Dr Madeleine Orr 

Madeleine is a researcher, educator and advocate working at the intersection of sport and climate change. After earning her PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota in 2020 and a postdoc in strategy at University of British Columbia in 2021, Maddy joined the Institute for Sport Business at Loughborough University London where she developed the world’s first MSc in Sustainable Sport Business. She joined the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor of Sport Ecology in Fall 2023, and is a visiting professor for sustainability in sport with the FIA University.

Maddy is the founder of The Sport Ecology Group, an international consortium of academics who drive climate action in the sport sector through research and public education initiatives. She currently serves as Industry Lead with the SEG which sees her collaborating with several industry partners to drive evidence-based decision making on ESG, climate risk, and strategic communications. Her research in sport ecology examines the impacts of climate change on the sport sector, with a focus on resilience and adaptation. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and several industry-facing reports on the topic, many of which have gained global attention. Her work has been covered by the BBC, Time Magazine, ESPN, Sky Sports, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, and more. Her first book Warming Up: How Climate Change is Changing Sports (for Bloomsbury) was published in 2024 and named a Top 5 Sports Book of 2024 by The Guardian.