2024 Generation Next winner Mark Demmons (Q&A)

Mark Demmons

Customer Team Sales Director, McCormick Canada

After working in supply chain at companies such as Target, Weston Foods and Canadian Tire, Mark Demmons joined McCormick Canada in 2015. A year later, he seized an opportunity to take on a sales role, inspired by a mentor’s insight that the ability to tell a story with data —a key skill in supply chain—is equally valuable in sales. 

Now, as customer team sales director, Demmons has brought these functions together in overseeing 54% of McCormick’s consumer products business, including major accounts such as Walmart, Metro and Sobeys. 

“I’ve created a sales-supply chain model where the two functions, which aren’t known for getting along, collaborate and hold each other accountable,” he says. “The setup has been a competitive advantage for us.” 

Demmons has also fostered cross-functional skills within his team, mentoring many members to leadership promotions.

Outside of work, he runs a basketball drop-in centre aimed at helping youth stay off the streets. His guiding belief? “What we do to support [the] community is an important part of how we live life.”

See the full list of Generation Next 2024 winners profiles.

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