FHCP 2022 CEO & Executive Leadership Post-Conference Magazine

HIGHLIGHTS FHCP 2022 CEO & EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

CEO WRAP-UP

It was a delight to be back in person again at FHCP’s annual CEO & Executive Leadership Conference. After two years of virtual conferences, it felt great to spend time face-to-face with industry colleagues once again at the beautiful White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa in picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake.

This year, our conference featured speakers who shared perspectives on how to move our businesses forward through important topics, including incorporating diversity into the workplace, leading sustainability initiatives, encouraging peerdriven support for mental health, embracing innovation and disruption, and navigating the current economy. Their engaging presentations provided valuable insights and actionable tips that I look forward to seeing implemented in the years ahead.

The Flavor Forecast was once again a standout culinary experience, with McCormick delivering a delicious multi-course meal highlighting global food trends. Topping off the night, FHCP was pleased to award two industry veterans, Margaret Hudson and Jamie Moody, with the 2022 Award of Distinction, recognizing their contributions to both FHCP and our industry.

On behalf of everyone at FHCP, I hope that you enjoyed your time with us this year. We look forward to seeing you again next year at our 2023 CEO & Executive Leadership Conference on October 12-13. Until then, forward together,

Graydon CEO, FOOD, HEALTH & CONSUMER PRODUCTS OF CANADA

Michael

Over the past few years our industry has faced numerous challenges, from unprecedented demand, to supply chain issues, to global tensions. But we have continued to rise to the occasion and serve the needs of Canadians by “leading the way — forward together.”

BOARD DINNER

After a day of meetings, a luxurious winery experience was the perfect way to unwind. Stratus Vineyards offered just that, with a unique selection of wines paired perfectly with a mouth-watering meal. Guests enjoyed catching up in the Tasting Room, and took in spectacular views out on the Vineyard Terrace. Special thanks to McCarthy Tetrault for generously sponsoring this event.

“INTERESTING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING; PUSHED THE STATUS QUO.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

“It’s not about the tech; it’s about the intention with which you employ it.”

NANCY GIORDANO

STRATEGIC FUTURIST, AUTHOR, GATHERER, KEYNOTE SPEAKER, FOUNDER OF PLAY BIG, INC.

Strategic Futurist Nancy Giordano presented attendees with a radical vision of what’s possible in the future, encouraging us to shift our mindset from predictability to curiosity as rapidly evolving technology alters how society operates. Giordano outlined the forces shaping the new economy: our increasing digital reliance for work, the worsening effects of our overconsumption on the environment; increasing systemic biases and inequities; and the need to shift power to a generation whose coming of age has been surrounded by disruption.

“Having unconscious bias makes you human. But at the end of the day, we can all become better humans.”

TINA VARUGHESE

CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND DIVERSITY EXPERT

We have over 170 proven unconscious biases, including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, weight, and disability. Tina Varughese presented strategies on how to mitigate and manage these by closing our eyes and opening our minds. Attendees were provided with tips to bring back to their companies, including assigning rather than assuming duty, implementing blind recruitment practices, and examining job descriptions for gender neutrality. It’s not just the right thing to do – diversity is good for business. Ethnically diverse organizations are 35% more likely to outperform.

CONFERENCE ATTENDEE

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS SUSTAINABILITY PANEL

A panel of sustainability experts discussed the three P’s of sustainability: people, planet, and profit.

Margaret McKellar moderated an informative discussion that covered a variety of topics, including food waste, greenwashing versus real change, strategically choosing where to focus efforts, and how to balance long-term goals. Panelists emphasized the importance of considering the environmental impact of operations, that employees are looking to their leaders to set examples, and that 46% of food waste in Canada comes from our homes. Industry has an opportunity to set sustainability standards for the future; it is critical for us to move forward together.

FRANK BOZZO VICE PRESIDENT & COUNTRY GENERAL MANAGER CHEP CANADA AND PALLECON NORTH AMERICA

ROBYN COLLVER

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, REGULATORY AFFAIRS & CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER (RETIRED)

CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LTD.

MARGARET MCKELLAR

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND STRATEGY & INNOVATION

KANTAR CANADA

SMALL

SIMON

GENERAL MANAGER THE AMERICAS, JORDANS DORSET RYVITA

GARY WADE PRESIDENT UNILEVER CANADA INC.

