Sollio Cooperative Group’s 101st Annual General Meeting
Composition of Board of Directors
Quebec City, February 24, 2023 – The day after Sollio Cooperative Group’s 101st Annual General Meeting, the new Board of Directors held its first meeting to elect the President and vice-Presidents. Following a democratic vote, the members of the Board of Directors elected:
- Richard Ferland, President
- David Mercier, Vice-President
- Jean Bissonnette, Vice-President
As of today, Sollio Cooperative Group welcomes Richard Ferland as the new President of the Board of Directors, succeeding Ghislain Gervais who had held this position since 2016.
Mr. Ferland is a dairy and maple producer from the Beauce region. He has sat on Sollio Cooperative Group’s Board of Directors since 2014.
“I am deeply honoured to take on the role of President of Sollio Cooperative Group—a cooperative that has been contributing to the prosperity of farming families for over a century. I am grateful to the members of Board of Directors for the trust they have placed in me and am fully aware of the great responsibilities that this role entails. I would like to thank Mr. Gervais for his dedication to the cooperative and his tireless advocacy of the interests of agricultural producers in his seven years as President. I am ready to pursue this mission with passion to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our members,” said Mr. Ferland.
Ghislain Gervais, outgoing Sollio Cooperative Group President, also expressed his congratulations to the newly elected President: “After seven years as President of the Board of Directors, I am now handing over the reins to Mr. Ferland. I would like to congratulate him on his appointment and wish him every success in his new role. I would also like to thank my Board colleagues who have been a real pleasure to work with over the years. I would also like to thank the network’s elected representatives and Sollio Cooperative Group’s Executive Committee. It has been a great honour and privilege to lead Sollio Cooperative Group, a Quebec flagship with over one hundred years of rich history.”
Sollio Cooperative Group welcomes three new members to the Board of Directors. Four other directors had their terms renewed.
Sollio welcomes three new directors
Today, Sollio Cooperative Group welcomes three new members to its Board of Directors, including a guest director.
Jean-François Roy, a director at Vivaco, groupe coopératif, has four years of experience in the administration of agricultural cooperatives. He is the sole owner of Ferme Marjobert inc. and owns 170 hectares of land. From a young age, he has been involved in various organizations, including the Relève Agricole and the Club-conseil Agro-Champs in Thetford Mines. Mr. Roy has been mayor of his municipality for 17 years and a member of the Cooperative Pork Network since 2015. He has served as vice-president of the Agriconseil network since the same year.
Jeannine Chartrand has co-owned a pork business in central Quebec since 1995. Ms. Chartrand graduated from the ITA de Saint-Hyacinthe in animal production and has 10 years’ experience as director of an agricultural cooperative. She has taken courses in administration at UQTR and is actively involved various organizations, including as vice-president at Caisse Desjardins de Nicolet. Ms. Chartrand is also a director, member of the executive and treasurer of the board of the Éleveurs de porcs du Centre-du-Québec and the Regional UPA.
Paule Têtu has also joined the Board of Directors as a guest director. She brings strategic planning expertise in the forestry sector, having held various management and leadership roles in public- and private-sector organizations. A graduate in forestry engineering from Université Laval with a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in the United States, she currently sits on the boards of Solifor and the non-profit Les Amis du Mont-Sainte-Anne. She has also held senior management positions at Kruger Inc., the Institut national de recherche sur les produits du bois and the Association des industries forestières du Québec. She was recognized by the Conseil du statut de la femme as one of 400 women who made a special contribution to the development of Quebec society.
“I am very pleased to welcome these three new directors to our Board of Directors. Their election demonstrates their commitment to our organization and their desire to play an active role in key decision making,” said Mr. Ferland.
Richard Ferland, Jean Bissonnette, Normand Lapointe and François R. Roy were also re-elected to a new term on the Board of Directors. Their experience and vision are valuable assets for Sollio Cooperative Group, and their re-election is a testament to their commitment to the cooperative.
Outstanding dedication
Mr. Ferland also expressed his admiration for the remarkable dedication of the outgoing directors, Muriel Dubois and Jean-Philippe Côté.
“I would like to express my appreciation for the work done by Muriel and Jean-Philippe on our Board of Directors. Their commitment to our organization and agricultural expertise have been invaluable to our company. I thank them for their contribution to the development of our cooperative and wish them every success in their future endeavours.”
The composition of the 2023–2024 Board of Directors is as follows:
Sector 1: Richard Ferland, Denis Lévesque, Adrien Pitre and Patrick Soucy
Sector 2: Jean-François Roy, Jeannine Chartrand and Marc-André Roy
Sector 3: Jean Bissonnette, Ghislain Gervais and Guy Labrecque
Sector 4: Normand Lapointe, David Mercier and Cathy Fraser
Sector 5: Lucie Boies
Sector 6: Sophie Gendron
Guest Directors: François R. Roy and Paule Têtu
Sollio Cooperative Group’s 2022 Annual Report and its Corporate and Cooperative Responsibility Report are available on the organization’s website. They provide detailed information such as the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD & A), consolidated financial statements, results of the business divisions, as well as the organization’s overall corporate responsibility action plan and results.
About Sollio Cooperative Group
Sollio Cooperative Group is Canada’s largest agricultural cooperative with Quebec roots. Founded in 1922, we cultivate, grow, produce, process and build the economy of tomorrow. We are 15,850 employees and 7,000 affiliated cooperative workers. With 48 agricultural and consumer cooperatives and over 123,000 members, producers, and consumers, Sollio Cooperative Group helps feed people by helping farm families prosper, ensuring a sustainable future for everyone. Sollio Cooperative Group’s three divisions, Sollio Agriculture, Olymel L.P. and BMR Group Inc., contribute to regional economic and social development, generating sales of $8.9 billion (over $11.6 billion, including affiliated cooperatives). Sollio Cooperative Group is ranked among Canada’s best-managed companies. To learn more, visit sollio.coop.
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Source:
Sollio Cooperative Group
For information:
Anouk Petit, Director of Communications
514-803-5158 | anouk.petit@sollio.coop