Judy Fairburn

Co-Founder, General Partner, The 51 & NYA Ventures

As Co-Founder, General Partner of The51 and NYA Ventures, Judy is a change-maker with a track record of building collaborative, cutting-edge business ventures. The51 has co-built three venture funds, the first two focused on women-led ventures with 220+ cross-Canada investors as well as a $51M institutional fund focused on Food & AgTech through NYA.

Judy also sits as a Board Director for PETRONAS Canada, Vice Chair of the Business Council of Alberta and on early stage tech boards. She held various senior executive and operational roles with major energy companies and cofounded Evok Innovations’ first venture fund. She was also Visiting Executive to the federal government Privy Council Office.

Judy is a chemical engineer and 4th generation farm owner. She is also honoured to be a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and to have been named one of Canada’s Top 50 Change-makers in 2023 (The Globe and Mail). She has also been a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal, Schulich School of Engineering Alumni Leadership Excellence Award, Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 and 2020 Calgary Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.