for Fogo Island, the Inn is effectively owned by the community of Fogo Island as a whole.[11]

A social business, the Inn was built using philanthropic funds and all surpluses are returned to Shorefast for reinvestment in the community of Fogo Island.[12][10] The Inn aims to build another leg on the existing economies of the island and to provide employment.[13]

Honours and awards

On June 30, 2016, Cobb was made a Member of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "her contributions as a social entrepreneur who has helped revive the unique rural communities of Fogo Island and Change Islands through innovative social engagement and geotourism."[14]

She has been recognized with honorary doctorate degrees from Carleton University,[15] Memorial University of Newfoundland,[16] McGill University[17] and University of Ottawa.[18]

Cobb was inducted into Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame in May 2018.[19]

On November 12, 2019 Cobb interviewed 44th President of the United States Barack Obama for a public event hosted by the St. John's Board of Trade in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador at the Mile One Centre.[20] More than 5,000 people attended their discussion, which covered topics of community, climate change, and democracy.[20]

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References
  1. Paterson, Lisa (25 October 2015). "Fogo Island economic success 'absolutely transferable,' Zita Cobb says". CBC News. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  2. "Zita Cobb's 'social entrepreneurship' recognized with honorary degree". CBC News. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. "Shorefast Foundation". Shorefast Foundation. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  4. Mohamed, Farah (3 September 2012). "Millionaire returns home to Fogo Island to help". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  5. Bartlett, Steve (2008). The Grit and the Courage: Stories of Success in an Unforgiving Land. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Creative Publishers. pp. 99–118. ISBN 978-1-897174-29-6.
  6. "Zita Cobb Delivers Lessons from Fogo Island - Carleton Stories". Carleton Stories. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  7. "2015 Festival of Architecture > Speakers". www.raic.org. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  8. "The Possibility of an Island in Canada | New York Times". Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  9. "Zita Cobb Delivers Lessons from Fogo Island - Carleton Stories". Carleton Stories. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  10. "Our Activities: Fogo Island Inn". Shorefast. Shorefast.org. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  11. "Frequently Asked Questions". Shorefast February 3, 2020.
  12. University of Guelph (December 17, 2015). "Zita Cobb, Founder of Fogo Island Inn Newfoundland Announced as HFTM's Executive-in-Residence". University of Guelph, School of Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  13. "Zita Cobb's 'social entrepreneurship' recognized with honorary degree | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  14. Globe and Mail Staff (June 30, 2016). "Canada's Honour Roll". Globe and Mail.
  15. "Carleton Presents Honorary Degrees to Zita Cobb and Annette Verschuren at 2013 Fall Convocation". Carleton University. November 3, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  16. "Zita Cobb's 'social entrepreneurship' recognized with honorary degree". CBC. May 28, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  17. "Honorary degree recipients announced". McGill Reporter. April 19, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  18. "Meet uOttawa's Fall 2019 Honorary Doctorates". uOttawa Gazette. November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  19. "JANL Business Hall of Fame |". janlbusinesshalloffame.org. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  20. "Welcome to the Rock, Barack: Thousands fill Mile One for evening with Obama". CBC. November 13, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
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