“If you give people the institutional permission to care for each other – that’s the game changer.”

STÉPHANE GRENIER

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL (RETIRED), CANADIAN FORCES, MENTAL HEALTH INNOVATOR

Stéphane Grenier detailed three corporate mental health buckets organizations often implement: an events-based approach where mental health is mentioned a few times a year; a clinical approach including employee benefit plans; and, the one most often overlooked by organizations, increased social support. Grenier explained that we often walk away from those needing help because we believe mental health challenges can only be solved by doctors. We must change the mental health workplace narrative and empower every employee not to walk away; social support programs in our organizations are essential for the mental health of our teams.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

“This is not the great resignation, it’s the great re-imagination of work.”

SHAWN KANUNGO

DISRUPTION & INNOVATION STRATEGIST

Innovation is about creating the future, unlocking new insights, and creating luck, because it doesn’t happen in optimized environments. Shawn Kanungo described the “talent renaissance,” where 40% of the global workforce is willing to leave their current job, 65% switched industries, and 88% said their meaning of success changed during the pandemic. The digital skills needed for the future are imagination, creativity, empathy, intuition, communication, improvisation, and emotional intelligence. Disruption always starts as a joke until the joke is on us. We must embrace disruptive ideas and thinkers and disrupt ourselves by being vulnerable, embracing uncertainty, and being bold.

“We are in a transition period between pandemic and endemic. The pandemic will not go away, it just will no longer dominate our lives.”

BENJAMIN TAL

DEPUTY CHIEF ECONOMIST, CIBC WORLD MARKETS

Benjamin Tal, our top-rated speaker for five years in a row, returned with his highly anticipated economic update. With his expert insight, he shared that the Bank of Canada doesn’t care about inflation today, but what the average person thinks about inflation tomorrow. Interestingly, social media is perceived to be the most credible source of inflation expectations, with four key items impacting 80% of the overall outlook: bread, milk, beer, and gas. Tal also highlighted changes in immigration since the pandemic and its impact on the labour market, namely low-wage employees leaving the workforce, while highly educated individuals enter.

MARGARET HUDSON

JAMIE MOODY VICE CHAIR OF THE ADVISORY BOARD

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

FHCP proudly presented the 2022 Award of Distinction to Margaret Hudson, President & CEO, Burnbrae Farms, and Jamie Moody, Vice Chair, Tree of Life Canada Advisory Board, in recognition of their lasting and profound impact on Canada’s food, health, and consumer products industry. Both have been active members of FHCP for many years, including participation on the Board and in support of multiple Board committees.

Margaret has worked at Burnbrae Farms for over 30 years, becoming President in 2008 and CEO in 2020. She led the company through several successful product launches winning numerous awards. Margaret is passionate about educating the public about farming. She represents Burnbrae Farms in GS1, the FHCP Board of Directors, and The Grocery Foundation Board (Toonies for Tummies). She also helped create the Burnbrae Farms Foundation supporting community initiatives.

MICHAEL GRAYDON, FHCP CEO

Jamie is an experienced CEO and leader who was President of Tree of Life Canada for over 16 years, during which the company saw significant growth under his leadership. In May 2019, Jamie became Vice Chair of the Tree of Life Canada Advisory Board, EVP Corporate Development, continuing as an advisor to Tree of Life and KeHE Distributors LLC. Jamie served on FHCP’s Board of Directors and was Chair of the Membership Management Committee and Charity Golf Tournament Committee. Jamie continues to mentor other industry leaders as a Group Leader with the CEO Global Network.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MARGARET, JAMIE AND THE AWARD OF DISTINCTION.

“Margaret Hudson and Jamie Moody are the definition of leadership by example. They are both widely recognized for their business acumen and accomplishments gained through careers built upon their relationships and their pursuit of product and manufacturing excellence.

FHCP’s Award of Distinction honours them, as much for what they have done as who they are, both in and out of the boardroom.”

TREE OF LIFE CANADA

PRESIDENT AND CEO BURNBRAE FARMS LTD.

