The Visionary Behind GLISS
With extensive experience in global sustainability, our founder, Annise Maguire, witnessed first-hand the isolation and lack of support many professionals face in this demanding field. She recognized that most sustainability businesses focus on providing support for the solutions, rather than on those creating the solutions. This realization inspired the birth of GLISS. More than just a traditional incubator, GLISS is designed to champion both the work intended to affect meaningful change and the well-being of the individuals driving it. We provide a sophisticated ecosystem that nurtures groundbreaking work while truly sustaining the humans behind the change.
my background & Qualifications
I am an environmental attorney turned sustainability and ESG strategist who has spent my career helping individuals and organizations navigate risk at the intersection of law, business, and global impact. I have worked at an environmental and human rights NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland, a Fortune 500 company, and at four prestigious U.S. law firms.
My career started in litigation and advising on environmental and regulatory matters, with a particular focus on Latin America, before moving into environmental transactional law. As a corporate attorney I advised companies, developers, and financial institutions on environmental and sustainability/ESG matters impacting compliance, enforcement, and high-stakes transactions in the U.S. and abroad. This, in addition to my other professional experiences, have given me a truly broad and international perspective on sustainability and the challenges those in the public and private sector must contend with.
I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, and am based in Paris, France, where I founded GLISS to offer organizations and professionals a comprehensive, holistic support to advance sustainability.
why create gliss?
Throughout my career I consistently had to choose between spending my time, energy, and money on events designed to support my career development or personal development. And although the professional development events and conferences were incredibly meaningful early on in my career, as I became more senior I realized that they were no longer additive; they didn't allow sufficient time for meaningful connections or to enjoy the spaces we were at, and the panel format was of limited use if you really wanted to dive deep and discuss real challenges.
I therefore decided to create something I would have loved to find- an organization that values the individual human as much as the mission and provides support for both. GLISS is designed to connect brilliant and passionate sustainability professionals from across the globe who would likely not otherwise be in rooms together. And through this new network of relationships, to increase access to shared learning, collaboration, investments, and problem-solving.
why should someone join gliss?
GLISS is not designed to replace the many large conferences that exist globally, and provide incredible networking opportunities for those whose objective is quantity and breadth.
GLISS is here to provide what they can't: a curated community of sustainability professionals who value depth over breadth and who recognize that true honesty, vulnerability, and problem solving needs small, confidential settings that operate under Chatham House Rules (and where all participants are bound by NDAs). GLISS is for sustainability professionals who may be struggling with feeling lonely, disconnected, and frustrated in their personal and/or professional lives, and who need the support of a larger global community who shares their passion and desire to be connected and contribute. GLISS is for those who get inspired during Climate Weeks and other major conferences and want to turn that momentum into something that lasts beyond just a single event.
Shape a Better Future
Engage with us to leverage our founder's experience and accelerate your progress within a network committed to real change.