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Founder & CEO,Comeback Snacks: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"Mistakes are universal, but so are comebacks."- Emily O'Brien, Founder & CEO,Comeback Snacks, Canada & The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Emily O’Brien is an entrepreneur and visionary changemaker, recognized as the Founder of Comeback Snacks, a specialty popcorn company with a mission as bold as its flavors. After a life-altering experience following her arrest at Pearson International Airport and a subsequent four-year federal prison term, Emily set out to transform not only her own life but the lives of others affected by the criminal justice system. By using her background in entrepreneurship, she launched Comeback Snacks (formerly known as “Cons and Kernels”) from within prison, using popcorn as a unique medium to fight the stigma associated with having a criminal record and to inspire second chances.
Today, Comeback Snacks is available in over 700 locations across Canada and the U.S., challenging preconceived notions about people with prior convictions and advocating for fair hiring practices. Emily’s personal and professional journey is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and innovation in social sustainability. Through her initiative, she seeks not only to redefine snacking but also to change societal perspectives on reintegration and the potential for positive change within correctional institutions.
Emily’s work has garnered widespread recognition, including awards such as the 2020 YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship Award, Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women’s Empowerment Awards, and the prestigious 2022 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for Community Service. She was also a recent finalist in the 2024 Meridian Bank Small Business Big Impact Awards. These accolades underscore her commitment to redefining second chances and setting new standards for social sustainability.
Central to Comeback Snacks is Emily’s dedication to educating companies on fair hiring practices. She regularly speaks to organizations and leads workshops like “The Comeback Program,” where she empowers individuals recently released from prison to confidently share their stories and secure meaningful employment. Additionally, she has partnered with the Fair Chances Coalition and the John Howard Society to promote fair hiring policies. Her efforts extend beyond product sales, emphasizing advocacy, empowerment, and training as crucial steps toward a more inclusive society.
Reflecting on the challenges of her journey, Emily cites the pervasive doubt within society about individuals with a criminal record. The misconception of “once a criminal, always a criminal” not only discourages the community but also erodes self-belief among the formerly incarcerated. By facing this stigma head-on and providing platforms for others to reclaim their narratives, Emily has fostered a culture of acceptance and change. Through in-store demonstrations, she invites formerly incarcerated individuals to connect with the community, fostering understanding and positive interactions.
Emily’s advice to other women in sustainability is straightforward: embrace discomfort as a catalyst for change. The journey toward sustainable social impact is rarely easy, often met with challenging questions and unfamiliar situations. However, by being persistent and allowing time for her work to make a difference, Emily exemplifies the courage to pursue long-term goals with resilience. Her bold approach is inspiring a generation of women to advocate for fair chance hiring and equitable treatment in the workforce.
For Emily, this recognition as part of The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 is more than an award—it’s validation that society is evolving towards inclusivity and recognizing the value of second chances. Personally, it strengthens her belief in the power of her mission and, professionally, it highlights Comeback Snacks as a pioneering force in sustainable social change. Emily’s achievements inspire others to see the potential in everyone and foster a workforce that uplifts all individuals, regardless of their past.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
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