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Board of directors

Robert Coallier

Chairman of the Board

Katya Laviolette

Chair of the governance and human resources committee

Hani Basile

Chairman of the financial audit and verification committee

André Couture 

Chairman Emeritus

Martin Couture

Paul Beauchamp

Julie Couture

Yanick Gervais

Richard Goulet

John Meyer Jr.

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Robert Coallier

Chairman of the Board

The Board of Directors of Sanimax is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Robert Coallier as its Chairman.

Mr. Coallier has enjoyed an illustrious and diversified business career holding executive positions at several leading businesses such as La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (Vice President Investments), C-MAC Industries (Vice President and Chief Financial Officer), Molson Coors (Vice-President Executive Development and Global Affairs) and Dollarama (Chief Financial Officer), after which in 2012 Mr. Coallier joined Agropur as its Chief Executive Officer, a position he held up until 2019. Mr. Coallier sits on the Board of Directors of Stella-Jones and has been the recipient of several industry awards and honours.

Katya Laviolette
Chair of the governance and human resources committee

Katya Laviolette is a bilingual executive who has extensive global experience in human resources and M&A. She has worked in both large-scale multinational organizations as well as founder led high growth scale-ups, across a number of industries.

Katya currently holds the role of Chief People Officer with 1Password, a password management and credentials security platform. Prior to joining 1Password, Katya held several executive level HR roles at SSENSE (Chief People Officer & Head of Real Estate), TC Transcontinental (CHRO), CBC | Radio-Canada (VP, People & Culture), and Rio Tinto (VP, Human Resources). Katya is also a Board Director.

Katya holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Queen’s University. She is a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (ORHRI) as well as a certified coach with Integral Coaching Canada.

Hani Basile

Chairman of the financial audit and verification committee

Mr. Basile has extensive experience as a senior manager in the consumer goods sector. Until recently and since 2009, he was President and CEO of the Juvenile Segment at Dorel Industries Inc., overseeing many operating entities in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia and South America. From 2003 to 2009, he held a number of strategic positions within that company. From 1990 to 2003, he exercised his skills on behalf of I-Tech Sport Products Inc., where he held various key management positions, notably that of Senior Vice-President and COO from 1999 to 2003.

Mr. Basile is a member of the Board of OPMEDIC Group Inc. (TSX: OMG). A Bachelor of Commerce graduate from Concordia University, he is also a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant

André Couture

Chairman Emeritus

André has held top leadership positions for more than 25 years, leading the transformation of a single-plant renderer into the current cross border company and creating a smooth transition from second to third generation ownership.

Now, as Chairman of Sanimax, he is focusing on the strategic alignment between the management, the Board of Directors and the shareholders of Sanimax. André has served in several leadership roles in the National Renderers Association and the Fats and Protein Research Foundation. He serves as a trustee at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, from which he earned a BA in Economics, at Collège François-de-Laval and also at Fiducie du patrimoineculturel des Augustines, both in Quebec City.

Martin Couture

Holding a Bachelor degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, Martin is a creative, forward-thinking and charismatic leader. He combines strong leadership skills with extensive operational experience.

Since joining Sanimax in 1989, through his involvement in the Rendering and Restaurant Services units, two core sectors of the family business, Martin has gained an in-depth knowledge of the industry. Since taking the helm of the company in 2009, he has invested his efforts in modernizing the operations and putting corporate values into practice.

Martin was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40”, a Caldwell Partners award, in 2007, and received the Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2008. He is an active member of the National Renderers Association, the professional association of the rendering industry in North America, and is also deeply involved with the Young Presidents’ Organization since 2003.

Paul Beauchamp

Paul Beauchamp joined the Olymel executive team in 2000 and currently holds the position of First Vice President. In this capacity, he is responsible for supply in the hog and poultry sectors, is also in charge of corporate affairs, communications and public affairs, and acts as the company’s spokesperson. He is also directly involved in decisions about acquisitions, mergers, partnerships and business strategy.

Mr. Beauchamp previously served as Secretary and Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Lactel from 1996 to 2000, and as Director of Public Affairs for the Coopérative Fédérée de Québec from 1992 to 1996. He also worked for the Government of Quebec from 1985 to 1992 as Chief of Staff to the Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as well as the Minister of Education.

Paul Beauchamp is a graduate of Laval University, where he studied law and economics. He has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1986.

Julie Couture

Julie is President of Placements Julie Couture Inc., a private holding company with interests both in rendering and commercial/residential real estate. She has served on the Board of Directors of Sanimal Inc. since 1999 and has been an active board member of other charitable organizations. Julie earned a BA in Fine Arts from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, as well as a post-graduate degree from Ontario College of Art in Toronto.

Yanick Gervais

Yanick Gervais was appointed President and CEO of Olymel on November 11, 2021. He succeeded Réjean Nadeau, who passed away on October 14 of the same year after leading the company for nearly a quarter of a century. When La Fernandière was acquired in 2016, Yanick Gervais joined Olymel and first became Vice President and General Manager of this new division, which focuses on the production of fresh sausages.

In 2018, Yanick Gervais was appointed Senior Vice President, Operations, in addition to overseeing the Engineering and Logistics departments. In this capacity, he had the key responsibility to oversee the operations of more than 30 plants located mainly in Quebec, but also in four other Canadian provinces. Before joining Olymel, Yanick Gervais was co-owner and general manager of La Fernandière for over 10 years. He was the grandson of one of its founders.

Trained as an accountant and tax specialist, Yanick Gervais previously worked with the accounting firm Dessureault, Leblanc, Lefebvre, C.A. from 2001 to 2005. He has been very active on various committees related to the chartered accountancy profession, particularly on training and recognition of the next generation of chartered accountants. Yanick Gervais volunteers for several charitable organizations and is very involved in his community. He holds a graduate diploma and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, as well as a master’s degree in taxation (MTax) from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Richard Goulet

President of Alter Ego Capital, which he co-founded in 2013, Mr. Goulet is a committed entrepreneur with a successful track record in mergers & acquisitions and portfolio management.

He started his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young in 1992. He made the leap into the industry in 1995, serving in various management positions at Bombardier. In 1997, he joined the management team of De Luxe Group, a North American leader of flexible packaging solutions for the food industry. He quickly rose to the position of President and became a major shareholder. Under his leadership, the company experienced exceptional growth, organically and through major acquisitions. Operating several manufacturing plants in Canada and in the United States, serving customers worldwide, De Luxe Group became a dominant player in the industry, recognized for its capacity to innovate and its strength in the international markets.

Mr. Goulet is a chartered accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (accounting, urban planning and real estate) from Laval University. He is also involved with the Young Presidents’ Organisation since 2008.

John Meyer Jr.

John brings 18 years of experience in various operational and development roles at the Anamax Group. Since 1995, he has been an active member of the National Renderers Association and other industry organizations. John is the major shareholder of Rock Removal Resources LLC and Sand and Sun LLC, both of which he has participated at a senior management level. He has served on numerous board positions, both business and charitable. He is currently serving on Pro Con – a national paper converting business, Jo to Go – a franchise coffee distributor, FVMT – a metal fabrication business. John earned a BS from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and a BA from St. Benedicts’ in St. Joseph, Minnesota.