Protein Industries Canada announces organizational changes

 Today, Protein Industries Canada announced that inaugural CEO, Bill Greuel, is leaving the organization. Greuel, who has been with the organization since October 2018, has accepted the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture with the Government of Saskatchewan. His last day with Protein Industries Canada will be July 31,2024.

“Bill has demonstrated strong leadership to Protein Industries Canada and has been instrumental in our success to date,” Chair of the Board of Directors Tyler Groeneveld said. “Under his leadership the organization has grown from one employee to 26, and currently manages investments worth more than half a billion dollars. We are grateful for Bill’s leadership and wish him well in his new role.”

The Board will announce the appointment of an interim CEO in the coming weeks.

Work is underway in the search for a permanent CEO. A CEO Search Committee, comprised of members of the Board of Directors and chaired by Annette Revet, chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, is in place. An executive search organization will be employed to assist with the search. The Board is working expeditiously to have a permanent CEO in place as soon as possible.

The Board is also announcing the departure of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Meghan Gervais. Gervais has been with Protein Industries Canada since spring 2019, serving as the CTO since May 2022, and previously as the Manager of Intellectual Property. Gervais has accepted the position of Vice-President Health, Safety and Compliance at Federated Co-op Ltd. Gervais’ last day will be July 31, 2024. The work of the CTO will be handled internally over the short-term.

“The Board of Directors and the Senior Leadership Team are dedicated to continuing the good work of Protein Industries Canada,” Groeneveld said. “Our priority is providing stability to the organization and the ecosystem, and I am confident that we will deliver on that. We remain committed to Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-products sector and will continue to support this important industry for Canada.”

Protein Industries Canada is one of five Global Innovation Clusters. Since its inception in 2018, Protein Industries Canada has collaborated on 72 projects, and along with industry has invested more than $579 million into the Canadian ecosystem. Through those investments there have been 455 IP assets created, and more than $350 million in follow-on investment attracted to the ecosystem. Protein Industries Canada believes that ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-products is a $25-billion-a-year industry for Canada and should be considered a key part of Canada’s industrial policy.