Vicwest Income Fund’s management team has been strengthened to further solidify our commitment to quality assurance and customer satisfaction, and to drive the Fund’s strategic growth.
The new team has broad expertise and extensive experience, as well as a proven track record on executing value-enhancing projects and delivering consistent financial returns to unitholders over the long term. Its key members include:
Colin Osborne was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund effective October 1, 2007. Mr. Osborne has 20 years of broad experience in the metals and manufacturing industry, most of it in senior operating and general management positions at Stelco Inc. During that time, he set productivity, cost, quality and health safety records at several manufacturing sites, and from 2004 to 2006, he acted as Chief Operating Officer, helping develop and execute the company’s strategic plan and manage negotiations and relations with customers, employees, suppliers, investors and government agencies. Mr. Osborne currently serves on two boards of private companies: Tube City IMS/Onex and Thomson Gordon Inc. Mr. Osborne is a professional engineer and has completed the Executive Program at the Queen’s University School of Business and has a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials/Metallurgy) degree from McGill University.
John Slattery was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Fund effective July 16, 2007. Mr. Slattery has almost 20 years of experience creating value primarily in the manufacturing sector at multi-division and/or multi-national companies such as Jannock Limited, Jenisys Engineered Products, Corporate Express Canada, and most recently at Armtec Infrastructure Income Fund, where he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Slattery also worked seven years at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), where he became a Chartered Accountant.
Prior to Emile Mabro's appointment as in 2008, he had 18 years of operating and marketing experience in the construction industry in Toronto, Beirut, Brussels, Durban and Paris. His previous positions included: CEO & President (3 years) and Chief Product Officer (4 years) for iSTARK Inc.; VP Sales, Marketing and Logistics (3 years) for Holcim Cement; and Sales Manager (4 years) for Bouygues Construction.
Mark Humphrey is Vice President and General Manager, Westeel Storage Solutions. Prior to his position he previously worked at Motorcoach Industries (1990-2003) as: Plant Manager, US Final Assembly; Chief Financial Officer; Director, Control Systems; and Director, Business Redesign.
Gwen Hughes was appointed Vice President, Human Resources in 2007 after working 11 years in HR for Vicwest in both Canada and the US, during which she developed and implemented strategies regarding compensation, benefits, health & safety, pension, collective bargaining and change management.
Prior to joining the Fund in 2008, Tim Armstrong had over 20 years of IT experience in the manufacturing industry in South West Ontario. His previous positions included: VP Corporate Systems for Canadian General-Tower Inc. where he was responsible for IT, Operations, Quality and Purchasing (3 years); VP Information Systems, Quality and Purchasing for Wescast Industries Inc. (10 years); and Director IS for Dimplex North America (7 years).
