2023 Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award winners revealed
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and Food Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) have revealed the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award honourees.
Serge Boulanger, who held the position of SVP, national procurement and corporate brands, at Metro prior to his retirement in February of this year, and John Pigott, CEO of Club Coffee and Morrison Lamothe (MLI), will be recognized at an upcoming gala.
The Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals or families who have demonstrated outstanding service and dedication to the Canadian retail and grocery industries.
Boulanger’s career began in marketing at Metro in 1996. He then rose through the organization spearheading several initiatives.
In 2008, he piloted the rebranding in Ontario of the five conventional banners to the Metro brand. In 2009, Boulanger moved to Metro’s pharmacy division as vice president and general manager, where he successfully launched the Brunet Plus and Brunet Clinique banners in Quebec, as well as the "Ma Santé" program.
Later, in 2012, Boulanger was promoted to his most recent position. Over the years, he added more responsibilities to its portfolio, leading Première Moisson Group, Phoenicia, Metro's Central Kitchen for ready-to-eat products and the partnership with JBS Food.
Pigott, meanwhile, first started at MLI as a student in 1971 and worked summers through 1979.
After graduating from the University of Western Ontario, he worked at Xerox Canada from 1980 to 1986.
Returning to MLI, Pigott was appointed vice president in July 1986 and appointed president and CEO in June 1989. He became president and CEO of Club Coffee upon its acquisition by MLI in 2007.
The executive has been active for more than 37 years in a number of private company and industry boards, task forces and associations, including: national chair, Canadian Association of Family Business; chair of the Young Presidents Organization, Ottawa chapter; and director of FHCP and its predecessors GPMC and FCPC. In June 2019, Pigott accepted the role of vice chair – food at FHCP.
Past recipients include: Burnbrae Farms' Margaret Hudson; Save-On-Foods' Darrell Jones; Sobeys, chair emeriti, Donald and David Sobey; Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee co-chairmen, Paul Higgins Jr. and Michael Higgins; Longo's president and CEO Anthony Longo and the Longo Family; and Cindy and Tina Lee of T&T Supermarkets.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at RCC’s Canadian Grand Prix Awards Gala on May 31 at the Toronto Congress Centre from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. The gala will close the second day of RCC STORE 23 (running May 30 to May 31).
