TORONTO — Cindy Simpson, EVP of Imago Restaurants Inc., has been elected the new Chair of the Board of Directors for Restaurants Canada.
Simpson was elected during Restaurants Canada’s Annual General Meeting. A member of the Restaurants Canada Board of Directors since 2014, she succeeds Guy Laframboise, president of Les Restaurants Subway Québec Ltée, who was elected as Chair in March 2020.
As chair, Simpson will be responsible for overseeing Restaurants Canada’s Board and will work closely with Restaurants Canada president and CEO Todd Barclay to help restaurant operators pull through the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis and ensure they are set up for success in the post-pandemic economic environment.
“It is an honour to be given the privilege to serve Restaurants Canada members as Chair, especially in a time like this,” says Simpson. “I look forward to working with the Board, the executive team and members of Restaurants Canada to continue down our industry’s path from survival to revival.”
In addition to this change, Restaurants Canada has welcomed 10 new board members, which include:
- Lacey Sellinger, Odla Restaurant and Market (Saskatoon)
- Ibrahim (Obby) Khan, Shawarma Khan Inc.; Green Carrot Juice Company; Goodlocal.ca (Winnipeg)
- Mark Findlay, Lone Star Texas Grill (Oakville, Ont.)
- Bruce Miller, The WORKS Craft Burgers & Beer; South Street Burger; Big Smoke Burger; TOSTO Quickfire Pizza (Oakville, Ont.)
- Court Desautels, Neighbourhood Group of Companies (Guelph, Ont.)
- Mohamad Fakih, Paramount Fine Foods (Toronto)
- Sachit Mehra, East India Company Restaurants (Ottawa)
- Elizabeth Rowe, Italian by Night Trattoria (Saint John, N.B.)
- Gene Cormier, Hub City Social; Restaurant Clos Inc.; Halo Donuts Inc. (Moncton, N.B.)
- Hakan Uluer, The Bertossi Group (Halifax)
“With these fabulous new additions to our Board, we can continue to broaden our reach and engage more industry members throughout the country,” says Barclay.
