2014 Golden Pencil winners announced
The Food Industry Association of Canada has announced Costco’s Louise Wendling and PepsiCo’s Marc Guay will receive this year’s Golden Pencil Award.
Wendling, the longtime country manager of Costco in Canada, and Guay, president of PepsiCo Foods Canada, will receive the grocery industry’s highest honour Nov. 24 in Toronto.
Guay, who hails from Montreal, started at PepsiCo in 1986, rising up the ranks in sales and marketing before being named president in 2008. Before PepsiCo, he spent five years with Procter & Gamble.
Guay’s industry involvement includes serving on the boards of Food and Consumer Products of Canada and The Grocery Foundation, a charitable organization helping underprivileged children.
READ: 2013 Golden Pencil winners announced
He is currently vice-chair of Food Banks of Canada.
Wendling, also from Montreal, began a 38-year career in retail with Hudson’s Bay Company. She and two other former Hudson’s Bay managers then founded Price Club Canada, which later merged with Costco. Wendling became head of Costco Canada in 2001.
In June, Wendling said she was retiring as head of Costco, though she told Canadian Grocer at the time that she planned to continue to sit on the company’s diversity advisory council.
Wendling’s community involvement includes leading Costco’s support of the Children’s Miracle Network, the United Way, Breakfast Club of Canada and the Bag Pack Program.
READ: Costco Canada’s exec retires
She has also served on the boards of Operations Enfants Soleil, Conseil Quebecois du Commerce de Detail, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and as vice-chair Retail Council of Canada.
The Food Industry Association of Canada, a not-for-profit, first presented the Golden Pencil Award in 1957. That year’s winner: Milton J. Cork of Loblaw Groceterias.
The award has been presented each year since then with two winners traditionally recognized: one supplier and one retailer.
The award acknowledges the efforts of both buyer and seller to improve the Canadian food industry and is given to individuals who, through their career, have made a significant and worthwhile contribution to the industry.
Each year the Food Industry Association’s nominations committee considers candidates from both the grocery industry at large and the association’s executive committee.
The nominations committee reported it had received a record response this year.
Last year’s Golden Pencil recipients were Dino Bianco of Kraft and Eric La Flèche of Metro Inc.
Other recent winners include Les Mann of Walmart, Phil Donne of Campbell, and Michael and Paul Higgins Jr. of Mother Parker’s Tea and Coffee.
The Golden Pencil award ceremony will be held Nov. 24 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, from 5 to 7 p.m. To order tickets, click here.