Charles Dougall appointed to support fairness and transparency in Beer Store operations
TORONTO, Dec. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - Members of the Board of Directors of the Beer Store have announced the appointment of Charles Dougall as Ontario's first Beer Ombudsperson.
As Beer Ombudsperson, Mr. Dougall will be responsible for mediating unresolved operational disputes between the Beer Store and its customers or its listed brewers, and promoting fairness and transparency in the Beer Store's operations.
Appointed to a three-year term effective Jan. 2, 2017, Mr. Dougall brings extensive experience to the role after serving as Scotiabank Ombudsperson for nine years. He redesigned and modernized the office of Ombudsperson at the bank, and also coordinated the operation of the bank's international Ombudspersons.
Mr. Dougall is a Board Member of the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Corporate Policy, and has volunteered at a number of social agencies including Meals on Wheels and the Yonge Street Mission. He is also a Board Member and Past Chair of the Board of Second Harvest, a Toronto-based food rescue organization.
"We are delighted to appoint someone of Charles Dougall's experience and ability to such a key role at the Beer Store, consistent with our commitment to fairness in all our interactions with our customers and listed brewers," said Beer Store Independent Director Robert Aziz.
The new Ombudsperson was selected by the Beer Store's Independent Directors following an extensive search carried out with the assistance of executive search firm Rosenzweig & Company. His appointment was ratified by the full Board of Directors.
"We are pleased to welcome the new Ombudsperson, which is an important element of our open ownership model. This addition to our governance builds on our support for small brewers with increased free listings near their breweries and reduced fees at other locations and further enhances our commitment to our customers in addition to new store formats and the recent launch of Beer Xpress (https://beerxpress.ca/), our online beer ordering and pick up app," said Charlie Angelakos, Chair of the Beer Store Board of Directors.
The Beer Store proudly supports small brewers in Ontario and since September 2015 has listed more than 133 new small brewer brands in its stores, further increasing the province's largest selection of locally-brewed beer available to consumers.
As Beer Store Ombudsperson, Mr. Dougall will report annually to the four Beer Store Independent Directors and the report will also be made available to the public through the Beer Store's website at www.thebeerstore.ca.
About the Beer Store
The Beer Store offers customers 720 brands, provided by 185 brewers. It is a completely open system that allows any brewer in the world to sell its brands in any Beer Store location it chooses at prices determined by it and approved by the LCBO. The Beer Store is deeply committed to responsible sale by not selling to minors and people who are intoxicated. In 2015, more than 3.7 million customers were challenged to confirm their age or sobriety. It is also one of the greenest retailers in the world collecting more than 1.6 billion beer containers (a 91 per cent return rate) and 318 million wine and spirit containers (a 78.5 per cent return rate) in 2014-2015. The Beer Store is owned by 30 Ontario-based brewers and employs 7,000 hard-working Ontarians with well-paying full and part-time jobs.
SOURCE The Beer Store
Bill Walker, [email protected], and 416-624-3936
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