Speakers

Dana McCauley

Canadian Food Innovation Network

Dana McCauley is a value proposition driven innovator who has successfully launched many food products and programs in collaboration with domestic and international food companies and entrepreneurs.

Beyond her corporate experiences in marketing, product development and creative services, Dana brings not-for-profit and academic expertise to her role. She was the founding Executive Director for Food Starter, a Toronto based food business incubator and accelerator that was recognized with an Ontario Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. As Director of New Venture Creation at the University of Guelph, Dana enabled agri-food innovators to transform their inventions into innovations that grow the economy and enhances Canada's international reputation.

Dana has been a food media personality and keynote speaker. She is the President of the SIAL Canada Innovation Award jury. In 2017, Dana was recognized by WXN as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category.

Dr. Shannon Hood-Niefer

Chief Technology Officer

Sunnydale Foods

Shannon loves food. With degrees in nutrition (B.Sc.) and food science (B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and as an experienced food scientist, Shannon has assisted hundreds of food and food ingredient companies develop new products. Shannon links technical solutions with strategy and leadership. In addition to her doctorate, Shannon earned an MBA to sharpen her skills in the business of science.

She served as the VP of Innovation at the Saskatchewan Food Centre for 10 years and currently is the Chief Technology Officer at Sunnydale Foods, a pulse ingredient company located in Saskatchewan.

She is passionate about agriculture and the role food plays in nourishment, health, community, family, and entertainment. Outside her profession, family and sport plays an integral part in her life. Shannon loves to be outside, and enjoys cycling, hiking, skiing, and backpacking.

Myles Hamilton

President

CanMar Foods

Myles spent the first six years of his career at Procter & Gamble (P&G). Following P&G, he spent most of his 15-year career as the Western Canada Vice President at Frito Lay Canada (now called PepsiCo Foods Ltd).

Always having the dream to be an entrepreneur, at the age of 45 he left his role as Vice President of PepsiCo Foods Ltd to purchase an equity position in Spitz Sunflower Seeds.

Following the successful exit at Spitz Sunflower Seeds, Myles, along with Hokanson Capital from Edmonton bought Regina based CanMar Foods Ltd. CanMar Foods is the largest producer of Food Grade Flax in Canada with 30 employees. These products are sold in 20 countries around the world including all major Grocery stores in Canada, Costco Canada, USA, Japan Spain. The company has a fully integrated 20,000-acre Farm operation growing their own conventional and organic Flax and Hemp.

Myles holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Washington State University, College of Business and Economics graduating with Honors in 1984. He also completed an Executive Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2010.

Elaine Watson

Editor

FoodNavigator-USA

An award-winning journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in multimedia business-to-business journalism and events management on both sides of the Atlantic, Elaine has covered a diverse range of topics from nutrigenomics to corporate espionage.

Elaine moved from the UK to the US in 2011, and as editor of FoodNavigator-USA.com – a leading online b2b title in the US food and beverage industry – she has helped to establish the site as a pre-eminent source of news and analysis on hot button issues from cultured meat and alternative proteins to CBD and labeling conventions in plant-based foods and beverages.

John Cote

Founder

Black Fox Farm & Distillery

John, together with his wife Barbara, currently operate a unique farming operation in the Canadian prairies. Black Fox Farm and Distillery focuses on using their skills in agriculture to produce many of the ingredients used in the creation of high quality gin, liqueurs and whisky.

John and Barb have been recognized as the Outstanding Young Farmers of Saskatchewan and Canada (which was a long time ago!) and were the SABEX Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018.

John is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture as well as a graduate of the Canadian Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Program from the University of Laval and the University of Saskatchewan and was awarded a Nuffield Farming scholarship in 2018.

Never one to miss a marketing opportunity, John would like to make everyone aware they are all welcome to visit the distillery in Saskatoon, and hear more of that story.

Riana Lynn

Founder

Journey Foods

Riana is the founder of Journey Foods, a food tech company that supports cutting-edge product management and data services for food businesses.

A biologist turned serial entrepreneur, Riana has developed high-growth, nationally recognized technology and food businesses. Her accomplishments include being featured on MIT’s 35 under 35, as well as being profiled on CNBC, Forbes, USA Today, Wired, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, Food Tank and more.

Meghan Gervais

Intellectual Property Manager

Protein Industries Canada

Meghan Gervais, Intellectual Property Manager, works with members to develop IP strategies for PIC funded projects and is responsible for the creation and ongoing maintenance of PIC’s IP Registry and the implementation of the Supercluster’s IP policies.

Based in Saskatoon, Meghan also serves as the Regional Program Specialist for Saskatchewan.

Meghan’s career has spanned a range of management, commercialization and engineering roles in Saskatchewan’s value-added processing sector within the Saskatchewan Research Council and POS Bio-Sciences.

Meghan is a registered Professional Engineer in Saskatchewan and sits on the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.

Lyle Orwig

Chairman and Partner

Charleston | Orwig

From his youth on a family farm in east-central Illinois through his rise to state office in FFA and graduation from the University of Illinois and, ultimately, the founding of a nationally known agriculture communications agency 26 years ago, Lyle Orwig has maintained a focus on and passion for agriculture, marketing communications, reputation management and corporate social responsibility programs.

As chairman and founding partner of Charleston│Orwig, Lyle is involved with such clients as Arm & Hammer, Dairyland Seed, Illinois Soybean Association, McCormick and Zoetis, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s global initiative to eradicate malaria by 2040.

Lyle is a passionate and respected spokesperson and ambassador to the agriculture and food industries. Lyle’s service to the agriculture industry includes serving on the National FFA Foundation Board of Trustees, National Association of Farm Broadcasting Foundation Board and the Farm Journal Foundation Board, providing counsel for the Farmers Feeding the World Initiative.

Lyle has been recognized by many in agriculture and communications. Past awards include: “National Communicator of the Year” from the National Agri-Marketing Association for his astute marketing of agricultural products and services; the National Association of Farm Broadcasters’ Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award, the group’s highest recognition for a non-broadcaster; the ACES Award of Merit; Lyle was one of the first inductees into the ARC Public Relations Hall of Fame; and, In 2019, he was recognized by the Livestock Publications Council with their “Headliner” Award for lifetime meritorious service to the livestock industry. Additionally, in 2019, Lyle was presented with the National FFA Award for his service as chair of the FFA Foundation Board.

Rob Hendry

Partner

Miller Thomson Avocats | Lawyers

Rob Hendry is an intellectual property lawyer, Canadian and U.S. patent agent, and Canadian trademark agent, with a focus on patent prosecution, large portfolio management, technology-related due diligence, strategic advising and technology commercialization.

With a business-focused approach arising from his years as in-house counsel with a multinational group of energy companies, Rob looks for the value he can bring to clients wherever they are and whatever they need to accomplish.

Rob has provided cost-effective and strategically focused legal services to clients over the past two decades, across numerous sectors and industries.