Philip Olsson, Chair

Philip Olsson is a partner in K J Harrison & Partners Inc., a privately-held investment firm for private individuals. He has had a career of more than 30 years in finance as an investor and investment and commercial banker, including Managing Director, Private Equity, at Altamira Investment Services Inc., where he restructured and oversaw Altamira's private equity functions. Prior to that he was Managing Director of Royal Bank Equity Partners Limited, the Royal Bank Financial Group's merchant banking unit, and, before that, was Vice Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities, Canada's largest investment bank.

Mr. Olsson holds BA and MBA degrees from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and studied monetary economics as a postgraduate at the London School of Economics. He holds a CBV designation from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators. He has long been active in community and civic affairs on behalf of such organizations as the United Way, the Shaw Festival, Trout Unlimited and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. He was appointed to the Board as Vice Chair in June, 2004, became Acting Chair and CEO on February 6, 2006, and Chair on March 8, 2007.

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Steve Diamond, Vice Chair

Steve Diamond is president of Diamondcorp, a real estate development and consulting business, and is a director of Whitecastle Investments. Prior to entering the real estate business, he was a partner at McCarthy Tetrault and head of its municipal and environmental law department. He also served as a director. In his practice, he acted as counsel on some of the largest and most sophisticated projects that have been approved in the Greater Toronto Area for both private and public sector clients.

He is active in the community, serving as chair of PAYE (Partnership to Advance Youth Employment), a director of the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and a member of Toronto mayor David Miller’s Committee on Community Safety.

Mr. Diamond received his LLB from the University of Western Ontario and was called to the Ontario bar in 1978. He gives back to the educational community through frequent lectures at local law schools and other educational organizations.

He was appointed to the Board in September, 2005.

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Geoffrey Larmer, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Governance and Compensation Committee

Geoffrey Larmer is President of Larmer Professional Corporation, North Bay, a law firm specializing in personal injury and insurance litigation. His practice gives him a unique perspective on social responsibility and liability, particularly in terms of underage alcohol consumption and the consequences of not drinking responsibly. His clients include victims of drinking and driving accidents.

He graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1989 with an honours degree in medical biophysics and in 1992 with a bachelor of laws degree. He articled with Bereskin & Parr, Toronto, where he trained in intellectual property, patent, trademark, copyright and related licensing matters.

He was called to the bar in 1994 and founded Larmer & Larmer Barristers, North Bay. Larmer Professional Corporation was formed in 2005.

He is a member of Nipissing Law Association, Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and a former director and past-president of the North Bay and District Humane Society.

He was appointed to the Board in May, 2006.

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Jay Lee, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Audit Committee

Jay Lee is a capital markets professional with wide experience in portfolio management, trading and analysis in U.S. and Canadian capital markets.

He is Director, Institutional Equity Trading, Blackmont Capital Inc., a Toronto based-investment dealer providing research, trading and investment banking services.

A Chartered Financial Analyst with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Toronto, he has a diverse background including trading and analysis in a broad array of sectors and products such as equities, equity and credit derivatives.

He was appointed to the LCBO Board in May, 2007.

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Penny Lipsett, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Governance and Compensation Committee

Penny Lipsett is an investor and government relations specialist.

She has spent much of her career in the political and business worlds. Following graduation from the University of Western Ontario, she worked on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as a special assistant to a cabinet minister (Judd Buchanan) during the Trudeau years. Following this and until 1992, she worked for Xerox Canada in increasingly responsible roles concluding with the management of all corporate affairs functions.

Ms. Lipsett returned to Parliament Hill as chief of staff to Justice minister Allan Rock from 1993 to 1995. Since 1995, she has run her own consulting practice with a focus on investor and government relations. Her clients include Sherritt International, Manulife Financial and the Westaim Corporation. She is on the board of bank holding company MBNA (Canada).

She was appointed to the LCBO Board in May, 2007.

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Laurel Murray, Member, LCBO Board, and Chair, Audit Committee

Laurel Murray is a chartered accountant with more than 18 years of senior management experience in the private and public sectors. Since 2000, Ms. Murray has headed up her own management consulting firm. Over the past 20 years, she has helped a number of federal and provincial agencies and ministries improve the way they manage risks, measure performance and improve accountability.

Ms. Murray is a proponent of good governance and oversight. She also has a keen interest in the environment. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning and reporting; performance measurement; integrated risk management; financial management, accounting and auditing; financial systems; project management; program implementation and organizational design.

