2024 Generation Next winner Marc-André Vézina (Q&A)

Marc-André Vézina

Senior Director, Sales, Eastern Region, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada

Marc-André Vézina was plunged into an unprecedented challenge when he was general manager of Van Houtte Coffee Services at Keurig Dr Pepper Canada (KDP) during the pandemic.

With office workers sent home, sales dropped substantially. So Vézina pivoted to place more focus on essential areas such as healthcare and distribution that were not as hard hit by COVID. And despite major drops in volume, “we were very careful to not let people go.” 

He leveraged staff to work on improving efficiencies. “Leading an organization that was highly impacted by COVID and bringing it back to a strong growth pattern was [something] I was proud of. It was very challenging, but it was good to see the rebound,” he says. Vézina, who has been working at KDP for almost 12 years, was recently promoted to senior director of sales, Eastern region, with responsibilities for major grocery banners, convenience and gas channels. Says Vézina: “It’s super dynamic. There’s no boring day when you work in the grocery, retail and beverage industry.”

See the full list of Generation Next 2024 winners profiles.

Profiles were first published in the December 2024 issue of Canadian Grocer