Board

John joined Unilever Canada, one of the world’s largest CPG companies, in 1992. Since that time, he has participated in and led a wide range of transactions and restructurings as Unilever Canada has evolved and, today, John provides leadership across a range of areas working with professionals and multi-disciplinary teams in corporate and government relations, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, safety and law. He is a member of Unilever Canada’s board of directors, the Canadian Leadership Team and chair of the company’s Pension Benefits Administration committee.

Externally, John represents Unilever Canada’s interests across a range of industry and other organizations. He is on the board of directors of Advertising Standards Canada, the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, Stewardship Ontario and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He is also co-chair of the steering committee for Partners in Project Green, a major environmental initiative of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. John was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2006.

Since June 2009, Ian has been President of CKF Inc., a foam packaging and moulded pulp product company. Previous to this role, he was the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining CKF Inc., Ian spent 30 years in the can-making industry, managing plants and businesses across the Americas and the U.K. Most recently, he was Vice President of Operations for Crown Metal Packaging Canada Inc. Ian was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.

At Loyalty One, Debbie is responsible for developing and maintaining their formal Corporate Social Responsibility program. In this capacity she has spearheaded a range of initiatives to “green” all business operations, helping the global leader in loyalty marketing take the lead on environmental issues. Debbie recently led the project to build a double gold LEED certified call center that features the largest rooftop solar panel installation in Canada. Prior to joining LoyaltyOne, Debbie was Chief Operating Officer at Green Rewards, an innovative, eco-conscious loyalty business that is now integrated into the AIR MILES Reward Program. Trained by former US Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore to help raise public awareness of the impact of climate change, Debbie is a member of Partners in the Project Green steering committee, the Greening Greater Toronto taskforce and she sits on the board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Debbie was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.

Since 1995, Diane has spearheaded RCC, the largest retail association in Canada serving over 45,000 retail establishments. Prior to joining RCC, Diane was the Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Office Products Association. In addition to her Director duties on Stewardship Ontario’s board, Diane serves as Chairman of the board for both the Forum for International Retail Association Executives and the Fair Factory Clearinghouse. Diane also sits on the Advisory board of Ryerson University's School of Retail Management , the University of Alberta’s School of Retail in Edmonton and Waste Diversion Ontario. In 2002, she received the Pinnacle Award from the Canadian Society of Association Executives, the most prestigious designation given to an Association Executive. A native of Montreal Diane studied at Concordia University and St-Laurent College and holds a degree in Social Sciences and Modern Languages and a certificate in Association Management. Diane was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2002.

Bob has more than 25 years of corporate communication and public affairs experience. He also has an extensive background in consumer marketing, reputation and crisis management, and government relations including his current role at Loblaw and past roles at Hill and Knowlton Canada, Labatt Brewing Company and InBev. He served as Chief of Staff to Ontario Opposition Leader John Tory and the PC caucus and was a senior advisor in the offices of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Bob holds a Political Science degree from the University of Guelph and also completed the Canadian Advertising Agency Practitioner’s course (CAAP). He has served as a volunteer with many community charitable organizations, including director of the Ontario Science Centre and Harbourfront Centre and serves as a volunteer with the National Roundtable of the Canadian Council on Learning. Robert was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.

Don was first elected Mayor of Markham in 1993 and served four successive terms. Elected to the York County Board of Education (now the York Region District School Board) in 1972, he served as Chair in 1978-79. From 1981 to 1993 he was Markham's Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) serving as Deputy Speaker, Minister of Corrections and Opposition Critic for Environment and Finance. During his tenure, Don received many honours and awards including: the Medal of Jerusalem in 1995, the Knight Commander – Knights of Rizal in 2001, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. In 2006, the Donald Cousens Parkway in Markham was unveiled and the following year, the York District School Board named “Donald Cousens Public School” in his honour. Don was elected to Stewardship Ontario’s board as an Independent Director in 2010.

Calla was elected to the Stewardship Ontario board in 2010. A graduate of The Directors College at McMaster University she received her Chartered Director (C. Dir.) degree/designation in January 2006. Calla has been involved in environmental stewardship for more than 15 years, both in her current role at McCain Foods and in her previous position with Refreshments Canada.  She has served on a number of boards including the Nova Scotia Resource Recovery Fund, Clean Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Beverage Recovery Inc., all of which had a strong focus on waste diversion.

