Catherine O’Brien

Board Chair and President, Nestlé Canada Inc., Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs

Catherine O’Brien is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Nutrition, Health and Wellness for Nestlé Canada. In this capacity, Catherine is responsible for corporate reputation management including internal communications, stakeholder relations, media relations, issues management, government relations, Creating Shared Value programs and community partnerships. She also oversees the Nutrition, Health and Wellness group which includes the corporate dietitians and oversees the company’s Environmental Sustainability strategy. Catherine joined Nestlé Canada in 2003 and prior to that, she was an Associate Director of Corporate Affairs at Bell Canada, focused on issues management and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Catherine has also worked in the financial services industry leading Corporate Communications for Maritime Life (formerly Aetna Canada) and began her career working in public relations at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. Catherine has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English from Carleton University and a diploma in Advertising and Public Relations from St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario. She is actively involved in numerous committees for Food Health and Consumer Products Canada, the Association of Canadian Advertisers and other industry committees and initiatives. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Coffee Association of Canada and also a Board member of the recently launched Canada Plastic Pact. Catherine served as past Chair of Companies Committed to Kids and was a long time Board member. In 2020 she was recognized as a leader in the Canadian food industry as a Star Woman of Grocery.

David Hughes

Board Secretary and Treasurer, President & CEO, Generate Canada

Generating solutions to the complex challenges at the heart of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution gives me a strong sense of purpose which I hope will benefit future generations.

David Hughes has served as the President and CEO of The Natural Step Canada since 2016. Since then the organization has expanded its research and public policy expertise through a partnership with the Smart Prosperity Institute, and increased its scale, scope and influence through the development of a number of innovation-focused multi-stakeholder “Solution Spaces”. These now include the Canada Plastics Pact, the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA), the Energy Futures Lab, the Nature Investment Hub, and Circular Economy Leadership Canada. Collectively these initiatives are enabling and incentivizing climate-smart and nature-positive systems change.  

David previously led Habitat for Humanity Canada and Pathways to Education Canada during periods of unprecedented growth and impact.   Prior to that he spent 10 years in senior positions at SOS Children’s Villages International which included postings to Africa, Asia, Europe, USA and the United Nations (New York and Vienna). Other management roles have included serving as Senior Vice President of YMCA Canada and President of AIESEC Canada. He also founded and operated The Impact Group, a management consultancy which provided strategic counsel to companies and not-for-profit organizations that were working to “bridge the gap between commerce and compassion”.

David is a Senior Fellow of the Smart Prosperity Institute (SPI), an inaugural member of the Business for Purpose Network (B4PN), and has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, AIESEC Canada, and the Canadian branch of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.  

He holds an economics degree from the University of Western Ontario, a postgraduate degree in social policy and not-for-profit management from the London School of Economics (LSE), an executive leadership certificate from Harvard University, and has been recognized as a Clean50 Honouree for “outstanding contribution to clean capitalism”.  

He lives in Toronto with his wife Laura and his two children, John and Alexandra, who collectively provide the inspiration and incentive to challenge the status quo and strive for a better future for Canada and our planet.

Cher Mereweather

Managing Director, Canada Plastics Pact

I’m here because the work we do everyday, has real tangible impact.

Cher is one of Canada’s leaders in food system sustainability. She has dedicated her 20+ year career to enabling companies with embracing sustainability, purpose and circularity in order to create a more resilient food system. Her work has focused on many facets of circularity including circular plastics, food waste prevention, upcycling, regenerative culture and behaviour change.

Before founding Provision Coalition Inc., recently acquired by Anthesis Group, Cher’s career included time with the Guelph Food Technology Centre (now NSF International) where she established and directed the Sustainability Consulting Business Unit, and held several executive positions in environmental economics and policy with the George Morris Centre, a Canadian agri-food think tank. Cher holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Economics and Policy and is certified in both project and change management. Cher has also been the recipient of the Canadian Grocer Generation Next award for her leadership, innovation and excellence in sustainability within the food and beverage industry. Learn more at LinkedIn.

Paul Shorthouse

Managing Director, Circular Economy Leadership Canada

The whole is greater than the individual parts. That’s what inspires me about the power of Generate Canada… the synergies that come from connecting across our various solution spaces.

Paul is one of Canada’s leading experts in the emerging circular economy, providing solutions and engaging leaders who are working at the intersection of business innovation, public policy, economic development, and sustainability. For over a decade, this work has placed him at the forefront of the important transition that is underway towards a greener, more prosperous, low-carbon economy.

Paul took on the role of Managing Director of Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) in 2021. In this role, he is working to create the knowledge, networks, and opportunities that accelerate circular innovation across Canada’s economy. Tapping into a network of Partner organizations across the country, CELC provides thought leadership, technical expertise, and collaborative platforms for accelerating systems change and the transition to a low carbon, circular economy in Canada.

Paul is also a Senior Director with the Canada Plastics Pact and the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agrifood (CANZA), as well as Board Chair for the Synergy Foundation and Project Zero (a circular economy accelerator program based in British Columbia). Prior to this, Paul served as Senior Director at the Delphi Group, Managing Director of Vancouver-based GLOBE Advisors, and was the Conference Director for the GLOBE Series (from 2009-2016), considered one of the largest sustainability events in Canada. He is also a member of the CSA Group’s Operations Management & Sustainability Strategic Steering Committee and on the Program Advisory Committee for BCIT’s School of Business.

Shalyn Fladager

Senior Project Manager, Canada Plastics Pact

I am here to help our team and partners execute on the important work that keeps the right plastics in the economy and out of people, animals and nature.

Shalyn (she/her) studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, with degree specialties in Biochemical Engineering and Communications. Prior to joining CPP, Shalyn has over 8 years of experience in the food and pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, providing project and operations management expertise at greenfield GMP manufacturing facilities. She has also worked with Métis Nation – Saskatchewan as an Environmental Program Manager, facilitating delivery of climate change, conservation, and consultation programs to Métis communities and citizens in Saskatchewan.

Ian Gordon

Loblaw Companies Ltd., Former Senior Vice President

Ian Gordon was Senior Vice President of Loblaw Companies Limited and led the development and innovations behind some of Canada’s largest consumer brands: President’s Choice, no name, Life Brand, and more.

He now leads Loblaw’s plastic reduction strategy and oversees the company’s inter-divisional steering committee. It brings a broad perspective to the plastic challenge, after holding senior sales and marketing positions with Unilever and International Multifoods consumer product companies and as President of ACLC Advertising.

He is a board member of the Canadian Sport Institute and a graduate of Queen’s University.