MARKHAM, ON, Aug. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Pet Valu Holdings Ltd.
("Pet Valu" or the "Company") (TSX: PET), the leading Canadian
specialty retailer of pet food and pet-related supplies, today
announced that Sarah Davis was
appointed to the Board of Directors on July
28, 2021, and that Linda
Drysdale has been appointed to the Board of Directors
effective August 12, 2021.
Ms. Davis brings more than 30 years of management experience
driving business and operational functions, as well as a strong
track record in corporate finance. Most recently, she was the
President of Loblaw Companies Limited, where she led the strategic
direction and day-to-day operations of Canada's largest retailer
and the nation's food and pharmacy leader. Ms. Davis had been with
Loblaw in positions of increasing responsibility since 2007,
including both as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative
Officer, during which time she played a crucial role in
transforming the company from a regionally managed grocer into an
omni-channel food, health and wellness retailer with $52.7 billion in revenue. Ms. Davis was chair of
the Board of PC® Children's Charity and T&T
Supermarkets from 2017 until her retirement in 2021. She
served as a board member of PC Financial from 2010 until 2021 and
continues to sit on the Board of Directors of AGF Investments.
Prior to joining Loblaw, Ms. Davis spent 20 years of her career in
telecom, at both Rogers and Bell
Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours degree
from Queen's University, is a Chartered Accountant and is a Fellow
of the CPA.
"We are thrilled to have Sarah join our Board," said
Richard Maltsbarger, President and
Chief Executive Officer. "In addition to her diverse experience,
Sarah has a strong knowledge of corporate governance in publicly
traded companies. Her leadership role in transforming a grocer into
an omni-channel health and wellness leader in Canada will be instrumental as we continue to
enhance our omni-channel infrastructure and capabilities to deliver
an exceptional and convenient shopping experience for our
customers. We look forward to her unique perspective and believe
she will make a great addition to the Board."
"I am delighted to be joining Pet Valu's Board of Directors and
to support a market leader with such strong and growing customer
loyalty," said Ms. Davis. "As the preferred pet retailer in
Canada, creating memorable moments
through its expert advice and compelling product offering, Pet Valu
is a truly unique story. I look forward to utilizing my knowledge
and skills to help Richard and the team drive profitable growth and
shareholder value over time."
Ms. Davis replaces Paul House who
retired from the Board on the same date, July 28, 2021. Mr. House served on the Pet
Valu Board and its predecessor company since June 2010 during which time "he provided
countless insights into franchise relationship management and
communication, Canadian real estate development, store design, and
so much more," according to Richard
Maltsbarger. Prior to his Board position with
Pet Valu, Mr. House held various leadership positions at Tim
Hortons Inc. between 1985 and 2013, including serving as its Chief
Executive Officer between 2011 and 2013, Executive Chairman between
2008 and 2013, and as a Director between 2005 and 2014. Mr.
House's leadership and board tenure has also included positions
with The TDL Group Corp., Dairy Queen Canada, The Tim Horton
Children's Foundation, and the Advisory Board of the Brock University Business School. Pet Valu
wishes to thank Mr. House for his numerous contributions and honour
his long track-record of service.
Effective today, Pet Valu has increased the number of positions
on the Board from nine to ten and has appointed to the Board Linda
Drysdale, Chief Financial Officer of Interac Corp, Canada's leading
payment services provider. Prior to taking this role in 2020,
Ms. Drysdale held several positions with increasing responsibility
at Canadian Tire, BCE Inc., PwC, and Deloitte & Touche
LLP. Ms. Drysdale has over 25 years of extensive knowledge in
risk management and audit functions, and a decade of experience
reporting to Boards of Directors and Board Audit Committees as a
Chief Financial Officer and senior Internal Audit executive. She
holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Waterloo and a Graduate Diploma in
Accounting from Wilfrid Laurier
University.
Mr. Maltsbarger also warmly welcomes Ms. Drysdale to the Board.
"Linda brings tremendous expertise in the audit and finance
functions for complex organizations and interactions with their
boards. Her experience will provide tremendous benefit to Pet
Valu as we continue our journey as a publicly traded company.
We look forward to her unique perspective and believe she will make
a great addition to the Board."
"I am delighted to join the Pet Valu Board," said Ms.
Drysdale. "Pet Valu has a long history of serving Devoted Pet
Lovers and driving strong financial performance. They are in
an exceptionally exciting time, having re-entered the public
capital markets, and I look forward to utilizing my experience to
help the team develop the business further."
About Pet Valu
Pet Valu is Canada's leading retailer of pet food and
pet-related supplies with over 600 corporate-owned or franchised
locations across the country. For more than 40 years, Pet Valu has
earned the trust and loyalty of pet parents by offering
knowledgeable customer service, a premium product offering and
engaging in-store services. Pet Valu's neighbourhood stores offer
more than 7,000 competitively-priced products, including a broad
assortment of premium, super premium, holistic and award-winning
proprietary brands. To learn more, please visit:
www.petvalu.ca.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information"
within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which
reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future
events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of
assumptions, and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties,
many of which are beyond the Company's control. Unless otherwise
noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking
information contained in this news release is provided as of the
date of this news release and Pet Valu does not undertake any
obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
expressly required under applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Pet Valu Canada Inc.