- Sol Cuisine's board of directors is now comprised of a
majority of independent female directors.
- Mary Dalimonte retired as the
SVP of Merchandising and Commercial Programs for Sobeys Inc. and
brings over 40 years of experience in retail grocery to the
Company's board.
- Beena Goldenberg is a proven
CPG leader with over 30 years of experience, including 15 years
with Hain-Celestial Canada, where she oversaw brands including Yves
Veggie Cuisine.
- Lisa Swartzman is an
accomplished senior executive with 25+ years of experience. Ms.
Swartzman is the former president of AirBoss of America Corp. and
spent 15+ years in senior roles with George Weston Limited and
Loblaw Companies Limited.
MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Sol Cuisine Ltd. ("Sol
Cuisine" or the "Company") (TSXV: VEG) a growth-oriented North
American plant-based protein leader, would like to welcome Ms.
Mary Dalimonte, Ms. Beena Goldenberg and Ms. Lisa Swartzman to the Company's board of
directors effective upon closing of the Company's qualifying
transaction on May 19, 2021. All
three are highly experienced professionals with proven track
records of success in CPG and consumer retail. The new additions
join Chairman Mike Fata, who has a
20+ year history in natural products, including as the founder and
CEO of Manitoba Harvest, and Dror
Balshine, founder and President of Sol Cuisine.
Mike Fata, Chairman of the
Board of Sol Cuisine commented, "I would like to
personally welcome Ms. Swartzman, Ms. Dalimonte and Ms. Goldenberg
to Sol Cuisine's board of directors. All three bring proven
long-term track records of building successful organizations within
the CPG and retail food distribution sectors to Sol Cuisine. This
experience will both establish a strong governance foundation as
the Company begins its public journey and ensure that management
has direct access to some of the best talent available in the
industry. It also represents a key milestone aligned with the
Company's commitment to gender equality and representation – Sol
Cuisine's board of directors is now comprised of a majority of
independent female directors. We are confident that the seasoned
and diverse viewpoints of Ms. Swartzman, Ms. Dalimonte and Ms.
Goldenberg will help guide the strategy as the Company continues to
leverage early leadership in the plant-based protein sector, into
further growth and value creation for shareholders."
Mary Dalimonte
Mary Dalimonte retired as the
Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Commercial Programs for
Sobeys Inc., a leading Canadian grocery retailer and food
distributor, and is currently engaged as a highly sought-after
consultant to the CPG industry. Ms. Dalimonte joined Sobeys in 2008
as the General Manager of Sobeys Urban Fresh, was subsequently
appointed to Vice President of Private Label and, in 2012, was
promoted to Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Commercial
Programs. In this capacity, she led the strategic plans and drove
the development and execution of customer-focused, market-leading
innovations and new store concept designs for Sobeys' Full-Service
banners across Canada. Prior to joining Sobeys Inc., Ms. Dalimonte
held a variety of progressively senior retail management roles at
Loblaw Supermarkets Ltd.
With over 40 years of achievement in the retail grocery
industry, Ms. Dalimonte's expertise spans Merchandising, Multi
Banner Operations, Private Label, Innovation Development and
Process Management, Governance, New Store Concept Development and
Design and has been an active Board member across a number of
businesses and organizations.
Beena Goldenberg
Beena Goldenberg is a proven
business leader with over 30 years of experience in CPG and a
background in marketing and manufacturing. Presently, the President
and CEO of Supreme Cannabis, Ms. Goldenberg has extensive
experience managing brands and operations within the Canadian CPG
sector in companies including Parmalat, Ronzoni Foods and
Pillsbury Canada.
Prior to joining Supreme Cannabis, Ms. Goldenberg was tasked
with leading Hain-Celestial Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of
The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ: HAIN) here she strategically grew
the company through innovation, increased distribution, and
acquisitions. During her 15-years at Hain-Celestial Canada, Ms.
