Friday, August 3, 2012

Aker now with Ontario chicken board


Cathy Aker is now food quality and risk management specialist with the Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board.

She moved after Fearman’s hog-packing company sold its plant in Burlington earlier this year.

Aker helped an investment company from Florida to improve the plant’s prospects after it was unloaded by Maple Leaf Foods Inc. She was head of procurement, which was a key challenge for the new owners because hog production was in steep decline at the time.

Aker previously worked for Ontario Swine Improvement at Ingersoll, originating and managing a number of research projects for the genetic improvement of hogs.

She is the second high-profile female executive the chicken board has hired. The other is Gwen Zellen who worked for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.