CANFOR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, Pulp Sales and Marketing
Brian Yuen was appointed Vice President, Pulp Sales and Marketing in January 2019. Brian's career with Canfor started in 1996 and has held different roles over the years with increasing responsibility. In his most recent role of Director, Pulp Sales, Asia, which he held since 2012, he was responsible for growing our pulp business in China. In his current role, Brian is responsible for advancing Canfor Pulp's overall strategic priorities and leading the Asia Pacific pulp sales team.
Brian obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma in International Trade for the BC Institute of Technology.
Conrad Pinette of Vancouver, British Columbia serves as a Director on Canfor Corporation and Canfor Pulp Products Ltd boards. He was previously Chairman of the Board from 2017 to 2021.
Mr. Pinette's work in the Canadian forest industry began 40 years ago as an owner and President of a family lumber business, Pinette & Therrien Mills Ltd. Mr. Pinette has also served as Executive Vice President, Tolko Industries Ltd. (2005), Executive Vice President, Riverside Forest Products Limited (2004) and served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Lignum Limited from January 1990 to April 2004.
Mr. Pinette is the former Chairman of Finning International Inc. and a former Director of Gold Canyon Resources Inc., TimberWest Forest Corp, Northgate Minerals Corporation, A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund, Finning International Inc. and the British Columbia Business Council. His is currently a member of the Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia Prostate Advisory Board.
Craig Armstrong was appointed to Canfor Pulp Products Inc.'s Board on May 3, 2023.
Mr. Armstrong's work in the forest industry began 50 years ago, of which 35 years was at Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. ("Millar Western") where he was President and Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2019. Other prior roles included Senior Vice President, Pulp (1992-1998), Executive Vice President (1998-2005), and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2005-2010).
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Corporate and Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Supply Chain and Digital
David Trent rejoined Canfor as the Senior Vice President, Supply Chain and Digital in April 2022. Bringing over 20 years of experience from a variety of industries, David leads Supply Chain, Logistics and Technology functions that support Canfor's strategy.
Prior to his appointment at the Company, David was the Chief Digital Officer & Vice President Operations Technology at CN since 2019 where he led a comprehensive digital transformation across the organization. The experience gained from working with Canfor's largest transportation partner will further enhance his contribution to his current role and the Company's global supply chain network and capabilities.
David's career at Canfor began in 2014 when he joined as Senior Director, IT and in May 2018 he was appointed Vice President, Technology and Digital.
David obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University and earned his CPA designation.
David represents Canfor on the British Columbia-led Digital Technology Supercluster Board of Directors and has previously served on the Board of Directors of Railinc, the central data company for all North American railways, and the CIO Association of Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Joint Environmental, Health and Safety Committee
Ms. Watts of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was elected to the Board of the Company in June 2018.
Ms. Watts, a well-known and popular local figure in British Columbia, has had a successful political career that spans over 20 years. She is a proven leader at both the municipal and federal levels having served as a Surrey, BC city councillor (1996-2005), Mayor of Surrey, BC (2005-2014) and as Member of Parliament for South Surrey-White Rock (2015-2017).
Ms. Watts's extensive Board and Committee experience includes having served on the Board of Directors for PRIMECorp and Metro Vancouver as well on several Metro Vancouver committees. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the Justice Institute of BC and was named the Iconic Leader of the Decade by the All Ladies League and Women's Economic Forum in 2018.
Ms. Watts is a member of the Joint Environmental, Health and Safety Committee.
Mr. Jentsch is a Senior Executive and career banker with experience in Canadian, US and International
Job Titles:
- President of Canfor Southern Pine
Fred Stimpson of Mobile, Alabama was elected to the Board of the Company in April 2021.
Fred Stimpson was previously the President of Canfor Southern Pine for six years and retired in December 2020. He resides in Mobile, Alabama and continues to work with Canfor in an advisory capacity, supporting the company's continued growth efforts as well as providing overall assistance to the Canfor leadership team.
Early in his career, Fred worked with Gulf Lumber Company in various roles and was president from 1988 to 2009. He joined Canfor through the acquisition of Scotch Gulf Lumber in 2013 where he held the role of CEO. In 2015, Fred was appointed President, Canfor Southern Pine and led the company's US South business. He helped the company expand from four mills to 15 operations including a transportation company that specializes in hauling lumber and wood residuals across the southeast to customers.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee
Glen Clark, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was elected to the Board of the Company in May 2009.
Mr. Clark is the former President and COO of The Jim Pattison Group, he was responsible for Canadian Fishing Company, COMAG, Everything Wine, Genpak, Guinness World Records, Jim Pattison Lease, Montebello, Ocean Brands, Overwaitea Food Group, Pattison Sign Group, Ripley Entertainment, Sunrype, The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group and TNG. He has been with The Jim Pattison Group since 2001.