Goldenberg managed a portfolio of over 15 brands, including organic
and plant-based brands - most notably the Yves Veggie Cuisine
brand.
Ms. Goldenberg has served on the Board of Food and Consumer
Products of Canada, the largest CPG industry association, and
currently serves on the Board of prominent plant-based food
companies such as The Better Meat Company and Portland Plant
Foods.
Lisa Swartzman
Working both directly at a Senior Executive level as well as in
advisory roles, Lisa Swartzman is an
accomplished senior executive with 25-plus years of experience in
manufacturing, consumer products, retail and healthcare. She has
extensive experience providing strategic direction and operational
oversight, with a proven track record of driving positive
organizational change in complex, regulated environments operating
in North America and Europe.
Ms. Swartzman currently operates BGO Advisory which provides
strategic advisory and turnaround management expertise to small and
mid-market privately held and publicly traded companies, with a
specific focus on business transformation, evaluating potential
M&A and raising capital. Prior to BGO Advisory, Ms. Swartzman
was President of AirBoss of America Corp. (TSX: BOS), a
multi-divisional manufacturing organization with a highly technical
and diverse portfolio and facilities in Canada, the US and Asia. Ms. Swartzman also spent 15+ years with
George Weston Limited/Loblaw Companies Limited where she held
progressively more senior positions, including 6 years as Vice
President, Treasurer.
For more details, visit Sol Cuisine's IR website at:
investors.solcuisine.com or contact the IR team at
investors@solcuisine.com.
About Sol Cuisine Ltd.
Sol Cuisine is the publicly traded parent company of Sol Cuisine
Inc. following the completion of its "qualifying transaction" on
May 19, 2021. Sol Cuisine is a
fast-growing producer of branded, consumer-preferred plant-based
protein offerings across key center-of-plate and appetizer
categories. The Company's products are offered through an
established omni-channel distribution platform in Canada and the U.S. and are available in over
11,000 stores and more than 41,000 unique points of distribution.
Over a history of 20+ years, Sol Cuisine has consistently
demonstrated an ability to innovate and delight consumers in
Canada and the U.S., while
remaining true to its commitment to producing great tasting
products that are nutritionally superior both to meat-based
offerings and to competitive plant-based products. This commitment
has resulted in several Canadian product wins, including the #1
frozen plant-based burger in Canada, the #1 consumer-preferred chicken
alternative and the #1 quality roast product as determined by Whole
Foods Market. The Company's taste and nutritional superiority has
also resulted in private label contracts with some of the most
recognized natural brands in North
America. These products are all produced at Sol Cuisine's
two state of the art facilities, totaling 35,000 square foot
facility in Mississauga, Ontario,
capable of supporting up to 10 million kilograms of volume per
annum.
For more details on Sol Cuisine's consumer brands:
Website: www.solcuisine.com
Instagram: @solcuisine
Facebook: @solcuisine
Twitter: @solcuisine
LinkedIn: @solcuisine
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking information within
the meaning of Canadian securities laws regarding the Company and
its business. Often but not always, forward-looking information can
be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "intends",
"anticipated", "believes" or variations (including negative
variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain
actions, events or results "may", "could", "would" or "will" be
taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based on the
current expectations and views of future events of the management
of each entity, and are based on assumptions and subject to risks
and uncertainties. Although the management believes that the
assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may
prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances
discussed in this press release may not occur and could differ
materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and
uncertainties affecting the company, including risks regarding the
size of the industry, the growth of the market for the Company's
products, the rate and quantity of production at the Company's
facilities, market conditions, economic factors, management's
ability to manage and to operate the business of the Company and
the equity markets generally. Although the Company has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events
or results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause
actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated,
estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No
forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by
applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events,
or otherwise.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed, approved, or
disapproved the content of this news release.
John Flanagan
Chief
Executive Officer
905-502-8500
SOURCE Sol Cuisine Ltd.