Board of Directors

Screenshot BoD hero shot edit

Establishing Canada as the global leader in food and beverage manufacturing industry workforce development.

Food Processing Skills Canada is governed by a Board of Directors that are leaders and stakeholders in Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing industry. FPSC welcomes interest in joining the Board. To learn more, please contact the organization’s Executive Director, Jennefer Griffith.

Mike Timani 2022

CHAIR

Mike Timani,
President
Fancy Pokket Corp.
New Brunswick

Mike Timani is a native of Lebanon and was born in Venezuela. He arrived in Toronto during the Lebanese civil war. He is president and CEO of Fancy Pokket Corporation in Moncton which was established in June 1989 in a 1,000 sq foot facility with three employees. Today, the bakery consists of 45,000 sq. ft. and employs 80 people. Fancy Pokket is the largest producer of pita bread, bagels, tortilla wraps and flatbread in Atlantic Canada. Mike constructed a 58,000 sq. ft. dedicated Gluten Free facility in Lancaster County, South Carolina which produces a variety of gluten free products. The new facility began operations in August 2019.

jeff purcell lighter bkgrnd

Vice Chair

Jeff Purcell,
VP of Operations
Cavendish Farms
New Brunswick

Jeff Purcell is the Vice President of Operations at Cavendish Farms, where he leads the operational strategies across multiple facilities to ensure efficiency, quality, and innovation in food production. With a strong background in operations management, Jeff oversees the entire supply chain, from raw material sourcing to final product delivery, ensuring that Cavendish Farms maintains its high standards of excellence. Throughout his career, Jeff has been recognized for his leadership in optimizing processes, driving continuous improvement, and fostering a culture of collaboration and safety within teams. His strategic mindset and commitment to operational excellence have contributed significantly to the company’s growth and success in the competitive food industry. With deep expertise in manufacturing and operations, Jeff continues to innovate and guide Cavendish Farms to new heights in production efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Yonathan Negussie bio photo 796x796

TREASURER

Yonathan Negussi,
Director of HR
JBS Food Canada
Alberta

Yonathan Negussi has been Human Resource Director for JBS Food Canada for the last 8 years. Yonathan has successfully managed the JBS acquisitions of XL Foods in Brooks, Alberta. He has done extensive work around international labour mobility, by successfully recruiting international skilled and semi-skilled workers from UK, USA, Philippines, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil. Inaddition, Yonathan has been an active supporter of industry Initiatives to attach and retain talent, including an advisor at Succeeding at Work, a project spearheaded by FPSC.

Steve Martin 398x398

Steve Martin,
Retail Sales Manager
Martin’s Family Fruit Farm
Ontario

Steve Martin is the retail manager at Martin’s Family Fruit Farm – a family run ‘labour of love’ for almost two centuries. While apples are their main product and are shipped Canada-wide, Martin’s also works with other local producers to provide additional fruits and vegetables in its retail store, and for customers. The Martin family has farmed these Ontario lands since 1820. The apple growing part of our history began with a suggestion from Branko Premlec, a Yugoslavian exchange student with a background in horticulture. Branko and Leighton Martin agreed that the region’s combination of warm summer sunshine, adequate rainfall, rich soil, and cool autumn nights would be perfect for producing the sweet, juicy apples that the Martin’s Family has become famous for. With a future full of fine apple varieties in mind, they planted their first trees and waited patiently for them to mature.

Amy Proulx 2022

Amy Proulx,
PhD. Professor and Coordinator – Culinary Innovation & Food Technology
Niagara College
Ontario

Amy Proulx is a professor at Niagara College, Canada, and coordinator of the Culinary Innovation and Food Technology Program at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute. She acts as research leader at the Niagara College Food Innovation Centre, where she and her colleagues provide technical, regulatory and product development support to the food and beverage manufacturing sector, and conduct research in culinary, food science, brewing and winemaking.

Brad McKay

Brad McKay,
President
McKay Consulting
Ontario

Brad McKay is President of McKay Consulting. Prior to this, he was President of Wholesome Kids Catering, a leading supplier of nutritious meals to day care centers, and before that was Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Food Services, a leading marketer of meals for the healthcare sector. Prior to this Brad was Vice President Ingredients and Export for Parmalat Canada and before that held progressively senior marketing positions at Procter & Gamble, Kraft/Nabisco, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Brad is a Board member of Food Processing Skills Canada and has been a Board member of the Yves Landry Foundation, the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology where he was also President. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Systems Engineering.

Lynn Rayner 2022

Lynn Rayner,
Operations Manager
Acadian Supreme Inc.
Prince Edward Island

After graduating from the Holland College Fisheries Technology Program Lynn has worked in the seafood industry for over 25 years in various positions. Lynn has spent most of her career with Acadian Fishermen’s Co-operative as Quality Manager and then moving into Production. In 2016 Acadian Fishermen’s Co-operative was bought by Acadian Supreme and at this time she moved to the position of Operation’s Manager for the company. She is directly involved with Quality, Production, HR, and Financing within the company. Lynn works closely with members of the Federal and Provincial governments on issue to do with HR, TFW as well as product development and automation. She also works with Holland College, UPEI and other industry members to develop products and equipment to help with staffing issues in the seafood industry. Both to keep plants producing for a longer period by extending our season as well development of automation to help with staff shortages.