Prior to 2001, Mr. Clark served as Premier of British Columbia from February 1996 to August 1999. He was Minister of Finance and Corporate Relations from November 1991 to September 1993 and Minister of Employment and Investment from September 1993 until February 1996. Mr. Clark was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1986 to represent the constituency of Vancouver-East.
Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master's Degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia.
Mr. Clark is Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of the Joint Environmental, Health & Safety Committee, and the Joint Capital Expenditure Committee.
Job Titles:
- Sawmill Supervisor / Conway, South Carolina
I started working at Canfor in 2003 as a Machine Operator. Over the years, I was trained to operate all equipment and eventually moved into our Maintenance Department, where I was trained as a Millwright. Working at the sawmill is hard work but I enjoy it because of the people. It operates like a family, where we take care of each other and make sure we all go home safe. I've learned many skills here and built a career that I can be proud of. This mill is always changing, from the people to the equipment. It keeps you on your toes learning new things every day. I couldn't see myself working for a better company than Canfor.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President, People
Katy Player was appointed as Senior Vice President, People in February 2021 and will focus on the Company's global people strategy, initiatives and programs. She continues to demonstrate strong leadership and leads the People team to make Canfor an employer of choice for our current and future employees.
Katy has been with Canfor since 2015 and most recently served as Vice President, People & Communications. Prior to that, she held the position of Director, People & Culture and Director, Learning and Leadership.
Kevin Edgson was appointed President and CEO of Canfor Pulp in April 2022. With an impressive track record in the forest products industry, he will oversee the development and execution of the company's Manufacturing Excellence initiatives to achieve a more profitable and sustainable future. Under his leadership, Canfor Pulp will secure its position as a supplier of choice in the global pulp market.
For the last decade, Kevin has served as the CEO of EACOM Timber Corporation (EACOM), a predominate wood products company in Eastern Canada similar in size to Canfor Pulp. Prior to joining EACOM, Kevin was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Millar Western Forest Products. He was with Millar Western for over 20 years in various roles including operations, sales and marketing.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, M.B.A. and is a C.P.A.
Kevin is a member of the Board of Directors for FPInnovations, the Bi-national Softwood Lumber Council and Project Learning Tree Canada, Sustainable Forestry Initiative's (SFI) environmental education program. He previously served as the Chair of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and on the boards of SFI, the Softwood Lumber Board and the Ontario Forest Industries Association.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President, Canadian Operations
Kevin Horsnell, Senior Vice President, Canadian Operations, is responsible for leading Canfor's wood products manufacturing and all woodlands activities in Canada including the company's corporate forestry functions and initiatives.
Prior to becoming SVP in November 2022, Kevin was Vice President of Operations, Canada. In February 2018 he was Vice President of Woodlands Canada for almost five years and managed the company's fibre strategy and improved alignment between our woodlands and manufacturing operations teams.
Kevin began his career with Canfor in 1992 at the company's Englewood Logging Division on Vancouver Island. When Canfor divested its coastal operations, Kevin then joined Canfor's Houston operation as the Woodlands Manager. He has since worked in a variety of roles including Production Manager, Plant Manager and General Manager across our operations in British Columbia. From 2011 to 2013, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Conifex Timber before rejoining Canfor.
He was born and raised in Vanderhoof, and through his career has lived in Woss, Campbell River, Houston, Cranbrook and now resides in Prince George. A Registered Professional Forester, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from UBC and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Royal Roads University and brings to the role a broad understanding of our business, from fibre supply through manufacturing to customers and markets. He also holds a coastal scaling licence and a NLGA A lumber grading ticket. Kevin is Chair of the Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Kevin Pankratz began his career at Canfor in 2004 and was appointed to his current role as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing in January 2018. In 2019 his role expanded to include the responsibility for sales and marketing of Canfor's pulp products.
His extensive experience at Canfor includes leadership roles in Asia and North American markets, supply chain optimization, and market development. His experience, which includes 30 years in the forest industry, has enabled Kevin to play a key role in executing Canfor's market diversification and customer-focused strategy. Kevin is currently the Board Chair of The Canadian Wood Council.
Kevin obtained a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of British Columbia.
Millar Western is a Canadian forest products company that produces hardwood and softwood bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp. In 2022, Canfor acquired Millar Western's solid wood products operations and associated tenure located in Alberta. The transaction included two sawmills and a specialty millworks facility.
