Board of Directors

For almost 20 years, Mr. Beutel has been working to build early- and growth-stage businesses as a founder, adviser and investor, in Canada and the United States.

During the past five years, Mr. Beutel was President and Co-Founder of Belweather Capital Partners, a boutique merchant banking firm.

He has served as a director of several public and private companies in Canada.

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. 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.

He was President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Medoro Resources Ltd. from October 2009 to September 2010.

Prior thereto, he held senior management and/or director positions with a number of publically listed companies, mainly in the mining sector.

In addition to the Corporation, Mr. Hick serves as a director of Algold Resources Ltd., Carpathian Gold Inc., Eurotin Inc., Hudson Resources Inc., Marengo Mining Limited, Samco Gold Ltd. and St. Andrew Goldfields Ltd. Mr. Hick holds a BA from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of Ottawa and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1978.

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.

Mr. Rocheleau is currently Vice President Finance and Acting Treasurer of Lassonde Industries Inc. after having spent the last three years as Vice President Finance of one of its subsidiary Lassonde Specialties Inc. Between 2002 and 2011, Mr. Rocheleau served as Treasurer of Société générale de financement du Québec (SGF), the Quebec government investment arm now integrated into Investissement Québec, where he acted among other things as the SGF representative to finance committees and boards of some of the companies that were (a) a part of SGF’s investment portfolio and (b) in the initial public offering process of two companies in which SGF had significant interest. Between 2012 and 2015, Mr. Rocheleau did consulting work at Resolute Forest Products Inc. as Acting Treasurer and for Sobey’s Quebec as M&A Coordinator.

Mr. Rocheleau also held senior positions at Provigo / Loblaw   (from 1987 to 2001) and for Alcan Aluminum Ltd. Mr. Rocheleau holds a Bachelor in Business Administration – Accounting from Université de Sherbrooke and is a CPA, CA.