She graduated with honours from Carleton University in 1986 with a bachelor of commerce degree. She received her chartered accountant designation from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1989. An active mother, wife and volunteer, Ms. Murray balances work and family while playing an active role to help those in need in her community.

She was appointed to the Board in August, 2005.

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Walter Sendzik, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Audit Committee

Walter Sendzik is executive vice-president and general manager of the St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce.

He is also a member of the board of directors of the Niagara Wine Festival, the Hotel Dieu Shaver Rehabilitation Centre, St. Catharines Museum and the St. Catharines and District United Way.

He founded Vines magazine, wrote Guide to Niagara’s Wine Country and is co-author of the Buyers’ Guide to Canadian Wine. He sold Vines to Osprey Media Group in 2003 when he joined that company as publisher of the Niagara magazine division, where he helped launch Niagara magazine.

He left Osprey to join the St. Catharines Chamber of Commerce in 2006 and oversaw the merger of the St. Catharines and Thorold chambers, which created one of the largest chambers of commerce in southern Ontario.

Walter was awarded the Bernie Gillespie Award by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for outstanding leadership, was a recipient of a Niagara’s Top 40 Under 40 award, the St. Catharines Volunteer Recognition Award and was a finalist in the Niagara Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

He was appointed to the Board in June, 2008.

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Jean Simpson, Member, LCBO Board, and Chair, Governance and Compensation Committee

Jean Simpson has had a lifelong interest in mental health, beginning her career as a nurse and moving into management at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

She then became Director of Mental Health Programs and Services at the Ministry of Health, returning to the Clarke Institute as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer and subsequently Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health when it was created in 1998.

She retired in June, 2003, but continues her work in mental health through membership of the board of the Ontario Council of Alternative Businesses, a not-for-profit organization with a provincial mandate to develop alternative businesses owned and operated by psychiatric survivors and consumers of the mental health system. As a former COO, she also coaches senior business executives.

She was appointed to the Board in November, 2004.

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Ramesh Srinivasan, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Audit Committee

Ramesh Srinivasan is a senior hospitality educator with more than 25 years of international experience in hospitality management. He holds a masters degree in hotel administration from Cornell-Essec in Paris, France. Areas of expertise include hotels, restaurants, catering and convention centre management, marketing and finance.

He is Professor of Hotel and Restaurant (Hospitality) Management, School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Toronto. Areas of specialization include food and wine pairing, revenue management, hospitality systems and controls, entrepreneurship, convention and meetings management.

His professional certifications include Certified Specialist of Wine; Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits; Certified Hospitality Educator; and Certified Foodservice Manager.

He is a member of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International; Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers; International Council on Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Education; Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals; Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association; Hotel Human Resource Professionals Association; and the National Association of Catering Executives; and Institute of Internal Auditors.

He was appointed to the LCBO Board in April, 2007.

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Harvey Strosberg, Member, LCBO Board, and Member, Governance and Compensation Committee

Harvey Strosberg, Q.C., is a senior partner at Sutts, Strosberg, LLP, Windsor. He has extensive trial and appellate experience in the areas of torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial disputes and class action litigation.

He was called to the bar in 1971, has been a bencher (director) of the Upper Canada Law Society since 1987 and was Treasurer (President) from 1997 to 1999. He is the editor of the Canadian Class Action Review. He is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Windsor. He teaches a course in class action law at the law schools at the University of Windsor and the University of Ottawa.

He was appointed to the LCBO Board in March, 2007.

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Bob Peter, President and Chief Executive Officer

Bob Peter is responsible for corporate leadership and providing a forum for consultation and dialogue with the trade on matters affecting the beverage alcohol industry. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, his career spans over 40 years in Canadian retailing, beginning with the Hudson's Bay Company in Winnipeg. He became Vice-President of Stores at The Bay and was appointed President of Simpsons. He later became President of The Bay, Chairman of Bay Specialty Stores and Executive Vice-President of the Hudson's Bay Company. He was appointed LCBO President and Chief Operating Officer in 2001 and President and Chief Executive Officer on January 11, 2007.

He has served as a cabinet member of the United Way of Greater Toronto and as a director of the Retail Council of Canada, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Junior Achievement and the Toronto Zoo.

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Alex Browning, Senior Vice-President, Finance & Administration, and Chief Financial Officer

Alex Browning is responsible for the areas of finance, financial control, financial planning and analysis, economic policy and planning, treasury, payroll, financial development, process analysis, and administrative services. He is also responsible for the LCBO's Risk Management program and his division is taking the lead on supply chain initiatives to improve the flow of goods through the system.

