Marc Poulin appointed CEO of Sobeys Inc.
STELLARTON, NS, June 7 2012 /CNW/ - Empire Company Limited's Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Marc Poulin as President & Chief Executive Officer of Sobeys Inc. In his new capacity, Mr. Poulin will also serve on the Board of Directors of Empire.
Mr. Poulin replaces Bill McEwan who announced in February his intention to step down from the role. The appointment is effective June 29, 2012.
"We are delighted to have such a seasoned and highly qualified food retailer with a solid reputation across our industry and proven capabilities to lead Sobeys' food focused strategy forward," said Rob Dexter, Chair, Empire Company Limited. "Under Marc's operational leadership our business in Québec has thrived and is widely recognized as amongst the best food store portfolios in North America."
Since joining the company in 1997, Mr. Poulin has held progressively senior positions. He has led the company's operations in Québec since 2001, most recently as President, IGA Operations Business Unit, Sobeys Inc.
Commenting on behalf of Sobey family members of the Empire Board of Directors, Paul D. Sobey said: "As we welcome Marc into his new role within the organization, we must also thank and pay tribute to Bill McEwan for his experienced and principled leadership of Sobeys Inc. over the past eleven-and-a-half years. Our shareholders, employees and the millions of customers across the country who shop in our stores on a weekly basis have directly benefitted from Bill's outstanding contributions in leading this company and in his efforts to advance the interests of the Canadian food industry."
About Marc Poulin
Work
Mr. Poulin has more than 30-years experience in the food retailing,
packaged goods and financial services industries. He began his career
in Montréal with Secor Consulting where he worked as a Marketing
Analyst from 1982-1983. After obtaining his MBA, he returned to Canada
and between1985-1986 worked in the marketing department for Unilever
Canada. Between 1986 and 1993 he held progressively senior marketing
and merchandising roles with Provigo Inc., including Senior Director of
Marketing and Merchandising. From 1994-1995, Mr. Poulin worked for
Culinar Inc. as General Manager of the company's Fine Bread and Soup
division before accepting the position of Vice President of Corporate
Marketing for Desjardins-Laurentian Life Group. In 1997 he joined the
Oshawa Group as Vice President, Grocery Merchandising, becoming an
employee of Sobeys Inc. in 1998 when it acquired the Oshawa Group. In
2001, Mr. Poulin was appointed President of Operations, Sobeys Québec,
a role he held until appointed President, IGA Operations Business Unit
in 2011.
Education
Mr. Poulin earned his Bachelor of Actuarial Science degree from the
Université Laval (1982) and holds a Masters of Management (Marketing)
degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University (1985).
Community
Mr. Poulin is an active member of his community serving on the Board of
Directors for the Montréal Heart Institute Foundation, as a volunteer
for the United Way of Greater Montréal and as President of the Québec
Chess Federation. He is a past board member of the Montreal Board of
Trade, and a former participant (1987) in the Governor General's
Canadian Leadership Conference. In 2010 he was recognized as one of
Québec's top business leaders by Perform Québec.
About Empire Company
Empire Company Limited is a Canadian company (TSX:EMP.A) headquartered
in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's core businesses include food
retailing and related real estate. With over $16 billion in annual
sales and approximately $6.5 billion in assets, Empire and its related
companies employ approximately 49,000 people. More information about
Empire can be found at www.empireco.ca.
About Sobeys Inc.
Proudly Canadian, with headquarters in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Sobeys
has been serving the food shopping needs of Canadians for 104 years. A
wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, Sobeys owns or
franchises more than 1,300 stores in all 10 provinces under retail
banners that include Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, and Thrifty Foods,
as well as Lawton's Drug Stores. Sobeys and its franchise affiliates
employ more than 95,000 people. The company's goal is to be widely
recognized as the best food retailer and workplace environment in
Canada. More information on Sobeys Inc. can be found at www.sobeyscorporate.com.
Image with caption: "Marc Poulin, newly appointed President & CEO of Sobeys Inc. (CNW Group/Sobeys Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120627_C6684_PHOTO_EN_15796.jpg