He also served as Director of Millar Western from 2010-2022 and he was the Chair of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA). He is a former Board member of the Forest Association of Canada, The Sustainable Forest Initiative and the Binational Lumber Trade Council.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Vida Group President, Canfor Europe
- President of Canfor Europe
Måns Johansson was appointed as President of Canfor Europe in July 2023 and continues to serve as CEO of Vida Group which he assumed in 2019, the same year Canfor acquired Sweden's largest privately owned sawmill company. He leads the company's operations in Sweden including its nine sawmills that produce spruce and pine products, and are strategically located in high quality and sustainable fibre regions in the country. In addition, Vida has another nine value-added facilities that include premium packaging, modular housing, industrial products and energy. He served as Managing Director of Vida Wood from 2004 to 2019. Over the years, Måns helped Vida become the Nordic countries' largest supplier of wood packaging.
With over 20 years in the forestry industry and with Vida, Måns' brings his strong customer mindset and innovative approach as a global supplier of sustainable Swedish wood products to the Canfor brand.
He is a board member of the Swedish Forest Industry since 2008. Måns was a board member of the European Organisaton of Sawmills (EOS) from 2009 to 2016, and he was the Chairman/President of EOS from 2014 to 2015.
Norm Mayr was appointed to Canfor Pulp Products Inc.'s Board on May 3, 2023.
Mr. Mayr is a retired (October 2016) Audit Partner having spent 38 years in public practice with KPMG. He was the Risk Management and Business Unit Professional Practice Partner for the Greater Vancouver Area practice of KPMG for the most recent 18 years of his career. In this role, Mr. Mayr was responsible for managing risk in the audit practice, and regularly consulted with engagement teams dealing with complex financial reporting, accounting, audit and securities issues with their clients. He has had experience in the mining, forestry, technology, life sciences, retail, industrial markets and cannabis sectors. He served as lead engagement partner or quality review partner on many of KPMG's largest clients in these industries, including several multinational reporting issuers. He has had extensive experience acting for public companies listed in both Canada and the United States.
Mr. Mayr was a founding member of the CICA Accounting Standards Board from 1991-1994 and a member of the Canadian Advisory Group to the International Accounting Standards Board from 1994-2000. Mr. Mayr has presented extensively on financial reporting and accounting matters and has been a member and Chair of the Investigation Committee of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia from 2008 to 2018.
He currently serves as a Trustee and Board Chair of SIR Royalty Income Fund, a restaurant royalty income fund; a Director and Audit Committee Chair of Kadestone Capital Corp., a real estate company operating in British Columbia, Canada; and a Director and Audit Committee Chair of Sunniva Inc.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer, Canfor and Canfor Pulp, and Senior Vice President, Sustainability
- Investor Contact
- Role of Chief Financial Officer ( CFO )
Pat Elliott was appointed to the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Canfor and Canfor Pulp in October 2021. He also retains his responsibilities as Senior Vice President, Sustainability, a role he's held since June 2020. Pat has been an executive on Canfor's Finance team since 2011, after joining the company in 2001. Pat most recently served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance & Sustainability. He was previously Vice President, Corporate Finance and Strategy and prior to that Vice President and Treasurer.
Since 2013, he has been leading the financial analysis related to over $1 billion in mergers and acquisitions completed by the company.
Prior to joining Canfor, Patrick worked for six years at KPMG Chartered Accountants in audit and taxation. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia in 1995 and is a Chartered Accountant registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Board of Directors of Rotherham Holdings Ltd
Ross Smith, FCPA, FCA, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was elected to the Board of the Company in May 2009.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Board of Directors of Rotherham Holdings Ltd., a member of the Advisory Board of Marsh Canada Limited and Chairman of the Board for K-Bro Linen Inc., N&T Properties Ltd. and Kal Tire Holdings Ltd.
Mr. Smith had a successful 35 year career at KPMG LLP where he held various roles, including Managing Partner for British Columbia region and served for 13 years on the National Management Committee prior to his retirement in 1998. While in public practice, Mr. Smith served major public and private companies, many of which were in the forest industry, from an audit and securities perspective.
Mr. Smith has served on many charitable and community boards in a past member of the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia. Mr. Smith is also a former member of the Board of Directors of HSBC Bank Canada. Mr. Smith qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1962 and was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC) in 1990 and in 2010 was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the ICABC.
Mr. Smith is Chair at the Audit Committee and is a member of the Joint Management Resources and Compensation Committee.
Mr. Barrington-Foote was elected to the Board of the Company in April 2017. He is Chair of the Joint Management Resources and Compensation Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee.
He is currently the President of The Jim Pattison Group where his duties include oversight of several operating divisions within the group. He was previously the Managing Director, Accounting and has worked with The Jim Pattison Group since 2001 with oversight responsibility for accounting and tax related functions. From 1996-2001, he was associated with KPMG LLP, where he earned his CPA (CA) designation in 2001.