He has held a variety of positions in retail, systems and planning, policy development, pricing and finance since joining the LCBO in 1974. He was appointed Controller in 1989, Vice-President, Finance and Administration in 1993 and Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer in 2000.

He is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Fellow, Society of Management Accountants (FCMA), has bachelor's degrees in Administration from York University and in Adult Education from Brock University. He also has an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. He is a Certified Treasury Professional with the Association of Financial Professionals and a Certified Investment Manager with the Canadian Securities Institute.

He also holds the Lower and Higher Certificates from the Independent Wine and Spirits Guild. He is a former chair of the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario and a past member of the Public Accountants Council of Ontario.

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Bob Downey, Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing

Bob Downey oversees Sales and Marketing and is responsible for activities related to product purchasing, pricing administration, warehouse inventory management, in-store merchandising program development, marketing and customer research.

Bob joined the LCBO in 1981. He progressed through various retail, merchandising, category management and supply chain positions, assuming his current Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing role in 2002.

He holds an honours business degree with a marketing major from Ryerson University, Toronto and is a member of the Commanderie du Bontemps Médoc et des Graves and Keepers of the Quaich associations. In July 2008, Bob was honoured as Industry Champion by the Wine Council of Ontario for his outstanding level of effort in support of the Ontario Wine industry.

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Lesley de Boerr, Chief Audit Executive and Executive Director, Internal Audit Services

Lesley de Boerr joined the LCBO in 2007 in the newly-created role of Chief Audit Executive and Executive Director, Internal Audit Services. Her team brings a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. They assess and report on how well management measures and manages key risks, and thereby provide added accountability and transparency and support strong corporate governance.

At the Board level, Lesley reports to the Audit Committee and provides insights to the Governance and Compensation Committee. Internally, she reports to the Chief Financial Officer and provides guidance to senior and operational management across all divisions.

Lesley’s experience includes evaluating and providing guidance to companies in multiple industries, including brewery operations, retail, federal and provincial government, real estate, finance, manufacturing, media communications, and natural resources. Her career in auditing began as an external auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, then in internal audit in both the public and private sectors, with experience leading the enterprise-wide audit team at the Ontario government and subsequently at Deloitte’s Enterprise Risk Services with a focus on IT governance, systems and controls, in the retail industry and public sector.

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Mary Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice-President, General Counsel 
and Corporate Secretary

Mary Fitzpatrick provides legal services and strategic direction on matters involving legal issues to all LCBO divisions. These include privacy matters, intellectual property, real estate, labour and employment, advertising, procurement, international trade, public law, corporate governance and other commercial matters. She also oversees and directs all litigation involving the LCBO.

In addition, she provides legal advice to the Board and acts as Corporate Secretary to the Board and its Audit and Governance and Compensation Committees.

Mary received a BA from Queen’s University in Kingston and a law degree from Osgoode Hall (University of Toronto).

After her call to the Ontario Bar, Mary specialized in tax law at the Ministry of Revenue’s legal department where she acted as counsel and subsequently became director. She then joined the Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario) where she provided legal advice to the Ministry of Housing and later to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. She joined the LCBO in 1989 as Director of Legal Services. She became Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board in 1997 and Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 2000.

Mary holds memberships in the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Association of Canadian General Counsel and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

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Roy Ecker, Senior Vice-President, Retail Operations

Roy Ecker is responsible for the overall operations of all LCBO stores and provides direction to retail regional directors. He oversees such key activities as customer service, sales, retail inventory and the financial management of store operations. He has been with the LCBO since 1978 in both the human resources and retail divisions. He has been a manager of corporate training, and a district manager and regional director in both the Eastern and Central regions. He was appointed Vice-President, Store Operations, in 2002 and Senior Vice-President, Retail Operations in 2003. He holds Bachelor's degrees in both Environmental Studies (University of Waterloo) and Education (University of Toronto).

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Murray Kane, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources

Murray Kane is responsible for human resources programs and services that help the LCBO meet its strategic goals. This includes compensation and benefits, health, safety and wellness, human resource services, leadership and organization development, employee relations and workplace diversity and the Ombuds office.

He has more than 25 years of senior HR management experience in both the public and private sectors. He joined the LCBO in 1988 as Vice-President, Human Resources and became Senior Vice-President, Human Resources in 2000. He has a Masters of Education in Adult Learning from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University in Montreal; and has earned the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation. He is also a Certified Professional Coach through the Adler School of Professional Coaching as well as a Certified Executive Coach through Royal Roads University. Murray holds the Human Resources Compensation Committee Certified (HRCC) designation from McMaster University and the Director's College.

