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Report on Business Announces Winners of Best Executive Awards 2021

March 3, 2021

Report on Business is pleased to announce the winners of its second annual Best Executive Awards, which celebrates excellence among non-CEO leaders at the SVP, EVP and C-suite (or equivalent) levels. 

The 2021 winners represent the best of Canadian leadership in five functional areas: Finance; Human Resources; Operations; Sales and Marketing; and Technology. 

“Over the last year, we’ve seen the importance of strong, creative, and empathetic leadership at the executive levels,” says James Cowan, editor, Report on Business magazine. “As leaders in both their companies and their respective fields, these executives work across their organizations, while anchoring their departments in times of ongoing crisis.”

Winning executives were chosen after a call for nominations for Canadian leaders at public and private businesses, not-for-profits, associations and academic institutions. Nominations were assessed by the Report on Business editorial team based on career background, leadership style, achievements, and impact.

Winners of the Best Executive Awards will be featured editorially in the May issue of Report on Business magazine, out April 23 digitally and April 24 in print. Winners will also share their experiences and advice at a virtual event on May 27.

The 50 winners of the of the 2021 Best Executive Awards are:

Finance

  • Lisa Cameron, Vice-President, Finance – Hanson Canada

  • Steve Filipovic, Chief Financial Officer – Premier Gold Mines Ltd.

  • Melissa Gilbert, Executive Vice President & Lead, Finance – Beneva (created through the merger of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance)

  • Gilles Hamel, Chief Financial Officer – Summer Fresh Salad

  • Barb Harwood, Chief Financial Officer – Thunderbird Entertainment Group

  • Hal Khouri, Executive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer, goeasy Ltd.

  • Dave Singh, Chief Financial Officer – Tucows, Inc.

  • Demi Tsioros, Chief Financial Officer – Reliance Comfort LP.

  • Michael Vels, Chief Financial Officer – Empire Company and Sobeys Inc.

  • Shenif Visram, Chief Financial Officer – Aptum Technologies

Human Resources

  • Brittany Forsyth, Chief Talent Officer – Shopify

  • Cheryl Fraser, Chief Talent Officer & Vice-President Communications – Crombie REIT

  • Kara MacKillop, Chief of Staff & Executive Vice-President People & Culture, Canada Goose

  • Av Maharaj, Chief Administrative Officer & Vice-President, Legal, Corporate Affairs & HR – Kraft Heinz Canada

  • Mona Malone, Chief Human Resources Officer & Head, People & Culture – BMO Financial Group

  • Aaron McCarthy, Executive Vice-President & Chief Human Resources Officer – Magna International

  • Jane Ngobia, Vice-President, Inclusive Communities – Sheridan

  • Jacquie Pylypiuk, Senior Vice-President, People, Culture & Technology, Capital Power

  • Jim Reid, Chief Human Resources Officer – Rogers Communications

  • Michele Walkau, Senior Vice-President, Brand & Culture – First Capital REIT

Operations

  • Chris Campbell, President – Accent Inns Inc.

  • Daniel Habashi, General Manager – TikTok Canada

  • Kieran Hawe, Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, Construction Operations – EllisDon Corporation

  • Synthia Kloot, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Finance & Operations, Brokerage – Colliers

  • Carrie Lysenko, Chief Operating Officer – Zoocasa

  • Shonezi Noor, Vice-President of Operations – Sampler

  • Edward Shim, Managing Director – Studio 1 Labs

  • Gary Smith, Executive Vice-President, Eastern Canadian & Caribbean Operations – Fortis Inc.

  • Jason Tasse, President & Chief Operating Officer (Lee Valley) & Chief Operating Officer (Veritas) – Lee Valley Tools Ltd. & Veritas Tools Inc.

  • Nancy Tichbon, Executive Vice-President & Managing Director – Sage 

Sales & Marketing

  • Louis Adam, Chief Marketing Officer – EXFO

  • Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer – Tim Hortons

  • Vivian Chan, Chief Channel Officer & Head of North America Sales – NexTech AR Solutions

  • Vanessa Eaton, Executive Vice-President – Proof Strategies

  • Paul Gartenburg, Director, International Sales – Pliteq Inc.

  • Tony Geheran, Executive Vice-President & Chief Customer Officer – TELUS

  • Carley George, Vice-President, Marketing – District Ventures

  • Donna Kinoshita, Senior Vice-President & Chief Strategy Officer – Symcor

  • Iain MacNeil, Chief Revenue Officer – Appnovation

  • Lisa Reid, Country Leader, P&G Beauty Canada – Procter & Gamble

Technology

  • Xerxes Cooper, General Manager, Global Technology Services – IBM Canada Ltd.

  • Alex Corneglio, Chief Technology Officer – EnergyX Solutions

  • Foad Godarzy, Head of IT & OT Canada – ENGIE

  • Bhushan Ivaturi, Senior Vice-President  & Chief Information Officer – Enbridge Inc.

  • Jennifer Jackson, Technology & Cloud First Lead – Accenture Canada

  • Warren Perlman, Executive Vice-President & Chief Digital Officer – Ceridian

  • Margaret Stuart, Country Manager – Salesforce Canada

  • Faeron Trehearne, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary – Moneris

  • Jean-Simon Venne, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder – BrainBox AI

  • Julian Ware, General Manager – Clearpath Robotics

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