Former Walmart CFO joins Maple Leaf Foods

Geert Verellen will join Maple Leaf Foods as chief financial officer early next year.

Verellen was most recently at Walmart where he served as regional chief financial officer for Walmart Canada, India and Japan. Before joining Walmart in 2015, Verellen held various finance roles at Delhaize Group. Before delving into food retail, he served as an audit manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Belgium and the United States.

Verellen starts with Maple Leaf Foods Jan. 6.

"Geert's breadth of financial knowledge and his extensive food retailing experience will be an important asset to Maple Leaf Foods," said Maple Leaf Foods Michael McCain, president and CEO, in a press release. "His proven capabilities in communicating finance to analysts, investors and the public will help us articulate our vision and strategy effectively going forward."

Verellen replaces Debbie Simpson, who announced last summer she was leaving the company after 12 years, the last five of which she spent as CFO.