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Hugh Kelly, Senior Vice-President, Information Technology

Hugh Kelly is responsible for leveraging information and technologies in support of operational and business advancement. Key strategies include an evolutionary, as opposed to a revolutionary, approach and an emphasis on the use and exploitation of information rather than technology. The vision for the use of technology within the LCBO is predicated on a focus on the customer and enterprise-wide approach with an accent on being a key enabler in business process re-engineering initiatives. With the advent of web-based and wireless solutions, information security, privacy and corporate governance issues are critical.

He has more than 35 years experience in information technology in both the private and public sectors. This includes several years in consulting as well as being Chief Information Officer (CIO) with two multi-billion dollar retail organizations. He has served on the provincial and national boards of the Canadian Information Processing Society, the e-business advisory committee and the CIO Council of the Retail Council of Canada, and the CIO Council of the Conference Board of Canada. He joined the LCBO in 1994 as Director of Strategic Information Technology Planning, becoming Vice-President of Information Technology in 1994 and Senior Vice-President of Information Technology in 2000.

He was named Chief Information Officer of the Year by the Canadian Information Productivity Awards in November 2007. The award honours companies and individuals for inspirational leadership in the strategic application of information and communications technologies to transform organizations.

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Dr. George Soleas, Senior Vice-President, Logistics and Quality Assurance

George Soleas joined the LCBO in 1996 as Director of Quality Assurance, overseeing the laboratory and quality services processes that ensure LCBO products are safe to drink and of a high quality. The LCBO became the first liquor jurisdiction in the world to be doubly accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

In March 2009, George’s areas of responsibility were expanded to encompass Logistics, which involves procuring and distributing LCBO products. He oversees Customs and Excise clearances, transportation, warehousing and private ordering operations. He also supports supply chain projects to improve the flow of products through the logistics system.

George received his B.Sc. from McMaster University and M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. His areas of interest have been the analytical and biochemical aspects of beverage alcohol constituents and their absorption and bioavailability in humans. He trained in Oenology at U.C. Davis and spent 11 years with the Canadian wine industry as a Director of Research and Quality Assurance for a major winery and Chaired the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Canadian Wine Institute for nine years.

George is Chair of the National Quality Assurance Committee of the Canadian Association of Liquor Jurisdictions. He represents the LCBO on many prestigious committees, including the “Expert Committee” of the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG), the American Society for Enology and Viticulture technical committee and Viticulture Institute (Brock University) where he is also a professional affiliate. He has a Masters Certificate in Supply Chain & Logistics Management from York University and is an affiliate of the McMaster Institute for Transportation & Logistics and member of the Supply Chain and Logistics Management Institute.

In February 2009, George received the Ontario Imported Wine-Spirits-Beer Association’s Industry Partnership Award.

His oenological and biochemical research has led to eight book chapters, 44 peer reviewed publications and several national and international industry and scientific presentations devoted to beverage alcohol.

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Jackie Bonic, Vice-President, Store Development & Real Estate

Jackie Bonic is responsible for managing the store network planning and development process. This includes the retail planning process that ensures LCBO stores are located in areas that are convenient to customers and in formats that will enhance return on investment. Responsibilities include retail design, construction of new stores, renovation of existing stores, leases renewals and the rolling out of new agency stores.

She is a graduate of the interior design program, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba, and has an MBA from the University of Toronto. She was in private practice as a partner with a Toronto firm and worked for a major property developer before joining the LCBO in 1992 as Director, Store Development & Real Estate. She was appointed Vice-President in 2000.

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Nancy Cardinal, Vice-President, Marketing and
Customer Insights

Nancy Cardinal is responsible for developing the corporate marketing strategy and communicating the LCBO brand to consumers, both in stores and in publications, including FOOD & DRINK. Marketing and Customer Insights ensures that all points of contact between the LCBO and its customers are consistent and express the LCBO brand. She joined the LCBO in 1989 and was appointed Vice-President in 2000.

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Shari Mogk-Edwards, Vice-President, Merchandising

Shari Mogk-Edwards oversees the Merchandising department in the Sales and Marketing division. Shari works closely with the Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing to determine both short and long-term strategies for the Merchandising department.

Shari is also responsible for overseeing the Pricing Administration and Category Management activities of the two LCBO business units: Wines and Spirits & Beer. Merchandising covers product buying (except VINTAGES), warehouse inventory management, collaborative planning with suppliers and agents, sale-of-space programs, shelf-management strategies and business plan development for the two LCBO business units and the other Merchandising departments.

