The Board of Directors of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) today announced the upcoming retirement of its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Steven R. Webb (PhD). Webb’s last day at GIFS will be in the first quarter of 2026, following more than 30 years of impactful leadership in public-private partnerships across the agriculture and food sector in Canada and internationally.
“We are deeply grateful for Steve’s visionary leadership, which has helped transform GIFS into a strong innovation catalyst that drives collaboration to boost Canada’s agricultural productivity, expand the impact of the agri-food sector and enhance global competitiveness,” said GIFS Board Chair Alanna Koch.
“Under his leadership, GIFS has strengthened its ability to deliver innovation that advances global, sustainable food security.”
During his time at GIFS, Webb led the design and refresh of the institute’s strategy and launched a number of flagship initiatives, including GIFS’ FCC Breeding Acceleration, Biomanufacturing and Innovation Thought Leadership programs. He championed the development of its platform technologies including Engineering Biology, High-Throughput Genotyping and Bioinformatics, while helping secure more than $44 million in investments over the past four years to strengthen agriculture and food innovation in Canada and beyond.