Board of Directors

Mr. McEachern brings over 45 years of marketing and general management experience across North America, Northern Europe, and Asia.

After eight years in marketing roles with Procter & Gamble Canada, he had a 24-year career with PepsiCo, holding executive positions in Canada, the USA, and Northern Europe before serving as President of PepsiCo Asia. In this role, Mr. McEachern oversaw 80 company-owned, franchised, and publicly listed companies and 30 joint ventures across India, China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, and Australia/New Zealand.

Mr. McEachern was an Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for 11 years, teaching MBA and Executive MBA courses in leadership and brand building in China. He is also Chairman of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation Board, a Director on the Women’s College Hospital Board, and a member of the Schulich School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.

Mr. McEachern holds a BA from Queen's University, an MBA from York University, and an ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. He is also a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors.

Though he started as an investor and property owner with a background and education in jewellery arts – goldsmithing, ultimately his business was sold to a larger chain in 1993.Mr. De Sousa also founded De Sousa Wine Cellars in 1988 and opened a full winery operation and retail store (De Sousa Wines Toronto) in downtown Toronto.

Mr. De Sousa founded De Sousa Investments in 1998 with real estate holdings in downtown Toronto, Oakville, Niagara Peninsula and the United States. In 2008, De Sousa Wine Cellars and De Sousa Wines Toronto were both sold to Lakeview, while Mr. De Sousa retained his personal vineyards and became a shareholder of Lakeview.

Mr. De Sousa currently operates De Sousa Vineyards, a 40 acre vineyard in Niagara supplying quality fruit to Niagara wineries, along with real estate holdings, De Sousa Investment Group.

Mr. Howard was promoted to Chief Executive Officer and President of the Corporation on August 1, 2022, from this previous position as Chief Operating Officer – Estate Wines. Prior to joining the Corporation, Mr. Howard was the President of Equity Wine Group Inc. (“EWG”), a Canadian wine company that was acquired by the Corporation on October 6, 2021.

Mr. Howard has extensive experience in both the Canadian wine industry, having been with EWG at its inception and leading its growth into a top VQA wine producer, and also the beverage alcohol distribution business, as EWG had acquired, operated and sold a beverage alcohol sales agency.

Prior to founding EWG, Andrew had an extensive and relevant background having also been a senior executive with Arterra, Labatt and Pepsi. Mr. Howard holds a B. Comm from Queens University.

Mr. Timpano was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lassonde Industries after serving as President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, he led Lassonde’s U.S. operations as President and CEO of Lassonde Pappas & Company, a role he assumed upon joining the company in 2020.

With over 20 years of extensive business experience, Mr. Timpano has held key executive roles, including President, Global Coalitions at Aimia Inc., President of Coca-Cola Canada, and President and CEO of The Minute Maid Company Canada.

Mr. Timpano has served on numerous boards, including as Chair with United Way Toronto. He currently sits on the boards of Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. and the Napoleon Group of Companies.

He is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management and holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

Mr. Guy Blanchette FCPA FCA is seasoned executive who currently act as Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Lassonde Industries. Until March 2021 and for the last 14 years, he was Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Lassonde Industries. He is a Fellow of the Order of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Quebec (FCPA) and Chairman of the Board of the CPA Foundation of Quebec.

Prior to joining Lassonde, Mr. Blanchette was Vice-President and Treasurer of CAE. He also worked for Alstom Canada, Inc. as Chief Financial Officer; SNC Industrial Technologies Inc. as Vice-President, Finance and Strategic Planning, before being Vice-President, Treasurer of SNC-Lavalin and the founding General Manager of SNCLavalin Equity. Mr. Blanchette holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. He graduated in 1982.

Mr. Claude Gilbert, FCPA, ICD.D, is a corporate director and a management consultant. He provides governance, strategy, financial and M&A advisory services to enterprises facing challenges or sudden change. He is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers where he provided transaction advisory services to enterprises requiring financing, M&A or restructuring, working with all types of stakeholders in several high-profile transactions. Prior to joining PwC, Mr. Gilbert was a partner at Ernst & Young, and also occupied senior executive and financial positions for public and private companies in the fields of finance and real estate.

Mr. Gilbert is a Fellow of the Quebec Order of Chartered Professional Accountants, a Graduate from the Directors Education Program of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and a retired Fellow of the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (Chair in 2005-2007).

He is a member of the Advisory Board of Edgecrest Capital (investment bank boutique) having been a founder of the firm in July 2013. Since July 2012, Mr. Harris has been a director and audit committee chair of Maudore Minerals Ltd. (Exchange: MAO) and a director of Smart Employee Benefits Inc. (Exchange: SEB).

He is also a director of Whiteknight Acquisitions III Inc., a Capital Pool Company listed on the Exchange under the symbol WKA.P. Previously, he was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. the Canadian broker-dealer subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp., a financial holding company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2002, he was a co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of a Canadian investment bank boutique, Westwind Partners Inc., which was sold to Thomas Weisel Partners Group (“TWPG”) in 2008. TWPG was bought by Stifel in 2010. Mr. Harris received a B. Comm. from the University of Toronto in 1975 and received his Chartered Accountant designation in 1977 with Ernst & Young.