Roberta is a Mohawk woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario. In November of 2004, she was appointed CEO and President of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. NAAF is dedicated to realizing the potential of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit youth through scholarship assistance and other support. Under her leadership, the Foundation has flourished. In her six years leading NAAF, support for Aboriginal youth has dramatically increased with NAAF doubling its previous total in bursaries and scholarship funding. NAAF has distributed approximately $43 million in support and helped over 11,000 students, with more than half of that support coming since Roberta's 2004 appointment. She has extended the Foundation’s career fairs into the North, Quebec and the Maritimes and is Executive Producer of the nationally televised National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. Roberta has enjoyed a distinguished career of “firsts.” She was the first First Nations woman to earn a law degree; the first non-parliamentarian to be appointed an ex-officio member of a House of Commons Committee; the first woman to be appointed Ombudsman of Ontario; and in December 2001, she was the first woman to be elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Roberta was also Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario and for ten years, Ombudsman of Ontario. She has earned many awards, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (Law and Justice 1998), the Indigenous Bar Association’s highest award, Indigenous Peoples Council Award (IPC) and 18 honourary degrees. Roberta is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Mark has over 20 years experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. He started his career working in plant engineering and held jobs of increasing responsibility at both Frito-Lay and The Clorox Company. He has experience working in and leading manufacturing, logistics, purchasing (raw materials and packaging), capital management and supply networks. Mark transitioned into sales 10 years ago where he gained experience working with all major retailers in North America. In 2008, Mark was appointed President of the Clorox Company Canada and currently oversees all general management responsibilities for the company’s Canadian operations. Mark was elected to the Stewardship Ontario board in 2010.

Sylvain is a senior executive manager with more than 25 years experience in the manufacturing field. With a broad-base of professional knowledge in the food industry, Sylvain has experience in managing several manufacturing plants, including purchasing (packaging and raw material), engineering (technical and capital investments), supply chain and logistic departments. He has held his current position at A. Lassonde Inc., since 2001. Prior to A Lassonde Inc., he worked at Naya Spring Water and Shell Canada. Sylvain holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering from Laval University and has an M.B.A from HEC Montréal. Sylvain was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.

With a career spanning over 35 years in retail, Guy joined Wal-Mart Canada in 1994. During his tenure at Wal-Mart Guy has held several leadership positions including VP General Merchandise Manager and VP of Supply Chain. Prior to joining Wal-Mart Canada, he held leadership positions in merchandising and operations with Grafton- Fraser Inc., and Woolworth Canada Corp.  Guy has also served as a member of the Global Packaging Project steering committee, which is part of Consumer Goods Forum. Guy chairs the Food Marketing Institute Packaging Working Group. He is also a co-chair of PAC NEXT and is a member of the Packaging and Toy Sector Working Groups of The Sustainability Consortium. Guy was elected to the Stewardship Ontario board in 2011.

As SVP, Merchandise Sourcing and Innovation, Reg’s responsibilities include managing teams which deliver Global Sourcing, Product Procurement, Product Environmental Stewardship and Innovation Capabilities to Canadian Tire. Reg has over 30 years experience in retail business with two major Canadian retailers and has been in senior roles within Merchandise Sourcing and Marketing Divisions of Canadian Tire for the last 20 years. A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Reg was elected to Stewardship Ontario’s board in 2010.

Gord’s career has spanned a broad spectrum of responsibilities and experiences in the consumer products industry, starting in soft drinks with Crush, through to his current responsibilities for P&G’s full portfolio. Gord previously chaired the board of Corporations Supporting Recycling and also chairs the board of Inroads Toronto, an organization devoted to fostering business careers for visible minority students. Gordon was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.

Brian is a Senior Executive with a background in General Management, marketing and sales with experience running businesses ranging from $7M to $500M across global industries including Consumer Products, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology. As Senior Vice President of Recochem Inc., Brian is responsible for bottom line delivery of North American Operations and developing and executing the organization’s strategic plan. Prior to joining Recochem, Brian served as President and owner of The Sonar Group - Marketing & Communications. During his career, he has also held the roles of President at Monsanto Canada, Vice President of Sales at Frito-Lay Canada, Vice President at Gilbey Canada and a number of management roles in both sales and marketing management with International Distillers, Vintners-UK and Procter & Gamble. A Chartered Director with a B. Comm. from Queen’s University Brian currently serves as Chair for the Canadian Chemical Specialty Producers Association. Brian was elected to Stewardship Ontario's board in 2010.