Management team

Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

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. From July 2001 to January 2004, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company’s Dairy Products Division (USA). Since March 2004,  he has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and in January 2022, he added the role of President to his responsibilities. Also, he has served as Chair of the Board since August 2017, having been previously appointed Vice Chair in 2011. In 2019, he was recognized as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year.

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

Maxime Therrien graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting and Finance. He obtained his CPA certification from the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec in 1994. Since joining Saputo as a Financial Analyst in 1996, he has held several management positions at the corporate and divisional level. Maxime Therrien was named Corporate Controller in 1997 and in 2003, he assumed the position of Vice President, Accounting and Administration of the Dairy Division (Canada). In 2012, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration of Operations for Saputo Inc., and in 2015, he was named Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration. Since August 2017, Maxime Therrien serves as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Company.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Gaétane Wagner graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1980 with a B.A. in Industrial Relations. She joined Saputo in October 2007 as Senior Vice President, Human Resources of the Cheese Division (USA). In 2009, she was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Dairy Products Division (Canada) and in 2011, Executive Vice President, Human Resources. Since 2015, Gaétane Wagner serves as Chief Human Resources Officer of the Company.   

Chief Acquisition and Strategic Development Officer

Martin Gagnon graduated from the Université de Montréal with a Bachelor and a Master of Laws in 1995. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western University’s Ivey Business School. Martin joined Saputo in 2016 as Executive Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions, leading Saputo’s mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and strategic development initiatives on a global scale. In April 2019, he was appointed as Chief Acquisition and Strategic Development Officer.

President and Chief Operating Officer
(North America)

Carl Colizza holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University. Since joining Saputo in 1998 as an engineer, he has held several senior management positions in the Dairy Division (Canada). In 2002, he was appointed to the position of Director, Engineering and in 2007, he became Vice President of Engineering and Environmental Affairs. In 2009, he was named Senior Vice President, Operations and, in 2014, Senior Vice President, Business Development. In 2015, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dairy Division (Canada), and in 2018, he also led the Dairy Division (Argentina). In 2019, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer (North America). In addition to these responsibilities, he took on the leadership of the Dairy Foods Division (USA) on an interim basis in early 2020, and then the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for the unified Dairy Division (USA) from August 2020 to November 2021 and from June 2022 to March 2023.

President and Chief Operating Officer
(International and Europe)
 
Leanne Cutts graduated from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Economics and pursued her education at the Australian Graduate School of Management, where she obtained her Master of Business Administration (MBA). She joined Saputo in September 2021 as President and Chief Operating Officer (International and Europe). Leanne previously was Global Chief Marketing Officer at one of the world’s largest banks. She also held senior management positions in Australia, Asia, and the United Kingdom. She was responsible for overseeing marketing, new product development, manufacturing, and operations for global companies in the food and beverage industry and the consumer healthcare industry.

President and Chief Operating Officer, 
Dairy Division (UK) 

Tom Atherton graduated from Birmingham University in the UK in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Money, Banking and Finance. He became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1995 and held a number of senior finance positions in listed and private equity backed UK businesses before joining Dairy Crest Group plc in 2005. In 2013 he was appointed Group Finance Director and became a member of the Board of Dairy Crest Group plc. In 2016 he was appointed Chairman of the Frylight business within the Dairy Crest Group and in 2018 became Dairy Crest Deputy CEO. Following the acquisition of Dairy Crest by Saputo in April 2019, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dairy Division (UK).

President and Chief Operating Officer,
Dairy Division (Argentina)

Marcelo Cohen graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora in 1987 with a degree in accounting. In 2002, he joined Molfino Hermanos as Director, Administration and Finance. Following the acquisition of Molfino Hermanos by Saputo in 2003, he was appointed Vice President, Administration before being named Vice President, Administration and Finance in 2004. He then held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager, Dairy Division (Argentina) starting in 2015. As of April 2021, Marcelo Cohen serves as President and Chief Operating Officer, Dairy Division (Argentina). 

President and Chief Operating Officer,
Dairy Division (USA)

Over the last 25 years Frank has held senior management positions in finance, continuous improvement, operations and supply chain at several public companies in the consumer packaged goods industry. As an alumnus of York University, he also holds certificates in Leadership Development and Six Sigma. He joined Saputo in 2015 as Senior Vice President, Supply Chain in the Dairy Division (Canada). In 2017, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations, Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement before stepping into the role of President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dairy Division (Canada) in 2019. Since April 2023, Frank serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dairy Division (USA).

President and Chief Operating Officer,
Dairy Division (Canada)

Haig Poutchigian completed his studies in Commerce and Sciences at Concordia University in Montréal in 1994, where he graduated with bachelor's degrees. He went on to earn his CPA certification from the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec in 1996. Over the last 25 years, Haig has held numerous senior management roles at various Canadian companies. In 2016, he joined Saputo as Senior Vice President of Finance for the Dairy Division (Canada). In April 2023, Haig was named President and Chief Operating Officer of the Dairy Division (Canada).

President and Chief Operating Officer,
Dairy Division (Australia)
 
Richard holds an Associate Diploma of Applied Science in Dairy from the Victorian College of Agriculture & Horticulture and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Queensland. In 1996, he joined Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) where he held a number of key management positions. In 2015, he was appointed Senior Vice President & General Manager, Dairy Division (Australia) following the acquisition of WCB by Saputo. In 2018, following the acquisition of the activities of Murray Goulburn Co-Operative Co. Limited by Saputo, he was named Senior Vice President & General Manager of Operations for the expanded Dairy Division (Australia). Since April 2020, Richard serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Dairy Division (Australia).