The Team

Martin Gooch, PhD – Chief Executive Officer / Partner

Martin has 30 years’ management experience in the international agribusiness industry, having worked and completed research projects in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United States of America, Asia and the Caribbean. He holds qualifications in crop and animal production, farm management, and has an undergraduate degree in International Business. His Master’s thesis identified factors critical to the success of perishable food value chain alliances. His PhD identified ways to motivate farmers and managers of agri-food businesses to successfully adapt to changing market demands through developing close, strategic relationships and innovative business practices. In 2013 Martin received Bayer Inc.’s “Outstanding Canadian” award for his contribution to “Food Chain Partnerships,” and was appointed Adjunct Professor at the College of Business and Economics, University of Guelph. In 2017 Martin received the Cory Clack Streef “Produce Person of the Year” award.

S. Caroline Glasbey – Senior Director, Operations and Communications / Partner

Caroline has 30 years’ experience in communication-related roles, including investor relations, corporate communications, community relations, event planning, and business management. In her investor relations role for a number of small and large cap corporations, she was responsible for coordinating, authoring and copyediting corporate proxy and marketing materials, as well as representing the companies as spokesperson to the media and to the financial community.

Lawrence Bonney, PhD – Associate, Value Chain Innovation (Australia)

Lawrence was the Associate Professor of Value Chain Innovation in the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania. He has an extensive career in senior management positions in the private and public sectors as well as in academia. His PhD researched how to incentivize collaborative innovation in supply chains in Australia and Canada. Between 2016-20, he was the Director of the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub ‘Pathways to Market,’ one of the first research groups in the world to investigate whole-of-supply chain data analytics. Lawrence has also led multi-disciplinary teams developing integrated solutions for the contemporary inter-modal challenges in global food supply chains in Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia and East Africa, which has given him a detailed understanding of traditional and modern food supply chains as well as issues associated with the legacies of multi-national corporations in traditional economies and modern slavery.

Benjamin Dent, PhD – Senior Associate, Sustainability (UK)

Ben has expertise in agri-food sector value chains, sustainability, especially climate change and using consumer research to enhance value chain performance. Ben has international experience having worked in the UK, North America, Africa and Australasia. Previously, he spent 12 years in UK government environment and food policies. He works within local food systems, including establishing the UK’s largest regional association of farmers’ markets. Ben was educated at Cambridge University and Imperial College London. His PhD at Queensland University investigated how to create shareholder value from reducing carbon emissions across value chains. Since 2006, he has advised the UK Soil Association on integrating the needs of licensees, consumers, and sustainability within its organic standards.

Dan Laplain – Senior Associate

Dan has a mechanical and production engineering background, and has over 30 years’ progressive operations, quality and project management experience in a variety of industries. As a lean six sigma master blackbelt, he is a recognized expert in developing, marketing and delivering quality management and process improvement initiatives, with a specific focus on improving the performance of value streams and chains. Dan has led, coached or otherwise been significantly involved in hundreds of business and process improvement projects that have saved clients millions of dollars, reduced operating costs, and significantly increased customer satisfaction.

Jennifer MacTavish – Industry and Government Relations Associate

Jennifer (Jenn) is a visionary and passionate advocate for producers, and the need to connect them to new market opportunities by fostering purposeful value chain collaboration. Jenn possesses over 20 years’ experience leading federal and provincial agricultural and agri-food industry associations, and establishing the industry and government partnerships required, to succeed through innovation in response to changing economic and environmental drivers of change. In so doing, she has proven herself to be a results-driven, problem-solving, strategic thinker and trusted partner, with expertise in government relations, board governance, program development and implementation, domestic policy, business risk management, and mediation. Jenn is also a strong advocate for farmers’ mental wellness, animal health, animal care, and food security.

Chris McKittrick – Business Development Associate

Chris contributes to value chain implementation projects. Chris is a highly effective international executive, with experience running companies in Canada, USA, UK and Belgium, including service on internal and external boards. He has proven hands-on leadership, team-building, sales, marketing and operational management abilities in consumer, retail, industrial, service, and distribution sectors — in both private and public corporations. His experience in a wide range of industries, including agri-food, has enabled him to develop excellent business development and strategic planning skills, along with successful operational expertise in start-ups, turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions.

