FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2018
Food & Beverage Canada hires first ceo
Kathleen Sullivan appointed as chief executive officer of the recently launched Food & Beverage Canada
Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa-based national advocacy organization for food and beverage manufacturers across the country has appointed Kathleen Sullivan as chief executive officer. This announcement closely follows the recent launch of Food & Beverage Canada (FBC-ABC), which represents over 1,500 businesses and 7 regional food and beverage manufacturing associations from coast to coast.
“Kathleen brings extraordinary leadership skills and an impressive resume of agriculture and food industry expertise to Food & Beverage Canada,” said Michael Burrows co-chair of FBC-ABC and chief executive officer of Maple Lodge Farms. “Under Kathleen’s leadership, Food & Beverage Canada will advance business-led solutions that improve competitiveness, encourage innovation and deliver value to the food and beverage industry in Canada.”
“I look forward to working with our members and government to achieve the full economic potential of this vital sector,” said Kathleen Sullivan, chief executive officer of Food & Beverage Canada. “To ensure our industry’s competitiveness and to reach the federal government’s goal of $75 billion in agriculture and food exports by 2025, there is a lot of hard policy and planning work ahead. This is a challenge I am excited to embrace.”
Prior to joining Food & Beverage Canada, Kathleen Sullivan was President of Sullivan Public Affairs, a boutique public affairs firm specializing in agri-food trade policy and in helping companies navigate Canada’s domestic food laws and food import regulations. Kathleen has also held a number of leadership roles in not-for-profit organizations including Executive Director of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance, President of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and General Manager of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada.
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For media inquiries contact:
Isabel Dopta
Director of Communications
Food and Beverage Ontario
idopta@foodandbeverageontario.ca
519.993.1192
About Food & Beverage Canada
Food & Beverage Canada is the food and beverage processing industry’s voice and advocate. The organization was created to define, shape and lead on a sustainable business environment where food and beverage manufacturing can thrive through proactive advocacy, consultation, collaboration and knowledge sharing among members, government, consumers and other stakeholders. To learn more about FBC-ABC and review latest policy and position statements, visit www.fbc-abc.com
About Food and Beverage Processing in Canada
The food and beverage processing industry is the second largest manufacturing industry in Canada in terms of value of production, with shipments worth $112.4 billion in 2016 and accounting for 18% of total manufacturing shipments. The industry’s 6,900 businesses are the largest manufacturing employer providing direct jobs for over 257,000 Canadians, employing more Canadians than the auto and aerospace industries combined.
The industry supplies approximately 70% of all processed food and beverage products in Canada and is the largest buyer of the food Canadian farmers grow. Exports of processed food and beverage products to 192 countries continue to increase and stood at $33.5 billion in 2016, an increase of 7% over 2015.