For the past 28 years, Shari has held progressively responsible positions with the LCBO in Retail, Logistics and Sales and Marketing. She was promoted to Vice-President, Merchandising in October 2008. Prior to this, Shari was Director, VINTAGES Sales and Purchasing for five years and Director of Spirits for four years.

Shari has represented the LCBO and VINTAGES on global buying trips since 1996 and has been an international wine judge since 1987. She holds the Higher Certificate from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and she has also completed several residence programs at the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and taken several courses at the Schulich School of Business and York University. Among her many awards is the inaugural Partnership Award from the Ontario Imported Wine-Spirit-Beer Association, which she won in 2006.

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Tom Wilson, Vice-President, VINTAGES

Tom Wilson is responsible for VINTAGES, the fine wine and premium spirits department of the LCBO. VINTAGES' mission is to search the world and provide our customers with an ever-changing assortment of the world's best fine wine and premium spirits. There are five VINTAGES stores, 28 VINTAGES boutiques and more than 150 VINTAGES sections in LCBO stores. To meet customer expectations in Ontario's increasingly sophisticated marketplace, VINTAGES releases products every two weeks into the retail network, three times a year through the Classics Catalogue and unique offers like Bordeaux Futures throughout the year. VINTAGES brought more than 4,250 products to market and hosted more than 20 world-class tasting and consumer events in 2004-05.

He has held a variety of positions in retail, logistics, planning, inventory management and strategic planning since joining the LCBO in 1974. He was appointed Director, Planning, in 1985; Director, VINTAGES, in 1992; and Vice-President, VINTAGES, in 2000. He has a Bachelor of Administrative Studies degree from York University and the higher certificate from the Independent Wine Education Guild.

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Bill Kennedy, Executive Director, Corporate Communications

Bill Kennedy is responsible for bringing plans, initiatives and information concerning the LCBO to the attention of the general public and stakeholders. Corporate Communications serves as the corporate focal point for media relations, provides communications advice and services to LCBO management and staff, takes a leadership role in employee communications and social responsibility advertising, and is responsible for French language services in compliance with the French Language Services Act.

He has more than 30 years' experience in communications, working in both the public and private sectors. LCBO Corporate Communications has received more than 80 awards in competitions, many of them international in scope, since he joined the LCBO in 1992 as Director, Corporate Communications. He was named Executive Director in 2000.

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Patrick Ford, Senior Director, Policy and Government Relations

Patrick Ford is responsible for providing policy advice to the Board and senior management consistent with the strategic objectives of the LCBO and the Government of Ontario. This includes policy analysis, new program development, issues management and liaison with government ministries on policies and programs that affect the LCBO and the beverage alcohol industry. Corporate Policy provides leadership in the areas of the Board’s regulatory role, environmental stewardship, social responsibility partnerships and international trade obligations, and is responsible for access to information and privacy-related issues under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

He joined the LCBO in 2001 following several years with the Ontario Public Service in a variety of social policy, marketplace policy and program roles in the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services. He was appointed Director in June 2006 and Senior Director in March 2007.

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Barry O'Brien, Director, Corporate Affairs

Barry O'Brien joined the LCBO in October 1997 as Director, Corporate Affairs. Now part of Policy & Government Relations, he is responsible for the development, implementation and co-ordination of a broad range of programs related to this department.

Barry is also responsible for managing the VINTAGES Auction division of the LCBO and developed this first commercial wine auction in Canada in 2002.

He began his career with the Government of Ontario in August 1995 as Senior Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Community and Social Services. In 1996, he was seconded to the Office of the Premier of Ontario as a senior advisor. In August 1996, he became Policy Advisor to the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, the Minister responsible for managing business and commercial policy in Ontario.

Barry completed his Masters of Public Administration degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in April 1995. He was also awarded a Masters of International Security Studies from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University, and the Higher Certificate from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London. In addition to his work at the LCBO, he is employed as a lecturer in public administration and strategic planning at York University in Toronto.

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Shelley Sutton, Director, Strategic Planning

Shelley Sutton is responsible for providing specialized business support to the organization. The area manages the strategic and business planning processes, using both an annual and long-term horizon, and assists in the integration of the strategic plan with other corporate planning and communication processes. She is also responsible for the LCBO's Strategic Scorecard, designed to measure the long-term plan and target performance on an annual basis. The Scorecard uses customer and employee attitude research, as well as financial information, and looks at nearly 40 aspects of service and operations.

She has an honours degree in business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and more than 20 years' experience in strategic planning, working in both the public and private sectors. She became Director of Strategic Planning at the LCBO in 1995.