Cara Keating and Jim Bexis to receive CFIG Life Member designations
Frito Lay North America’s Cara Keating and Sun Valley Supermarket’s Jim Bexis will both receive Life Member Awards from the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG).
Bexis is recognized in the Independent Grocer category while Keating is recognized in the Industry Builder category.
The executives will be presented their awards at the Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year gala on Oct. 26 at Grocery Innovations Canada, taking place Oct. 25 to 26 at the Toronto Congress Centre.
As the new chief commercial officer for Frito Lay North America, Keating has spent more than two decades in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Most recently and prior to being appointed to her current role in June 2022, she was president of PepsiCo Foods Canada.
Early in her career, Keating was part of Calgary Food & Drug Executives. She is also a founding member of the PepsiCo Foods Canada’s Women’s Inclusion Network, and is on the board of directors for the annual Forward Together women’s development conference.
Keating was honoured with a 2017 Star Women in Grocery award from Canadian Grocer.
Bexis’s grocery career, meanwhile, began in 1985 at his father-in-law’s Sun Valley Fine Foods in Toronto’s Greektown neighbourhood. In 1986, he moved to the just-opened Sun Valley Supermarket, which he now owns with his partners, brothers-in-law Peter Vacirtzoglou and Spiros Aravantinos.
The industry veteran has served on the CFIG board for eight years before becoming chair in 2017. He is also a champion of charitable causes in his community, including Variety Village.
CFIG’s Life Member designation honours those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the food industry.
