Board of Directors
The role of the Board is to provide governance and stewardship to George Weston Limited
which consists of reviewing corporate strategy, assigning responsibility to management
for achievement of that strategy, establishing limitations on the authority delegated
to management, and overseeing performance against approved objectives. In fulfilling
this role, the Board regularly reviews management’s strategic plans so that they
continue to be responsive to the changing business environment in which the Company
operates.
The Board oversees the Company’s approach to corporate governance, succession planning,
capital structure and finance matters, risk management activities, compliance matters,
internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, and
information systems to ensure that the Company accurately and fairly reports information to
shareholders, other stakeholders and the public.
In addition, the Board is required to appoint corporate officers, and satisfy itself
as to the integrity of senior management, ensure that the Company engages in ethical and
legal conduct and that senior management maintains a culture of integrity throughout
the Company.
Galen G. Weston, B.A., M.B.A.
Mr. Galen G. Weston is the Corporation’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He is also the Chairman and President of Loblaw Companies Limited. He previously held several senior executive positions with Loblaw Companies Limited and its subsidiaries. Prior to joining Loblaw Companies Limited, he was an investment banking analyst for Salomon Brothers in the U.K.
Mr. Weston graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. and from Columbia University
with an M.B.A.
Mr. Weston is a former Chairman and director of President’s Choice Bank and a director of Wittington Investments, Limited. He is also a director of Selfridges Group Limited and a director and the President of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. Mr. Weston is a former Chairman of Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, a Weston subsidiary.
Paviter S. Binning 3*
Mr. Binning is the Deputy Chariman and former President and a director of Wittington Investments, Limited. Mr. Binning is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of George Weston Limited and prior to this was the Chief Financial Officer of George Weston. Prior to holding these positions, Mr. Binning was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Restructuring Officer of Nortel Networks Corporation, Chief Financial Officer of Hanson plc and the Chief Financial Officer of Marconi Corporation plc. Mr. Binning is a director of Loblaw Companies Limited.
Mr. Binning is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (U.K.)
Andrew A. Ferrier 1
Mr. Ferrier serves as the Executive Chairman of Canz Capital Limited (“Canz”), a
private investment company located in New Zealand. Prior to founding Canz, Mr. Ferrier
was the Chief Executive Officer of Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, a New Zealand-based
international dairy company, from 2003 to 2011. He was previously President and
Chief Executive Officer and a director of GSW Inc., a Canadian consumer durable
goods manufacturer, prior to which he held senior corporate roles in the sugar industry
in Canada and internationally.
Mr. Ferrier graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a B.B.A. and from
Concordia University with an M.B.A.
In addition to serving as director of Bunge Limited, Mr. Ferrier also serves as Board
Chair of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and as council member of the University
of Auckland. He is the former Chairman of the Business New Zealand Major Companies
Group CEO Forum.
Nancy H.O. Lockhart, O. Ont. 2, 3
Ms. Lockhart, a corporate director, is the former Chief Administrative Officer of
Frum Development Group and a former Vice President of Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation.
In addition to serving as a director of Choice Properties Real Estate Investment
Trust and Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation, Ms. Lockhart is also adirector
of The Royal Conservatory of Music and a member of the Sotheby’s Canada Advisory
Board. Ms. Lockhart is also Chair Emeritus of the Crow’s Theatre Company. She is
a former Chair of the Ontario Science Centre, former President of the Canadian Club
of Toronto and a former Chair of the Canadian Film Centre. Ms. Lockhart is also
a former director of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health Foundation and the Loran Scholars Foundation.
Ms. Lockhart has an Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D certification.
Sarabjit (Sabi) S. Marwah 1, 2
Mr. Marwah is a Senator with the Senate of Canada. He is the former Vice-Chairman
and Chief Operating Officer of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
Mr. Marwah has an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He obtained
an undergraduate degree in Economics (Honours) from the University of Calcutta and
a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.
In addition to serving as a director of Cineplex Inc., Mr. Marwah served as the past
Chair and trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children. He was past Chair of the Humber
River Regional Hospital and a past member of the boards of directors of the C.D.
Howe Institute and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Gordon M. Nixon, C.M., O. Ont. 2*
Mr. Nixon is the Chair of BCE Inc. and the former President and Chief Executive Officer
of Royal Bank of Canada, a position he held from August 2001 to August 2014. Mr.
Nixon first joined RBC Dominion Securities Inc. in 1979, where he held a number
of operating positions, one of which was as Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Nixon earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University
and holds Honorary Doctorates of Laws from Queen’s University and Dalhousie University.
He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.
In addition to serving as a director of BCE Inc. and BlackRock, Inc., Mr. Nixon sits
on the Advisory Board of KingSett Canadian Real Estate Income Fund, L.P., is a director
of MaRS Discovery District and is a trustee of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
J. Robert S. Prichard, O.C., O. Ont., LL.B., M.B.A., LL.M., LL.D. 2, 3
Mr. Prichard is the non-executive Chair of Torys LLP. He is a former Chair of Bank
of Montreal and Chair of the board of directors of Metrolinx, the regional transportation
agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, as well as a past President and
CEO of Metrolinx. Mr. Prichard is a past President and Chief Executive Officer and
a former director of Torstar Corporation and President Emeritus of the University
of Toronto.
Mr. Prichard graduated from the University of Chicago with an M.B.A., from the University
of Toronto with an LL.B., and from Yale Law School with an LL.M. He is an Officer
of the Order of Canada, a Member of the Order of Ontario, a Fellow of the Institute
of Corporate Directors and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In addition to serving as a director of Alamos Gold Inc. and Onex Corporation, Mr.
Prichard is also the Chair and a trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children.
Christi Strauss 1
Ms. Strauss, a corporate director, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer
of Cereal Partners Worldwide, a General Mills joint venture with Nestlé, a position
she held from 2006 to 2012. Ms. Strauss joined General Mills in 1986 where she held
various executive positions including the President of General Mills Canada from
1996 to 2006.
Ms. Strauss obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of
Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Dartmouth College.
Ms. Strauss sits on the boards of Social Venture Partners Minnesota and Health Partners
International. Ms. Strauss is a past Chair of Advertising Standards Canada and Canadian
Food Information Council. She is a former board member of The Stratford Festival
and Food and Consumer Products of Canada.
Barbara Stymiest 1*, 2
Ms. Stymiest, a corporate director, is a former member of the Group Executive of
Royal Bank of Canada responsible for the overall performance of the bank. Ms. Stymiest
is a former Chief Executive Officer of TMX Group Inc., Executive Vice-President
and Chief Financial Officer at BMO Capital Markets and Partner of Ernst & Young
LLP.
Ms. Stymiest obtained her H.B.A. from Richard Ivey School of Business, University
of Western Ontario. She is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a Fellow Chartered
Professional Accountant.
In addition to serving as a director of BlackBerry Limited and Sun Life Financial
Inc., Ms. Stymiest is also a director of President’s Choice Bank, the Canadian Institute
for Advanced Research and the Advisory Council for the Ivey Institute of Leadership.
She is also Vice Chair of the University Health Network.
Notes
1 Audit Committee
2 Governance, Human Resource, Nominating and Compensation Committee
3 Pension Committee
* Chair of the Committee