Leading The Way: A Message From Modo’s New CEO
Modo’s new CEO, Sandra Phillips, has been part of our community since 2009, starting as a member committed to living a car-free life on the West Coast.
Now, with over a decade of experience in shared mobility and nearly 90 projects worldwide, Sandra steps into her new role with a vision for Modo’s future.
In her message, she reflects on Modo’s evolution, outlines her plans for the cooperative, and shares how we can continue to grow and adapt together in this changing landscape.
Read on to hear directly from Sandra as she takes on this new chapter with Modo!
"Dear Members,
When I joined Modo as a member in 2009—with my brand-new permanent residency card in hand— I wanted to prove that I could continue living a car-free life, even on the West Coast of Canada. Not only have I lived that life for the past 14 years, but I’ve also worked in shared mobility, contributing to nearly 90 projects worldwide.
Since then, the shared mobility landscape in Metro Vancouver has evolved significantly and so has Modo. Today, Modo is worlds away from when I first signed up—I still remember the keys hidden behind the license plate! It’s now an organization with a clear purpose, robust structure, and technology that punches above its weight. Our fleet serves not just Vancouver’s core but extends to residents across the region.
Patrick’s dedication and extraordinary leadership brought Modo to this point. I’m grateful for the legacy he leaves behind, and it’s been an honor to work with him on a few projects during his tenure (i.e RideLink).
I’m humbled and excited to step into the CEO role. I look forward to continuing to build this extraordinary co-operative alongside our members, partners, and team. I believe Modo’s time is now. As cities search for ways to meet their climate targets and economic pressures increase for many, Modo’s services are providing a solution. Yet with increasing competition, economic uncertainty and an ever-changing landscape of transportation innovation, it’s clear that Modo must continue to adapt.
Our history and past success are well known, but tradition alone won’t be enough to sustain us. We must stay at the forefront of shared mobility innovation while staying true to our social purpose. The speed of change demands that we remain nimble, collaborative, agile, and action-oriented. It's crucial that we review and adapt any aspect of our culture or organization that inhibits our ability to act in this way.
Creating an inclusive and collaborative environment for staff, members and board members alike has always been one of our top priorities. We will continue to build on the strong foundation established in the past, ensuring that Modo is easy to work with and that we deeply understand and meet the diverse needs of our members as they evolve. To that end, I will continue to advocate for regional collaboration across different modes and organizations.
Over the coming months, I will work with the Board, you - our members - and the team to turn this vision into an actionable strategy. But of course, strategy alone won’t take us there. It will become a reality through the dedication of the people who work at and with Modo.
This is an audacious undertaking, and I know our team and you have the courage and adaptability to embrace the changes needed to make this vision a reality.
Modo aspires to be an organization with extraordinary impact. This ambition means that not every day is easy, but every day is worth it. My goal is for Modo to continue to be a leader in co-operative shared mobility - just like it has for the past 27 years - and inspire others across the world to center sustainable urban transportation around this business model that gives back to its members and communities.
As I type this, I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes: “Become the change you wish to see in the world.” We only have 63 months to 2030 - the deadline set by COP to achieve the goal of making clean technology affordable, available and accessible to all and we have to work together to get there.
Thank you for being an integral part of Modo, I am grateful to be on this journey with you."
Sandra
Meet Sandra Phillips
Sandra has been an international leader in shared and urban mobility since 2010, making a significant impact through her leadership and vision.
She’s been involved in over 80 global projects through her company, movmi, all aimed at building healthier communities by expanding transportation options and reducing reliance on private car ownership.
In Metro Vancouver, Sandra has led stakeholder engagement and service design for TransLink’s multimodal efforts since 2017, working to integrate public transit with local carshares (Evo, Modo) and Mobi bikeshare.
Her international work includes supporting clients like Transport for London, the Ministry of Mobility in Luxembourg, PayByPhone, and CDTA in Upstate New York to expand services and better integrate shared mobility. Sandra brings a unique blend of public sector and private industry experience, focusing on the design and planning of multimodal transportation ecosystems.
Her contributions to shared mobility have earned her a TED talk, a Clean50 award, and the 2021 Change Maker Award from BCBusiness. She’s also been recognized as a Shared Mobility Expert by the Canadian Council of Academies and is a part-time lecturer at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
An advocate for diversifying the transportation workforce, Sandra is a jury member for the C40 Women for Climate network and UITP, and she founded the EmpowerWiSM award to recognize female founders in the field.
Recently, she was named an RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Innovation Finalist, and now, she’s taking the lead at Modo as our new CEO.
