Smith Business Club Toronto invites you to join fellow alumni, students and guests for a panel discussion with industry leaders exploring the innovation and adaptation underway in the grocery business amidst the pandemic. Moderated by Professor Barry Cross, join David Cheesewright, Sarah Davis, and Marc Guay for a look at how business models have shifted to adapt to evolving needs during the pandemic, how the grocery experience has changed for consumers, and what the future of the industry may look like in our new normal.
A moderated Q&A session will follow.
Barry Cross - Moderator
Assistant Professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Operations Strategy, Smith School of Business
Barry Cross is an expert and thought leader in innovation, execution and operations strategy. He joined Smith School of Business in 2006 after nearly 20 years in the automotive and manufacturing sectors with Magna, Autosystems and DuPont, where he led many key strategic initiatives, including nearly 30 program launches around the world.
Barry speaks and consults widely in the areas of Lean, Innovation, Strategy, Projects and Execution, enabling organizations to create sustainable value for their customers while positioning themselves for what is next in society. He is the bestselling author of three books, including Simple: Killing Complexity for a Lean and Agile Organization, and dozens of journal articles.
David Cheesewright, Panelist
Former President & CEO of Walmart International
Dave Cheesewright recently retired after over 30 years in leadership roles in retail and consumer goods. His final role was President and CEO of Walmart International where he was responsible for the company’s operations across 27 countries around the world. The business had annual sales of over $150bn across 6,300 stores, included the company’s global sourcing operations and employed over a million associates. Previous roles included CEO Walmart EMEA and CEO Walmart Canada. Prior to Walmart, Dave spent 12 years with the Mars Corporation in roles across manufacturing, marketing, sales and logistics. He has served on boards in the UK, China, Mexico, South Africa and Australia. Dave is currently a strategy consultant and sits on the boards of Coles Australia and Rapha Racing.
Sarah Davis, Panelist
President of Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Sarah Davis is the President of Loblaw Companies Limited, responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of Canada’s largest retailer and the nation’s food and pharmacy leader. With more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ approximately 200,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.
Ms. Davis joined Loblaw in 2007 and, prior to assuming the role of President in 2017, served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, responsible for Real Estate, Strategy, Information Technology, Supply Chain and Human Resources. Ms. Davis has a strong corporate-finance background, which has served her well in supporting some of the company’s most transformative programs in recent history, including the implementation of SAP, the creation of Choice Properties REIT, and the acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart.
Ms. Davis is the chair of PC® Children’s Charity and T&T Supermarkets and served as chair of the Women@Loblaw network from 2009 to 2017. She also sits on the Board of Directors for PC Financial and AGF Investments.
Ms. Davis holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours degree from Queen’s University, a Chartered Accountant and is a Fellow of the CPA.
Marc Guay, Panelist
Former President of PepsiCo Canada, Current Board Member for Metro Inc., Boston Pizza
At the time of his retirement, Marc Guay had been President of PepsiCo’s Canadian food business, which is the result of the merger between the Frito Lay and Quaker Divisions, since 2009.Previously, Marc had led the Frito Lay Canada organization since 2001.
Marc’s 29 year PepsiCo career consisted of a number of different assignments, primarily in Sales and General Management, including postings in Eastern Canada, Western Canada and the United States. During his time with the company he held roles of increasing responsibilities in Key Account Management, Field Sales Leadership, Regional Vice President and Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Marc credits PepsiCo’s Senior Leadership for giving him the opportunity to experience many different challenges in a variety of markets. As a result, he lived in several cities, including Montreal, where he was born and returned to live on 3 separate occasions, Birmingham (Alabama), Vancouver and Toronto, where he has lived for the past 20 years. Prior to joining PepsiCo, he had experienced living abroad, in Switzerland, and also enjoyed a 2 year stay in our nation’s Capital. Today, Marc says that his intimate knowledge of the Canadian market , consumers and retailers, acquired through his various assignments around the country, was a unique advantage as he worked with his teams to build relevant, sustainable and profitable strategies to grow the business.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Marc was at Procter and Gamble for 5 years where he learned the fundamentals of selling, as a Sales Representative, and of people leadership, as a Unit Manager.
Outside of work, Marc has devoted much time to feeding hungry Canadians, volunteering at local food banks and formerly as Chair of the Board of Food Banks Canada, where he served from 2011 to 2019. In the past, Marc has also served on the Board of the Grocery Foundation, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada as well as the Food and Consumer Products of Canada, where he served as Chair in 2007.
In 2014, Marc was the recipient of the prestigious “Golden Pencil Award” by the Food Industry Association of Canada and, in 2015, he received the “Award of Distinction” from the Food and Consumer Products of Canada to recognize his contributions to the Industry over his 35 year career.
Since he retired, Marc has been appointed to the Boards of Metro Inc, a leader in grocery retailing and Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund. Additionally, he is an Executive Coach/Advisor connected to the Presidents of Enterprising Organizations (PEO) network.
Marc and his wife Karen live in Oakville, Ontario. They also have 4 children: Melissa, Kyle, Alex and Jonathan. They are also grandparents to Briana.
