Sheldon Leiba, president and chief executive of the Mississauga Board of Trade, was elected chair of the Chamber Executives of Ontario (CEO) at the latter's recent annual general meeting. Leiba has been on the board of CEO the past four years. The group is a professional development association for the senior management of chambers of commerce and boards of trade in Ontario.
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National retailer Canadian Tire Corp. (TSX:CTC.A) has announced that Stephen Wetmore, CEO of Bell Aliant, will become president and chief executive of CTC at the start of 2009. He succeeds Tom Gauld, who will remain as a member of the board of directors of the Toronto-based company.
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Maple Leaf Foods (TSX:MFI) has appointed a chief food safety officer, a first for the Toronto company as it works to recover from a deadly listeria outbreak. Bacteria from a Maple Leaf plant in Toronto were linked to the deaths of 20 people in a nationwide outbreak. Randall Huffman, currently the president of the American Meat Institute, will step into the new role as of Jan. 5.
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Active Control Technology Inc. (TSXV:ACT) says that Ante Rupcic has been appointed as its VP of operations. Rupcic most recently was the director of wireless market development at Sandvine Inc. He replaces Ian Oliver, who has left Active Control to pursue other career opportunities. ACT designs, manufactures and markets wireless control and communication systems for buildings and extreme environments. Its head office is in Burlington.
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Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (TSX, NYSE:KFS) of Mississauga has consolidated operations of Southern United Fire Insurance Co. of Mobile, Ala., with Hamilton Risk Management, its subsidiary based in Miami. Roberto Espin is appointed president and CEO at Southern United. Espin will also continue as president and CEO of Hamilton Risk. Leslie DiMaggio was named VP of operational effectiveness at Kingsway. She was formerly the president and CEO of Southern United. Kingsway provides non-standard automobile and truck insurance, and other specialty insurance. It operates through 11 wholly owned insurance subsidiaries and two insurance agencies in Canada and the U.S.
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Strongco Income Fund (TSX: SQP.UN) has appointed David Wood as CFO effective Dec. 15, succeeding Grant McCardle. Wood is currently CFO for a publicly traded company. Strongco is a trust established to hold one of the largest multi-line industrial equipment distribution providers in Canada. Its head office is in Mississauga.
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First Capital Realty Inc. (TSX:FCR) has announced several appointments. Sylvie Lachance is now executive VP and COO; Karen Weaver executive VP and CFO; Brian Kozak senior VP for Western Canada; Louis Voizard VP for Eastern Canada; Jamie Chisholm VP for Central Canada; and Peter Papagiannis VP of property management. First Capital owns and operates supermarket- and drugstore-anchored community shopping centres. Its head office is in Toronto.
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Ontex Resources Ltd. (TSX:ONT) has named Donna Yoshimatsu to the position of VP of investor relations and value strategies. Yoshimatsu has held positions with public companies in the industrial and resource sectors for more than 20 years. Ontex is a junior resource company focused on gold exploration in Northern Ontario. Its head office is in London.
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Predictive medicine company PreMD Inc. (TSX:PMD) has appointed Catherine Auld, CA, as its CFO. Auld currently works as a financial consultant within the biotechnology industry. Ron Hosking, who has been with PreMD more than 11 years, is retiring as CFO but will continue as a consultant. PreMD develops rapid, non-invasive tests for the early detection of life-threatening diseases. Its head office is in Toronto.
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Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. (TSX, AMEX:PAE) has promoted Julie Sultan to the newly created post of president of international motion picture sales. Sultan had been executive VP since April 2007. Also promoted was Suzanne Barron to executive VP of international motion picture sales and Caroline Dubourg to VP of international motion picture sales and business affairs. Barron had been senior VP since joining PAE in 2004. Dubourg started at PAE in April 2007. Peace Arch produces and acquires feature films, television and home entertainment content for worldwide markets. It has offices in Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
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GLR Resources Inc. (TSX:GRS) has announced the termination of John Orr as COO. GLR is a junior mining and exploration company with projects in Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Its head office is in Kirkland Lake.
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Avante Security Corp. (TSXV:ASY) says that Kevin Gilbride has resigned as CFO for personal reasons. Gilbride will be available to assist in a transition period. Avante designs, installs and supports security systems and services. Its head office is in Toronto.
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Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (TSXV:COT) says that Michael Cloutier has been appointed CEO, succeeding John Drake who had been CEO since 2005. Drake will continue as chairman. Cloutier brings more than 26 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. Critical Outcome is focused on the discovery and pre-clinical development of molecules for treating cancers, HIV and multiple sclerosis. Its head office is in London.
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Digital entertainment company SilverBirch Inc. (TSXV:SVB) says it has named Kevin Astle as interim president and CEO, succeeding Derek van der Plaat, who resigned as president, CEO and a director. Astle is the founder of Marketing Imperatives International. SilverBirch has its head office in Toronto.
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Texada Software Inc. (TSXV:TXS), a Toronto-based software producer, says it has appointed Brian Spilak as the company's new president and chief executive. He was recently a senior executive with Stephenson's Rental Services Inc. Spilak replaces Nigel Miller, who has resigned.
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Mazorro Resources Inc. (TSXV: MZO) has appointed John McNeice as CFO and corporate secretary. McNeice has been a financial consultant to emerging private and publicly traded junior mining companies since 2004. Mazorro is a tightly held junior mining exploration company targeting gold, copper and silver deposits in Mexico. Its head office is in Manotick, Ont.
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Ontogenix has rebranded itself as Peerset Inc., and board chairman Chetan Mathur has been named interim CEO while Greg Keegstra has been appointed VP of business development. Mathur has been CEO of M Systems Group and Sage Information Consultants. Keegstra brings more than 15 years of business development and marketing experience working with media and technology companies. Peerset is a social media advertising company with its head office in Toronto.
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The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) has appointed Tom Enright as president and CEO.
Enright recently retired from the position of president and CEO of CNW Group. CIRI is an association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. It has four chapters across Canada.
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CATAAlliance has named Charles Duffet as its senior VP and CIO adviser. Duffett's most recent position was as head of information technology at Abbott Point of Care. CATAAlliance, a high-tech industry association, is based in Ottawa.
- with files from The Canadian Press (E-mail notices and photos at least two weeks before publication date to murdoch@businessedge.ca)