George Mitges, P.Ag. – Associate

George was an early leader in the pre-cut vegetable industry, including working for the leader in bagged salad sales in the United States. George has a very strong understanding of the food manufacturing sector, from Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACCP) to kosher certification, and operating profitably in a food safe environment. Successfully working as a partner with major national food retailers in Canada, George has helped primary producers, commodity associations and other organizations enhance product offerings in the retail sector. Many of these projects have included Ontario-grown fruits and vegetables, bridging the knowledge gap between supplier and retailer. George Mitges has broad-based experience in the retail, wholesale, and manufacturing sectors of the North American food industry. He has led projects to launch of new operational divisions, explosive growth and market share gains in a highly competitive sector. George is a certified member of the Ontario Institute of Agrology, and is a Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.).

Jon Morgan, BSc (Hons) – Associate (UK)

A VCMI Associate, Jon possesses considerable experience developing and managing best practice agri-food value chains. As Managing Director of Livestock Marketing, Jon represented 650 Welsh farmers in coordinating the supply of beef and lamb to major UK retailers. Livestock Marketing collaborated with the entire value chain, from evaluating genetics in relation to eating quality, economic and environmental factors through to working with processors and retailers in the planning and execution of year-round production schedules. Prior to joining Livestock Marketing in 2002, Jon managed several livestock operations, and held sales and marketing roles with farm input suppliers. Jon holds an Honours Degree in Agriculture.

Hon. Lyle Vanclief – Associate

Lyle embarked upon a sixteen-year federal and international political career – he was Member of Parliament for Prince Edward Hastings from 1988 to 2004 and Federal Minister of Agriculture from June 1997 to December 2003. This was preceded by twenty-five years of experience as an agricultural entrepreneur, owning and operating a diversified livestock, fruit and vegetable, grains and oilseeds farm in his homeland, Prince Edward County. With a strong commitment to community service, he serves on a number of boards, providing advisory counsel to organizations and businesses, and is currently chair of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Lyle is a Professional Agrologist, and has been honoured as a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada and with the Canadian Independent Spirit Award by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. In 2010, he was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame and served as Honorary Chair of the 2011 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress.

Peter Whitehead, PhD – Associate (UK)

Peter has been actively involved in food and packaging waste prevention since 2002. Since 2012 he has been a contractor for WRAP (Waste & Resource Action Plan), working with the major retailers and manufacturers in the UK to reduce food loss and waste as part of the Courtauld Commitments. Peter’s work has examined how key activities (including promotions, product life setting and procurement), can be used to drive down waste levels. Peter also led WRAP’s work on the measurement of waste in the grocery supply chain. Prior to 2012, Peter was the Director of the Food Chain Center (FCC), based at the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD). The Food Chain Centre operated from 2002-7/8 and was a key plank in the then government’s policy on sustainable farming and food. FCC pioneered value stream mapping across agri-food value chains, delivering significant cost savings to businesses operating along the value chain. Before joining IGD he worked in MAFF (now Defra) on various policy roles, including initially, on joining, as an economic adviser. Peter has a first degree in economics, a PhD in geography and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Delia Bucknell – Senior Research Associate

Delia has considerable international and Canadian research experience within the agri-food sector. She completed her undergraduate – an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in International Agriculture Land and Business Management – at the Royal Agricultural University in the UK and she holds an MSc in Rural Extension Studies: International Development from the University of Guelph. As Senior Research Associate at VCMI and the Research Associate for the Dean of Agriculture at the University of Guelph, Delia has conducted economic, social, environmental and spatial analysis across various sectors of the agri-food industry.

Nicole Marenick – Market Research Associate

Nicole has a background in marketing and communications management, having previously worked client side with B2B and B2C experience. She has primarily worked on value chain management projects including the Ontario Platinum Peach, grass fed beef, and cranberry projects for the Value Chain Management Centre (now VCMI). Additional projects include branding/marketing, investigating the commercial opportunities related to local food and lean/process improvement. Nicole holds an Honours BA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing.