EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

President & CEO

Company - $150 million in annual sales & 350+ employees. Publicly traded on the TSX.

• Drove major profit turn-around via sales growth coupled with reductions in overheads & COGS.
• Achieved record net $ sales and EBITDA in 2009, including a $28 million EBITDA improvement over 2008 from a loss of $13 million to a gain of $14+ million.
• Reduced net bank debt by $20+ million in 2009 from $25 million to under $3 million.
• Led re-building of relationships with union employees culminating in the ratification of a collective agreement.
• Led development & implementation of a Strategic Plan, including various M&A initiatives.
• Managed investor relations, including conference calls with investors & analysts.
• Led a team of functional VP’s and other senior managers.
• Renegotiated executive contracts and redesigned executive & management incentive plans.
• Reported to a Board of Directors.

Sr. VP, Marketing

• Responsible for Marketing at a $2.8 billion business.
• Responsible for 15+ employees and an annual budget of over $13 million.
• Launched a variety of innovative new products under leading brands.
• Achieved dominant market shares in key high margin categories
• Pioneered expansion into organic products and achieved a 20-fold increase in sales over 5 years
• Negotiated licensing & distribution agreements with major food companies.
• The most lucrative of these licensing deals drove $20 million in annual contribution.
• Participated in due diligence process for major acquisitions.

VP, Marketing & IT

• Responsible for Marketing, R&D and IT an $800 million business.
• Responsible for 32 employees (7 Marketing, 5 R&D, 20 IT) and an annual budget of $10 million.
• Created & implemented national Marketing Plans focussed on brand building, product innovation, packaging modernization and sku rationalization.
• Prepared business cases for marketing-oriented capital investments -$8 million ESL plastic line.
• Created & implemented IT plans focussed on delivering superior service in a cost efficient manner.

VP, E-Commerce & Technology / Director, IS

• Directly responsible for 30+ IT staff
• Achieved $5 million savings in IT budget, while significantly improving quality of service.
• Negotiated purchases & contracts with major IT vendors
• Implemented numerous improvements to IT security, including policies, procedures & infrastructure.
• Initiated various E-Commerce projects including web-based customer & employee interfaces.
• Promoted from Director, Information Services to VP, E-Commerce & Technology.

Manager, Sales Administration & Development

•  Managed award-winning Business Intelligence Project, including: Contract Negotiations, Dimensional Design, Reports Creation, User Manual, User Training & Media Communication.
• Analysed sales & profit trends by product category and key account.
• Designed an Automated Rebate System and managed its construction by an outside firm.
• Designed and helped implement a new Distributor Commission Structure.

Business Analyst – Corporate Finance

Group Product Manager

• Managed $30 million product portfolio and $2 million marketing budget.
• Managed all elements of the marketing mix, including market research, product launches, advertising & promotion, price changes, packaging upgrades and product discontinuations.

Market Research Manager

• Managed Sales Database user systems, including user training, user manual and data quality.
• Recommended and implemented changes to pricing and discount systems.

Market Analyst – Western Division

• Analysed brand shares, competitors’ brand shares and industry sales.
• Designed and evaluated pricing strategies, sales reports and sales contests.
• Presented sales and marketing trends to sales group.

EDUCATION

M.B.A. (Finance) – U.B.C.

Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing, Honours) – U.B.C.