JURIAAN SNELLEN EXECUTIVE CORPORATE CHEF

MCCORMICK FLAVOR FORECAST

McCormick returned to present the 22nd edition of their Flavor Forecast, predicting future trends in food and flavor. Chef Juriaan Snellen and Veronica Collins embarked on a five-month global flavor exploration involving 36 global McCormick team members, seven regions, and 267 dishes tasted. The 2022 trends include: Food Stories — recognizing the people, flavor and story behind the food; Plus Sweet — shifting sweetness from the spotlight into a supporting role; and Time as a Luxury Ingredient — honouring the investment, savouring, and saving of time through cooking. Attendees were later treated to a multi-course meal showcasing the tastes of the Forecast.

“Consumers are really yearning to understand more about other regions around the globe.”

“Consumers don’t want to pick sides between their favourite flavors. They want it all.”

CHEF

MCCORMICK NORTH AMERICA

VERONICA COLLINS

VERONICA COLLINS

CHEF JURIAAN SNELLEN

“It was great catching up with industry colleagues and being inspired by all the event speakers. Our team thoroughly enjoyed the event and looks forward to next year.”

ATTENDEE FEEDBACK

“It was a pleasure to attend this event and a very worthwhile experience.”

“FHCP team, you raised your bar yet again!”

“Everything was perfect — content, organization, hotel!”

“Outstanding conference: the perfect balance of thought-provoking speakers, time to (re)connect with industry colleagues, and trendy, delicious dining.”

“FHCP has always done a fantastic job, so pretty hard to beat expectations when you yourselves hold the bar so high.”

“OUTSTANDING ALL THE WAY!”

“Excellent conference — top-notch event!”

“Overall great event. Everyone was very positive and wanted to be there, sharing ideas, etc. It was my first but will be attending again.”

“Coming together with industry colleagues is always time well spent — connecting, celebrating, sharing stories, and getting inspired on how we can face whatever the future holds for us and our sector.

ATTENDEE FEEDBACK

“All in all, another great CEO Conference.”

“It was great to see a strong in person return to the CEO Conference.”

“Outstanding, impactful, impressive!”

“Inspiring couple of days. First class event!”

“What a pleasure and privilege to attend this year’s Conference — thought-provoking speakers and memorable in-person connections with industry colleagues.”

“An extremely relevant, thought-provoking group of speakers. Great to get out of the office and invest time learning with and from my peers.”

FHCP

MICHAEL GRAYDON, FHCP CEO

SPECIAL THANKS

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

FHCP’s annual CEO & Executive Leadership Conference is an exclusive, industry event for CEOs and senior executives to engage and connect with peers, build their networks, and learn from leading experts in their fields.

The success of this event is driven by the dedicated members of our Membership Management Committee, whose expertise and commitment to exceptional member value helps steer the event’s overall framework, ensures its relevance to their industry peers, and provides strategic direction on its theme, content, and speakers.

TREVOR SQUIRES

GENERAL MANAGER CANADA & NORTH AMERICAN FOODSERVICE

MCCORMICK CANADA

COMMITTEE CHAIR

JAMIE MOODY

VICE CHAIR, ADVISORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, EVP CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

TREE OF LIFE CANADA

RETIRED PAST CHAIR

STEPHANIE HAVERSTICK

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HEAD OF OPERATIONS CANADA

VITA HEALTH PRODUCTS INC.

DEB LABELLE

VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER, PERSONAL HEALTH

PHILIPS CANADA

MICHAEL LINES

PRESIDENT & CEO

WELLNESS NATURAL INC.

JERRY MANCINI

PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER CANADA

DOLE FOODS OF CANADA LTD.

TAMARA SEALES

PRESIDENT SEAFORD PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

SIMON SMALL

GENERAL MANAGER

THE AMERICAS, JORDANS DORSET RYVITA

SPONSORS

“THOUGHTFUL,

SPONSORS

“RAW, REAL, AND VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL LEADERS TO BE AWARE OF AND ACTION AGAINST.”

NETWORKING

“Great conference! It was the loudest and most robust networking I’ve experienced in a long time too.”

“The energy of being in-person is simply different and it was GREAT! I left with a creative recharge and phone full of inspiration!”

“Networking opportunity provided me with new key connections. Content was relevant.”

CONFERENCE ATTENDEES

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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