He obtained a degree in Business Administration (Hons.) from Simon Fraser University. Mr. Barrington-Foote is a former member of the Board of Directors of Just Energy Group Inc. from 2015-2017 and was a Director and Treasurer of the Rick Hansen Institute from 2010-2016 and received an award as one of Vancouver's Top 40 Under 40 in 2009.
Sandra Stuart, of Vancouver, British Columbia was appointed to the Boards of both Canfor Corporation and Canfor Pulp Products Ltd on June 15, 2021.
Ms. Stuart has had a successful international banking career that spans over 40 years. She is the former Executive Director, Group General Manager and President and CEO of HSBC Bank of Canada. She has also served on the boards of HSBC Bank of Canada and as the Chair of the Board for HSBC Global Asset Management (Canada) Limited.
In addition, Ms. Stuart currently serves on the boards of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, Belkorp Industries Inc. and DRI Healthcare Trust.
Active in her community, she has been a member of the Business Council of Canada, a Governor of both the Business Council of British Columbia and Pathways to Education Canada, Leadership Co-Chair for the United Way of the Lower Mainland and member of the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Sauder School of Business Faculty Advisory Board.
Ms. Stuart has been recognized by the Association of Women in Finance for Excellence in the Private Sector and the Women's Executive Network as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women, in 2014. In 2015, she was acknowledged as one of British Columbia's Most Influential Women by BC Business and awarded the inaugural Deloitte Inclusion Vanguard Award in 2016. In 2019, she became a Catalyst Canada Honours Champion.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Executive Vice President, North American Operations
Stephen Mackie was appointed Executive Vice President, North American Operations in February 2020, with responsibility for leadership of the wood products operations in Canada and the US South. In this critical role he leverages and optimizes Canfor's operations across North America and enables the company to more efficiently meet customer demand. In addition, Stephen continues to focus on supporting employees with their leadership and development.
Stephen has been with Canfor since 2005 and most recently served as Senior Vice President, Canadian Operations where he was responsible for the company's wood products business in Canada including lumber, pellet and green energy manufacturing facilities along with all woodlands operations. At Canfor, he has also held positions as Vice President, Operations Canada and Director, Capital and Strategic Projects where he aligned business and customer needs by overseeing more than $450 million in capital investments and supported Canfor's expansion into the southeast United States.
Prior to Canfor, he was with Weldwood of Canada for almost 10 years and worked in operations, capital planning and marketing to align fibre characteristics and manufacturing capabilities to meet customer needs.
Stephen's extensive experience in wood products manufacturing and woodlands management places him in an ideal position to help Canfor meet the rapidly changing needs of the modern forest industry and growing global markets. He supports the sector by serving on the BC Forest Safety Council Board and the Council of Forest Industries' Management Committee.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President, Global Business Development
Susan Yurkovich was appointed Senior Vice President of Global Business Development in October 2022 and is providing strategic guidance and oversight of the Company's efforts to increase innovation, build out a bio-innovation portfolio and advance global expansion.
Susan has worked in the natural resources sector for more than 25 years, including in executive roles at Canfor and BC Hydro. Prior to re-joining Canfor, she served as President and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries and President of the BC Lumber Trade Council where she led the industry's advocacy efforts and represented the sector on trade related matters, including the Canada US softwood lumber dispute.
She currently serves as a Director of Centerra Gold and FortisBC and is a member of the Faculty Advisory Board at UBC's Sauder School of Business. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia, a Diploma in International Business from Erasmus University, Netherlands and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Mr. Baird is a Senior Business Advisor to various enterprises and a former Senior Cabinet Minister in the Government of Canada.
Job Titles:
- Quality Control Technician / Darlington, South Carolina
1999 was the year that I started with Canfor. What I love about this company is that they are willing to develop their employees. I started here not knowing how to grade lumber or read a tape measure, but I was taught those skills. Now, I work as a Quality Control Technician, making sure that our products are optimized for our customers around the world. At Canfor, there's always something to learn and an opportunity to improve. I have witnessed and believe in the growth of the company, and the future looks bright.
Job Titles:
- Canada Chairman and CEO of Westshore Terminals Investment Corporation
Mr. Stinson spent the majority of his business career with Canadian Pacific Ltd. retiring as Chairman and CEO in 1996 after 11 years in that position. He has served on a wide variety of boards and has held the positions of Chairman of Sun Life Financial, Chairman of the Executive Committee of United Dominion Industries and Lead Director of CHC Helicopters Ltd. He is currently a Director of Westshore Terminals Investment Corporation.
Mr. Stinson is currently the Canada Chairman and CEO of Westshore Terminals Investment Corporation. He is also a member of the Audit Committee, the Joint Environment, Health and Safety Committee, the Joint Management Resources and Compensation Committee and the Joint Capital Expenditure Committee.