Jacqueline Pelletier 2022

Jacqueline-Pelletier,
Directrice générale
Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre en Transformation alimentaire-CSMOTA
Quebec

Pending Update

Elliot Gauthier member

Elliott J Gauthier,
Global Head
Intel & Tech Solutions
Ontario

Elliott Gauthier has a close connection to Food Processing Skills Canada and the broader sector. For many years he has worked with FPSC on many strategic initiatives, from representation at industry events, to authoring and strategically communicating FPSC’s cornerstone Labour Market Information Studies (LMI’s), moderating Board growth and strategic initiative sessions, refining the membership strategy and emceeing and presenting at the annual FPSC industry conference. Elliott a Senior Vice-President at Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), one of world’s leading communications firms. He is a member of H+K’s Canadian Leadership Team, leads the reputation measurement practice in the Global Corporate Affairs + Advisory group, sits on H+K’s Global Technology Solutions Committee and is a senior leader in the Global Data + Analytics group. With more than 15 years’ experience in senior-level research positions in the communications industry Elliott leads the Canadian Data + Analytics team, a team of skilled researchers and measurement experts located in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver.

1621230206481 400x400

Aliya Jiwani,
Manager
Systems Training & Development Aliya’s Foods Limited
Alberta

Aliya est une éducatrice enthousiaste, créative et expérimentée, forte de plus de dix ans d’expérience dans la transformation de l’apprentissage en un parcours stimulant de recherche et de réflexion critique grâce à une approche holistique. Elle est reconnue pour son aptitude naturelle à concevoir des programmes d’études au contenu pertinent et stimulant, ainsi qu’à mettre en œuvre des programmes d’apprentissage à distance pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Récemment, Aliya était directrice adjointe et responsable du collège de la Blyth Academy. Sous sa direction, l’établissement a piloté le développement du premier collège virtuel, notamment en élaborant un programme d’études basé sur une approche par projets favorisant la flexibilité et le bien-être mental. Elle a également favorisé un environnement collaboratif permettant aux enseignants de partager les meilleures pratiques pour surmonter les obstacles en constante évolution. Aliya travaille actuellement chez Aliya’s Food, où elle évalue les processus existants afin d’identifier les limites, de rechercher des ressources potentielles et de proposer des plans stratégiques pour la mise en œuvre d’un progiciel de gestion intégré (ERP) personnalisé. Au cours de ses dix années au sein de l’entreprise, elle a également encadré et formé plus de 200 employés à l’utilisation des technologies et des meilleures pratiques en production.

Picture1

Suman Corcoran,
Director of HR and Indigenous Affairs
Premium Brands Holdings Corporation
British Columbia

Suman Corcoran is a multi-talented, strategic leader with a proven record of driving transformational change within organizations. She contributes to corporate strategy and results by ensuring the organization has the right people, processes, and tools necessary to meet client needs and corporate growth expectations. She has successfully managed organizations in periods of major business and personnel changes while translating strategic objectives into actionable plans, ensuring financial feasibility, and establishing internal systems and processes to ensure business continuity. Spanning a variety of industries, the value she brings is her strength in people leadership, operational excellence, and ability to galvanize organizational change to drive bottom-line results. Regardless of industry or company, Suman has a passion for progress. Coupled with her diverse industry and functional experience, she is a valuable fit for a variety of organizations.

Paul Taylor bio photo Purdys Chocolatier 796x796

Paul Taylor,
Vice-président, Personnes et culture
Purdys Chocolatier
Colombie-Britannique

Paul Taylor est un cadre expérimenté en ressources humaines possédant une vaste expérience en gestion stratégique des RH, relations de travail, recrutement et sélection, rémunération, paie et avantages sociaux, formation et développement, ainsi qu’élaboration de politiques et de programmes. Doté de solides compétences analytiques et tactiques en affaires, son expertise est enrichie par son expérience d’entraîneur sportif de haut niveau. Reconnu pour sa capacité à résoudre les problèmes, il possède un talent unique pour établir rapidement des relations, gagner la confiance et comprendre les besoins variés des équipes à tous les niveaux, de la direction générale aux équipes de terrain. Son expérience couvre de nombreux secteurs, notamment l’industrie manufacturière, les services professionnels, le conseil en ingénierie, les services bancaires et financiers, l’éducation publique, la location automobile et la vente au détail.

Jenn quote less blue (1)

Jennefer Griffith,
Executive Director
Food Processing Skills Canada
Ontario

Jennefer Griffith is a driving force in Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing industry, recognized for her visionary leadership in workforce development. As Executive Director of Food Processing Skills Canada, she has spearheaded transformative initiatives like the Canadian Food Processors Institute, Skills Training Across Canada, FoodCert, and FoodAbility+, empowering businesses, individuals, and educators with essential resources. Jennefer’s commitment to delivering comprehensive labour market analysis and tailored programs to food and beverage manufacturers has elevated Canada’s reputation as a global powerhouse in workforce development. Under her leadership, the industry achieved a significant milestone with the creation of Canada’s inaugural Learning and Recognition Framework and Accreditation Strategy standardizing career pathways. Committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. Jennefer is passionate about supporting New Canadians, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth in securing fulfilling careers. She is also at the forefront of international development, sharing Canada’s expertise with emerging food and beverage sectors worldwide. With a proven track record in past roles within government and the non-profit sector, Jennefer’s expertise and passion have made a significant impact on the growth and success of the Canadian food and beverage industry.

JetEngine Image

Suman Corcoran,
Director of HR and Indigenous Affairs
Premium Brands Holdings Corporation
British Columbia

Suman Corcoran is a multi-talented, strategic leader with a proven record of driving transformational change within organizations. She contributes to corporate strategy and results by ensuring the organization has the right people, processes, and tools necessary to meet client needs and corporate growth expectations. She has successfully managed organizations in periods of major business and personnel changes while translating strategic objectives into actionable plans, ensuring financial feasibility, and establishing internal systems and processes to ensure business continuity. Spanning a variety of industries, the value she brings is her strength in people leadership, operational excellence, and ability to galvanize organizational change to drive bottom-line results. Regardless of industry or company, Suman has a passion for progress. Coupled with her diverse industry and functional experience, she is a valuable fit for a variety of organizations.