2011 Winners Announced

The Nominating Committee of the Food Industry Association of Canada recieved record response for nominations of the 2011 Golde Pencil Award, the grocery industry's highest honour. The Association's Chairman, Paul Higgins Jr. of Mother Parker's Tea & Coffee Inc., announced that this year's winners are:

Frank Coleman, President & CEO, Colemans Food Centre
&
Philip Donne, President, Campbell Company of Canada

Frank Coleman

Frank Coleman lives and breathes the grocery business, and has done so since he was a very young man. The grandson of Arthur James and Maggie Coleman, co-founders of Colemans, a 12-store independent chain of supermarkets in Newfoundland, Frank, as a teenager, worked in all departments of the grocery store and literally learned the business from the ground up. Coached and mentored by his father, Eugene, young Frank not only learned the fundamentals of the business; he learned about hard work, tenacity, vision and the inherent value of people.

Following graduation from St. Francis Xavier University with a Bachelor of Arts, Frank did not immediately return to the family business. He charted his own course, working as Chief Economist for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, obtaining a Master of Economics from Dalhousie University and opening his own consulting business, Atlantic Consulting Economists.

Returning to Colemans in 1986 to assume the role of President, Frank’s leadership embraced the traditional strengths of the company while strategically positioning the family-owned grocery chain to successfully compete in an aggressive marketplace dominated by national competitors. Frank’s utilization of ‘state of the art’ technology has given the company an agility to respond to the vagaries of the marketplace and has given the company a competitive advantage. The company’s success is rooted in his commitment to his people – his staff and his customers.

Frank plays an influential role in the Canadian grocery industry serving on numbers of boards including United Grocers Inc and the former Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors. His business interests are diverse. Currently, he is President and CEO of Humber Valley Paving Ltd,; President and CEO of Humber Valley Aggregates and Asphalt; Director and the Chair of the Board of Rocky Mountain Liquor Corporation and a Director of the North West Company. His commitment to community was recently acknowledged by his appointment as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 2nd Battalion.

Despite his proliferation of interests, Frank is first and foremost a family man. He and his wife Yvonne are the proud parents of their seven children, Gene, Anna Claire, Maggie, Janet, Aidan, Maria and Yvette. And without doubt they are enjoying the antics of their five grandchildren…soon to be six!

Philip E Donne

Philip Donne, currently President of Campbell Company of Canada, didn’t know at the time, but his first working job at Steinberg’s/Miracle Food Mart instilled an appreciation for the fun and challenge of both food retailing and food marketing. At MFM, he worked as a “carry-out” assistant, produce clerk, dairy clerk, restocks night crew, night floor porter and cashier. These experiences laid a solid foundation as a “foodie” jack of all trades.

Following his education at the University of Toronto (BSc) and the Schulich School of Business, York University (MBA), Phil entered the world of food marketing at General Mills in the role of Marketing Assistant on the “Snackin’ Cake” business. He also made early stops at Duracell and Coca Cola Foods, which led him to a 15 year career with Kellogg’s and then Campbell Company of Canada.

Phil's career with Kellogg included roles within marketing in Canada, then onto Italy/Greece/Cyprus and then France/Benelux in Paris, both roles as President/General Manager. He returned to Canada as President and CEO of the Canadian division. Over the past nine years at Campbell Canada, Phil has helped lead an ambitious evolution including renovation of the product portfolio to be more appealing from a health and wellness perspective.

Phil has served as Chair for Kids Help Phone, FCPC, Advertising Standards Canada, Association of Canadian Advertisers, and The Early Years Task Force for the Ontario Government and served on the boards of Daily Bread Food Bank, Ontario’s Promise, National Life and the Mayor of Toronto’s Economic Advisory Task Force. He is on the boards of the Commonwealth Games Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Obesity Network, the Grocery Foundation, the University of Guelph Campaign Cabinet and the advisory board for S.C. Johnson Canada.

He is passionately engaged in helping to address the issue of Hunger in Canada through a variety of awareness initiatives at Campbell Canada, working closely with Food Banks Canada and the World Food Programme. In his personal time, Phil, and some like-minded peers, volunteer their time and personal resources in the Dominican Republic, working to assist challenged local communities.

Phil has been bolstered by his family, including his wife Lucy and children Matthew and Michele, who all heroically accompanied Phil through the European sojourn and back to Canada. Phil aspires to continue to help make healthy foods and wellness programs more accessible and to assist his own organization and others in contributing to their internal and external communities. He has interests in emerging technologies in food production and communication, coupled with a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility.

2011 Awards Ceremony

Come and meet the industry legends and decision makers. Hot and cold horsd'ourves, host bar, and a chance to network while honouring the 2011 inductees. Invite a customer or business associate and take advantage of this great value.

Read about the history of the Golden Pencil Award