Private Business Growth Award Announces 2014 Jury Members

The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Photo: Business Wire)

TORONTO--()--The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP are pleased to announce the distinguished jury for the 2014 Private Business Growth Award:

  • The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
  • Christiane Bergevin, Executive Vice President, Desjardins Group Partnerships and Business Development, Desjardins Group
  • Peggy Cunningham, Dean of the Faculty of Management and RA Jodrey Chair, Dalhousie University
  • Sean Stanleigh, Report on Small Business, Globe and Mail
  • Malcolm Hunter, President and Chief Operating Officer, Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada
  • Phil Noble, FCA, Executive Partner and CEO, Grant Thornton LLP
  • John E. Peller, LLB, President and CEO, Andrew Peller Limited
  • Paul Straus, President Home Hardware Stores Limited

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Grant Thornton LLP first launched the Private Business Growth Award in 2013 to recognize Canadian privately-held businesses that are successful at creating growth beyond their top or bottom line. The jury will be looking for companies whose growth strategy encompasses a broad range of activities across their business, such as:

  • Innovation (product and service development; improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes);
  • Market development (go-to-market strategy, expansion into new domestic or international markets);
  • People and culture (helping employees learn and develop as a critical part of overall growth);
  • Strategic leadership (leadership team, strategic direction, succession planning, stakeholder relations, community involvement); and
  • Improvements in financial measures (revenue growth and profitability improvement).

Finalists for the award will be announced at the end of October, and celebrated as the guests of honour at a gala dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto on November 19, 2014, when the winner will be announced. The winning business will receive a specially-commissioned Private Business Growth Award commemorative statue and will have their accomplishments highlighted on the Private Business Growth Award website, in print advertisements and in a news release. The winning business will also receive a one-year complimentary membership to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and accounting/advisory services from Grant Thornton LLP, valued at $10,000.

The award is open to Canadian-owned, privately-held businesses with annual revenues over $5 million. The deadline for submissions was September 19.

For more information or to make a nomination or submission, please visit www.privatebusinessgrowthaward.com.

About Grant Thornton LLP
Grant Thornton LLP is a leading Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing audit, tax and advisory services to private and public organizations. We help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Together with the Quebec firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton in Canada has approximately 4,000 people in offices across Canada. Grant Thornton LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose member firms operate in over 100 countries worldwide.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the vital connection between business and the federal government. Through its network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 200,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy and in all regions, it helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families across Canada.


2014 Private Business Growth Award
Jury Member Biographies

The Honourable Perrin Beatty
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Honourable Perrin Beatty is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 200,000-member Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s largest and most representative national business association. Mr. Beatty is the principal spokesperson advocating the policy positions of the Canadian Chamber’s members to the federal government, international organizations, the media and the general public. Prior to joining the Canadian Chamber in August 2007, Mr. Beatty was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). A descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, Mr. Beatty grew up in Fergus, Ontario and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1971. In 1972, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative, and in 1979, he was appointed Minister of State (Treasury Board) in the government of Joe Clark. He held six additional portfolios in subsequent Progressive Conservative governments, including National Revenue in 1984, Solicitor General in 1985, National Defence in 1986, Health and Welfare in 1989, Communications in 1991, and Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1993.

Christiane Bergevin, ICD.D.
Executive Vice-President
Desjardins Group Partnerships and Business Development
Office of the President
Desjardins Group
Christiane joined the Desjardins Group in August 2009 to build an M&A practice and to spearhead key strategic partnerships and investments in Canada and abroad. She is a member of Desjardins Group's Risk committee and of the organization’s Strategic Development committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of Desjardins Financial Corporation, the Group's financial holding. In September 2013, her mandate was expanded to include business development across business lines. She has contributed in creating a growth-driven culture by successfully leading Desjardins' Canada-wide foray in financial services distribution. Previously, she served as President of SNC-Lavalin Capital, as well as roles with Standard Life and Export Development Canada. Christiane serves as a Director of Talisman Energy, Yamana Gold, Q-Trade Financial Group and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She is a former Director of the Caisse de Dépôt and Placement du Québec, Business Development Bank of Canada, Fiera Capital, Tennis Canada and was also on the executive committee of the Board of Directors of Montreal Board of Trade. Recognized in the Top 100 most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network, Christiane also made the Top 25 list of the Finance et Investissement magazine in 2011, 2012 and 2014. She is a graduate of McGill University (BCom) and of the Advanced Management Program of the Wharton School of Business.

Peggy Cunningham
Dean Faculty of Management and RA Jodrey Chair
Dalhousie University
Dr. Peggy Cunningham is the Dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University and the R.A. Jodrey Chair. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, her teaching and research expertise fall within the areas of ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, strategy and marketing. Her research is published in a number of journals, including the the Journal of Business Ethics, theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the California Management Review, and the Journal of International Marketing. She has written over 40 cases and multiple editions of three marketing textbooks. Professor Cunningham is an acclaimed teacher and has received the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Leaders in Management Education award, the Academy of Marketing Science’s Outstanding Teacher, and the Frank Knox Award for Teaching Excellence.
Dr. Cunningham received her Ph.D. in marketing from Texas A&M University. She joined Dalhousie University in January 2009. Before joining Dalhousie, she was a professor at Queen’s School of Business, where she worked for 19 years. Dr. Cunningham has also worked in the U.K., Germany, China, and the U.S. She was in industry before becoming an academic, and currently sits on a corporate board of a public company as well as a number of non-profit boards.

