The Valens Company Inc (TSE:VLNS) (OTCQX:VLNCF) has announced a slew of management team and board of directors moves, including the appointments of Sunil Gandhi as its CFO and Adam Shea as its Chief Commercial Officer, both effective May 17.
The company also said it has nominated Guy Beaudin, senior partner at RHR International, and Drew Wolff, former VP and CFO of international and channel development at Starbucks Coffee Company, for election to its board of directors. Voting will occur at Valens’ annual meeting of shareholders on May 25. Nitin Kaushal has decided not to stand for re-election after serving as an independent director since 2018.
Gandhi brings some 25 years of corporate and operational finance experience in the consumer packaged goods and alcohol beverage industries, the company said, with a track record in refining operations and supporting growth for both large public and private companies. He most recently served as CFO of Trophy Foods Inc, a supplier of nut-based snacks, baking and confectionary products in Canada and the US.
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Shea, the incoming CCO, has more than 16 years of experience in commercial strategy in the food, beverage, tobacco and cosmetics industries. He was most recently president and general manager of North American Foodservice at bakery company Weston Foods Ltd. Earlier, Shea held senior sales and marketing positions with Red Bull, Coty Beauty and British American Tobacco, with responsibilities including category management and trade marketing to distribution, field sales and customer engagement.
"We are thrilled to have Sunil and Adam join the Valens team during this significant period of growth for our business,” CEO Tyler Robson said in a statement. “... With Sunil's proven ability to lead companies to sustained profitability and Adam's expertise in commercializing top products for some of North America's leading food companies, we are well-positioned to continue to execute on our domestic and global expansion strategy — especially as we enter the US market. We welcome both Sunil and Adam to the Valens family and look forward to witnessing their immense talent firsthand."
Current CFO Chris Buysen will transition to a new role, Robson said.
Board nominees
Guy Beaudin is a senior partner at RHR International, a senior leadership development firm of management psychologists and consultants. He is responsible for the firm's business development and marketing activities for clients around the world, and is a trusted advisor to CEOs, boards of directors and senior executive teams around the world.
Meanwhile, Drew Wolff spent more than five years in senior finance roles at Starbucks. He first served as global treasurer before taking on the role of VP and CFO of international and channel development. His prior work includes seven years at Barclays PLC (LON:BARC) (NYSE:BCS) in London. Overall, Wolff has expertise in financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax, M&A and investor relations.
Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com
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