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I weave brand identity, program design, and impact evaluation into engagement engines for mission-driven leaders.

Each team I've worked with shares shades of a single philosophy: doing well by doing good.​ Whether it's ocean sustainability, ESG, or policy, my goal is to bring clarity to complexity, and inspire action that matters. 


what i do

Brand strategy & impact mapping

I root each of my projects in a deep landscape assessment: market research, audience definition, and policy analysis (when it's needed—often).What enablers and constraints might we face? What is our unique value add, and what could it evolve to become? 

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From there, we'll crystallize the mission, reinvigorate key messages, refine audiences, and whittle down priorities into highest-impact objectives. The result is the blueprints—complex, but clear—to stand up each subsequent initiative, campaign, and product. 

Program design & engagement

I have a unique background in program management, marketing, and member experience design—for non-profits, startups, and corporations. Together, we've built the digital and experiential infrastructure to nurture and scale communities of all kinds: coworking members, digital activists, ocean entrepreneurs, institutional food procurement officials...and more. 

Knowledge mobilization

The best impact stories are as compelling to investors as they are to journalists. Whether a highly specialized report, experiential activation or digital campaign, we don't just share stories—we provide engagement pathways to pull your communities right into the work you do.


select work

1

Developing the digital presence and messaging framework for the United Nations' digital sustainability initiative, the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES).

2

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Building the inaugural website for IBM's first-ever ESG framework, and global corporate responsibility initiatives.

3

Leading the first marketing team at SOA, developing and launching the inaugural impact reports, 

4

Designing the marketing machine at e180, including a new website, blog, suite of B2B sales tools. 


editorial

Top Reports

Sustainable Food Systems: Landscape Assessment for Canadian Philanthropy (2016)

Role: Interviewer, researcher, writer, and editor

In collaboration with: the McConnell Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada, MakeWay, Vancity Community Foundation, the Real Estate Foundation of BC, and more.

Results: Influenced investment and grant allocation decisions for the Canadian Food Funder Collaborative, which granted $16.5M collectively to food systems projects.

 

Our Year in Ocean Impact: the 2022 Sustainable Ocean Alliance Report (2023)

Role: Project owner, writer, editor, creative director

In collaboration with: Sustainable Ocean Alliance 

Results: Inaugural report launch at the United Nations Ocean Conference. Corresponding PR and social campaign yielded coverage in Inc., Forbes, TechCrunch, and more.

 

Selected Websites

The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) (2023)

Role: Lead brand and content strategist; website copywriter and editor. 

In collaboration with: The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability, comprised of leaders from the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, Future Earth, and the German Environment Agency.

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IBM SkillsBuild (2023)

Role: Lead website copywriter and lead content strategist

In collaboration with: IBM

 

All Purpose Creative Agency (2023)

Role: Content strategist and lead copywriter

In collaboration with: All Purpose

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Recent Blogs

Historic Wave Energy Pilot Succeeds in California

Youth Delegate Spotlight: Our Ocean Youth Leadership Conference 

Special Report: The Global, Retrospective Impact of Braindates


mentions

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

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Features

TechCrunch, TimeInc., BloombergImpactAlpha,

 

e180


Awards

B Corporation Best for the World Award (2018, 2019)
Skift Design Awards, Best Ev
ent Networking Experience (2019)

Event Technology Awards, Best Conference Technology and Best Networking Technology (Shortlist, 2019)

Features

The New York TimesSkift, PCMA Convene, BizBashEvent MarketerEndless EventsCEO MagazineAV1Radio CanadaCMX HubB The Change (B Corporation), Marie Claire.

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Crew Collective

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Awards
Best of Year (2016) Award, Interior Design Magazine 

Features: Forbes (Top 5 Coworking Spaces in the World)National Geographic, GoopFast CompanySlateDezeenBustleLa PresseArchitectural RecordCBCGlobe & MailHuffington Post

© Sophie Silkes 2025

I primarily live, work and play on the shared, unceded, ancestral territories of the xÊ·mÉ™θkÊ·É™y̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sÉ™lilwÉ™taɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations
 

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