Zita Cobb

Zita Cobb is a Canadian business leader and social entrepreneur who helped transformed her birthplace into a model for community-driven economic development. Born on Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador in 1958, her family was forced to leave when the cod fishery collapsed. After studying business in Ottawa, she became CFO of JDS Uniphase, a global leader in fiber optics technology.

Following her retirement in 2001, Cobb returned to Fogo Island and founded Shorefast in 2004 with her siblings, Alan and Anthony, with a mission to strengthen the community’s resilience through place-based economic development. In 2013, Shorefast opened Fogo Island Inn, now a Michelin Three Keys property and an internationally acclaimed example of regenerative tourism.

Cobb's pioneering work has earned her honorary doctorates, membership in the Order of Canada, and recognition as the first social entrepreneur inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

In December 2025, she launched the Shorefast Institute for Place Based Economies, which brings together communities, governments, and markets to develop and expand place-based approaches to economic development.