Malcolm Hunter
President and Chief Operating Officer
Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada
Malcolm Hunter is President and Chief Operating Officer of Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada, the largest independent motorcycle distributor in Canada and the largest single Customer of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company in the world, with offices and warehouse facilities in Richmond, British Columbia and Concord, Ontario. Mr. Hunter is a graduate of the Simon Fraser University Economics and Commerce Department, the Queen’s University Executive MBA Program and the Wharton School of Business Advanced Management Program, and achieved his Institute of Corporate Directors ICD Designation last year. Mr. Hunter sits on a number of committees with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company in the United States and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver. In the past, he has been Chair of the Vancouver Community College Foundation Board, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada and the Foundation for Fighting Blindness (formerly the RP Foundation). He was also past President of the BC Safety Council. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Mr. Hunter averages about 10,000 km per year from the saddle of his Harley-Davidson® motorcycle and participates in many of the company’s group rides.

Phil Noble, FCA
Executive Partner and Chief Executive Officer
Grant Thornton LLP
Mr. Noble has served as Executive Partner & Chief Executive Officer of Grant Thornton LLP in Canada since 2008. Internationally, he also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of Grant Thornton International Ltd., based in London, England, a position he has held since 2007. Grant Thornton has been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute® every year since Mr. Noble became CEO, reflecting his commitment and leadership in creating an environment where all of the firm's people can thrive, both professionally and personally. Mr. Noble began his Grant Thornton career in Vancouver in 1983 in the staff accountant role, and he rapidly progressed to become a Partner of the firm in 1990. He served in the role as Managing Partner of the firm’s Vancouver area offices from 1997 to 2007. In 2008 he and his family moved to Toronto and he assumed his current role as Chief Executive Officer of Grant Thornton LLP.

John E. Peller, LLB
President and Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Peller Limited
Mr. Peller was born in Hamilton, Ontario and attended the University of Western Ontario (LLB, 1980), Osgoode Hall, Toronto (Bar Admission Course, 1982), L'institute de Touraine, Tours, France (1984). He began his career with the law firm of Evans, Husband in Hamilton, Ontario, practising corporate and commercial law before moving to New Jersey as Manager, Corporate Planning and Development with Nabisco Brands Inc. Mr. Peller has been President & Chief Executive Officer for Andrew Peller Limited since 1994. Mr. Peller has been a Director and Chairman, Canadian Chamber of Commerce and is currently serving as Director, RBC Life Insurance Company of Royal Bank of Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executive Officers, the Chief Executives Organization, and the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Sean Stanleigh
Globe and Mail Report on Small Business
Mr. Stanleighis product manager of The Globe and Mail’s Report on Small Business and Globe Drive properties. He is also co-founder of The Entrepreneurship Society, which hosts quarterly networking events for high-growth business owners. Sean is a Futurpreneur mentor, an industry adviser to the JOLT Network at MaRS and to Startup Canada, and he sits on the advisory boards of several non-profit organizations.

Paul Straus
President
Home Hardware Stores Limited
Paul has been with Home Hardware Stores Limited, which in 2012 was recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies and ranked as one of Canada’s Most Valuable Brands, since its inception. He began working in the accounting department of Hollinger Hardware in 1963, prior to the emergence of the Home brand, and was responsible for designing, installing and programming Home’s first computer system. Over the course of his career, Paul advanced through the organization and ascended to various executive level positions. In 1989, he assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company as Executive Vice-President and General Manager. In 1998, he was appointed Vice-President and CEO and in April, 2010, President and CEO and elected to the Board of Directors of Home Hardware Stores Limited. From 2001-2009, Paul served on the CSA Group Board of Directors, the CSA Certification Board and the CSA Group Audit Committee. Mr. Straus served on the board of Programmed Insurance Brokers (PIB) and RWAM, a division of Home Hardware Financial Inc., and one of the largest third-party group insurance administrators in Canada. Paul currently serves on the Board and is President of Home Hardware Stores Limited.

Contacts

Grant Thornton LLP
Shari Burkholder, +1-(416)-360-5044
National Director, Marketing and Communications
shari.burkholder@ca.gt.com
or
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Emilie Potvin, +1-(613)-238-4000, ext. 231
Director, Public Affairs and Media Relations
epotvin@chamber.ca

Release Summary

Private Business Growth Award jury named.

Contacts

Grant Thornton LLP
Shari Burkholder, +1-(416)-360-5044
National Director, Marketing and Communications
shari.burkholder@ca.gt.com
or
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Emilie Potvin, +1-(613)-238-4000, ext. 231
Director, Public Affairs and Media Relations
epotvin@chamber.ca