Western Grocer Serving the industry since 1916
TORONTO—October 20, 2020. . . Ron Welke, Chair of Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG), Thomas Shurrie, President and CEO, and the CFIG Board of Directors are pleased to announce Stephen Kouri, VP Sales and Trade Marketing, Smucker Foods of Canada Corp., as the 2020 recipient of CFIG’s prestigious Life Member Award in the Industry Builder category.
After graduation, Stephen joined what was then Lever Brothers as Assistant Brand Manager on Sunlight laundry detergent. It was the beginning of a 22-year career culminating with positions as VP of Sales at Unilever. While at Unilever, Stephen’s Marketing team launched the Axe brand and played an instrumental role in developing Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty. The Dove work reflected Stephen’s strong social conscience. The global campaign has continued to be relevant to this day. In 2009, Stephen made the move to Smucker as VP Sales and Trade Marketing. With his new position, he continued to be an active member of CFIG’s Associate Members’ Council, which Stephen has been an active part of since 2005.
Stephen says that CFIG gave him the opportunity to better understand the role and importance of the independent in our industry. He is proud of how he could take that back to his team at Smucker and talk about the value of participation in CFIG.
Stephen says he and his family have made life-long friends through CFIG. When his boys were teens, Stephen together with his wife, Jill, and the boys enjoyed the summer meetings where they were able to re-connect annually with great friends in their extended CFIG family.
Outside of the office, Stephen serves as President of ProAction Cops & Kids, a charitable organization that connects children, often from disadvantaged neighbourhoods across much of Ontario together with police officers, in officer-developed and run programs.
CFIG’s Life Member designation honours those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the food industry. Their experience, accomplishments and commitment are at the foundation of today’s grocery retailing business. Stephen will be officially recognized at the Celebration of Grocers event held on Wednesday, November 25 at 6pm EST, at GIC LIVE @ HOME, Canada’s premier virtual grocery exposition and conference will take place online Nov. 24, 25, 26, 2020 at www.GroceryInnovations.com
The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) — CFIG is a non-profit trade association founded in 1962, which continues to be a collaborative community, equipping and enabling independent, franchised and specialty grocers for sustainable success. CFIG is the strong and united voice for the independent grocery retailers to Industry and Government across Canada. CFIG also provides programs that support operational excellence while fostering solid relationships among retailers, distributors, and suppliers. www.cfig.ca
