QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 27, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - It is with regret that the president of La Coop fédérée, Denis Richard, also chair of the board of directors of Olymel S.E.C. and president of the Federation, announced that the board of directors of La Coop fédérée has accepted the decision of the CEO of the organization, Claude Lafleur, not to seek a renewal of his mandate. Mr. Lafleur will leave his position in three months.
The president paid tribute to his colleague and commended the remarkable legacy that he will leave at La Coop fédérée and La Coop network: "Under his direction, La Coop fédérée has seen its revenues grow from $3.2 to $5 billion, has become more competitive thanks to strategic acquisitions, has seen the implementation of different processing programs such as Chrysalide and the deployment of an integrated Information Technology program, is at the beginning of some promising projects and working closer with other groups such as BMR and the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-Operative (IFFCO) and, lastly, is in much closer proximity to its affiliated cooperatives, networks and members."
For his part, Claude Lafleur said: "When the board of directors honored me, now more than eight years ago, by naming me head of La Coop fédérée, one of the most important and oldest enterprises in Quebec, I knew from the first moment that the adventure would come to an end one day. It is the lot of CEO's to accept this fact despite all the passion they put into the job and all the pleasure they receive in return. The time has come for me to leave my place for a new leader who will allow La Coop fédérée to pursue the deployment of its business plan."
Regarding his career future, Claude Lafleur added that he was looking at several options but had not yet decided which one. "The most difficult part is to choose which challenge will allow me to fully exploit the experience that I have acquired over the years."
La Coop fédérée's board of directors will begin the transition process shortly which will lead toward the naming of the next CEO for the organization.
Claude Lafleur, a man of commitment and results
Claude Lafleur has been CEO of La Coop fédérée since 2005. An agri-economist by training, he studied at the Université Laval before completing his master's degree at Michigan State University and an MBA at HEC - Montréal.
Before working at La Coop fédérée, Claude Lafleur was Director-General at the Union des producteurs agricole. He also worked at the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec and at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada.
In addition to his commitment to Centraide, he recently chaired or co-chaired funding campaigns on behalf of the Centre des femmes de Montréal, the Fondation québécoise en environnement du Québec, Équiterre and for Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
On the occasion of the 25th Gala Cérès, held as part of the 28th Salon de l'agriculture du Québec in Saint-Hyacinthe on January 16, 2014, Claude Lafleur was awarded a Cérès Honoris Causa to highlight his exceptional contribution to the agriculture and agri-food sector.
About La Coop fédérée
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the most important agri-food organization in Quebec. It is owned by over 100,000 members grouped into 97 cooperatives located in several Canadian provinces and it is present throughout the agri-food chain. La Coop fédérée, as well as being a wholesaler, also provides agricultural producers with all the goods and services they require for their farming operations. The network has five brands: Elite and La Coop (animal and crop production, grain marketing), Unimat (hardware and farm machinery), Sonic (energy) and Olymel (meat processing). La Coop fédérée employs almost 10,000 people with sales totaling $5.2 billion. Including its affiliated network, La Coop fédérée employs almost 16,000 people with sales of $8.3 billion. www.lacoop.coop and twitter.com/LaCoop_federee.
Image with caption: "Mr. Claude Lafleur, CEO of La Coop fédérée (CNW Group/La Coop fédérée)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140227_C8078_PHOTO_EN_37328.jpg
SOURCE: La Coop fédérée
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