Board Of Directors

Executive Chair of the Board,
Saputo Inc.

A graduate of Concordia University with a B.A. in Political Science, Lino A. Saputo joined Saputo in 1988 as an Administrative Assistant. Over the next few years, he started rising through the ranks, managing a plant in Ontario and holding various administrative and marketing positions. In 1993, he became Vice President, Operations, and in 1998, Executive Vice President, Operations. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company’s Dairy Products Division (USA) from 2001 until he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Saputo in 2004. He was named Chair of the Board in 2017, and added the role of President to his responsibilities in 2022. In December 2023, he was nominated as a Member of the Order of Canada, a distinction conferred by the Office of the Secretary of the Governor General. In August 2024, he transitioned from President and CEO to the role of Executive Chair of the Board. 

Corporate Director

Victor L. Crawford is a corporate director. Mr. Crawford has held executive positions at several companies in the food and beverage, hospitality, and healthcare services industries. He was CEO, Pharmaceutical Segment, of Cardinal Health, Inc. from 2018 until 2022, and Group President and COO at Aramark Corporation from 2012 to 2018. He also held senior management positions at PepsiCo, Inc. and Marriott International Inc. between 1990 and 2012. Mr. Crawford began his career with roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Federal-Mogul Corporation and earned his degree in accounting from Boston College in 1983. Mr. Crawford is a director of The Hershey Company, where he also serves as member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation and Human Capital Committee as well as the Executive Committee. In addition, Mr. Crawford is a director of The National Urban League, where he serves as Chair of the Programs, Policy, Justice, and Communication Committee.

Founder and CEO,
The Beck Group NJ LLC

Olu Fajemirokun-Beck has more than 30 years of experience in finance, sales, and marketing in the consumer goods industry. She has held several leadership roles in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. From 2016 to 2018, she was the CEO and a Board Member of Wholesome Sweeteners Inc. Between 1996 and 2012, she held senior executive positions at Mars, Incorporated, including as the CFO of Uncle Ben’s, and at Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Beck has been consecutively named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women CEO’s of the Mid-Market in the USA by CEO Connection in 2017 and 2018, and she was featured in Savoy Media’s 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors in the USA. and Women’s Inc 2023 Most Influential Women Corporate Directors list. Since 2013, Ms. Beck is the founder and CEO of The Beck Group NJ LLC, a boutique management consulting firm. She earned her degree in Law from St John’s College, Oxford University and her Masters, with Merit, from University College London.

President,
Sager Food Products Inc.

Anthony M. Fata has been President of Sager Food Products Inc. since November 2004. Prior to his current position, he was VP of sales and marketing of Sager Food Products Inc. from 1999 to 2004. Until 1999, he was Executive Director of Investment Banking for a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Canadian Chartered Bank. In this position, he was actively involved in various equity and debt issues, as well as numerous merger and acquisition transactions. He earned BCL & LLB degrees from McGill University’s Faculty of Law and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Fata is a member of the Québec Bar.

Chair of the Board,
Vancouver Airport Authority

Annalisa King is a corporate director and currently Chair of the Board of the Vancouver Airport Authority. Between 2008 and 2016, Ms. King was CFO, CIO and SVP of Best Buy Canada Ltd., where in addition to finance, she was also responsible for overseeing the information and ecommerce technology, cybersecurity, legal and real estate functions of Best Buy Canada Ltd. Prior to her position with Best Buy Canada Ltd., Ms. King was SVP of Business Transformation for Maple Leaf Foods Inc. from 2001 to 2008, and previously held leadership roles in finance at Pillsbury Canada Inc. from 1998 to 2001, and Kraft Canada Inc. from 1990 to 1998.

Corporate Director

Karen Kinsley is a corporate director. From 1987 to 2013, Ms. Kinsley held various positions within Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, including CFO for nine years, VP of Mortgage Insurance and Securization, and President and CEO from 2003 to 2013. Ms. Kinsley holds a bachelor of commerce from the University of Ottawa. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and has received the Certified Director designation (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Corporate Director

Diane Nyisztor is a corporate director. From 2019 to 2021, she was SVP and CHRO of Cogeco Inc. She was SVP, Corporate Human Resources of Cogeco Inc. from 2015 to 2019 and VP, Corporate Human Resources of Cogeco Inc. from 2014 to 2015. Prior to that, Ms. Nyisztor was Partner, International Executive Services at KPMG Canada LLP from 2013 to 2014. From 2002 to 2013, she held senior management positions with AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.), including SVP, Global Human Resources and SVP, Compensation and Benefits.

Partner,
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Franziska Ruf is a partner with Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in the Capital Markets, Corporate Governance and Mergers & Acquisitions practices since 2009. Ms. Ruf advises on Canadian and international public and private acquisitions, divestitures, investments, and joint ventures. She provides guidance to domestic and foreign corporations, private equity firms, pension funds, and financial advisers on public and private cross-border M&A. Also known for her expertise in corporate governance, Ms. Ruf regularly advises boards of directors, special committees, senior management, and shareholders on a wide range of transactions, public disclosure issues, and corporate governance matters. Prior to her current position, Ms. Ruf was a partner with the law firms of Stikeman Elliott LLP from 2000 to 2009 and McCarthy Tétrault LLP from 1994 to 2000. Ms. Ruf also served on the Legal Advisory Committee of the Autorité des marchés financiers from 2012 to 2017. Ms. Ruf is a member of the Québec Bar.

Corporate Director

Stanley H. Ryan is a corporate director and currently Chair of the Board of Pacific Basin Shipping Limited. Mr. Ryan served as President and CEO of Darigold, a USA-based dairy cooperative, from 2016 until 2022. From 1989 until 2014, he served in several executive and general management roles for Cargill Inc. in the USA, South America, Europe, Australia, and China. In 2015, he served as interim CEO of Eagle Bulk Shipping. Mr. Ryan earned both his MBA and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago in 1989, as well as a degree in Economics & Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame in 1984. Mr. Ryan is director and Chair of the Board of Pacific Basin Shipping Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Chair and CEO,
NRStor Inc.

Annette Verschuren has been the Chair and CEO of NRStor Inc. since March 2012. Prior to her current position, she was President of The Home Depot Canada from 1996 to 2011. Ms. Verschuren is Chair of the Board of MaRS Discovery District, a not-for-profit corporation that offers venture support services and entrepreneurship education programs to science and technology companies, and member on the board of the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment. In 2011, Ms. Verschuren was honoured as an Officer of The Order of Canada for her contribution to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility.