Food Banks Canada Announces New Board Members
Simon Laroche and Vince Barletta to serve as board directors
Food Banks Canada’s board of directors welcomes Simon Laroche and Vince Barletta to serve as new board directors.
Simon is currently the President of Kraft Heinz Canada, one of Canada’s largest food manufacturers. Prior to his current role, Simon was the President of Kraft Heinz Australia, New Zealand, and Northeast Asia and worked for 14 years in executive positions with Labatt Breweries of Canada. Simon has extensive cross-functional expertise and has focused his career on improving business results while building engaged cultures.
Vince is the President and CEO of Harvest Manitoba and was a member of Food Banks Canada most recent Think Tank, providing input into the development of the organization’s new strategic plan. He brings a deep knowledge of food insecurity and food banking within Manitoba. He has dedicated significant focus to working alongside Indigenous communities within Manitoba on food insecurity solutions within these communities.
“With food bank visits reaching close to 2.2 million a month and food insecurity at an all-time high in Canada, we’re grateful for Simon and Vince to help us drive meaningful change,” says Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley. “Our board is composed of exceptional leaders whose collective expertise spans the food industry, food banking, strategy, financial oversight, government policy and more. What unites them together is a deep commitment to our shared vision: a Canada where nobody goes hungry.”
We are grateful for the continuous support from Food Banks Canada’s Directors:
- Chair, Peter Singer, Chairman of Thomas, Large & Singer Inc.
- Vice Chair, Ryan Bahadur, President of Canadian Business Unit at Keurig Dr. Pepper, Canada
- Treasurer, Rosemary McCrie, a Finance Consultant with McCrie & Mundy Professional Services
- Board Secretary, Barbara Gosse, CEO of Trellis Canada
- Ilya Bahar, retired PwC partner
- John Bayliss, CEO, Mastermind Toys
- Linda Beairsto, Partner at McCarthy Tétrault and President of MT>Align
- Marjorie Bencz, Executive Director of Edmonton’s Food Bank
- Tony Chow, President of Coke Canada Bottling
- Dany Hétu, Executive Director of Moisson Rive-Sud
- Mary-Jo Hewat, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Facilities at Sagen MI Canada
- The Honourable Percy P. Mockler, Retired Canadian Senator, The Province of New Brunswick
- June Muir, Chief Executive Officer of UHC – Hub of Opportunities
- Daman Thable Rayat, Corporate Secretary and Counsel of Infrastructure Ontario.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to David Long and Sylvie Cloutier, who are stepping down from the board for their invaluable time, support and dedication to helping Food Banks Canada.
About Food Banks Canada Food Banks Canada is the leader in addressing food insecurity in Canada. Our mission is to provide national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast to coast to coast. For over 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping people living in Canada with food insecurity. Over 5,500 food banks and community organizations come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours, who — this year — made close to 2.2 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Since 2010, Food Banks Canada has shared over $1 billion in food supports and over $275 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity—while, backed by leading research, advocating for meaningful actions from governments to counter hunger and its root causes. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry.
