Faculty Advisory Board

The FAES Advisory Board is comprised of a group of alumni and friends of the Faculty from across Canada and around the world who have generously agreed to share their wisdom and energy with Macdonald. Their mandate is to share their invaluable expertise by providing external insights to enhance the Faculty’s mission and promote the Faculty and our students in the broader community.

Mr. Éric Gosselin, BSc(Agr)’91, Advisory Board Chair

Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLP

Éric Gosselin is a partner in the Business Law Group in Montreal for McCarthy Tetrault LLP. He has practiced law with the firm since 1995. Mr. Gosselin maintains an active practice in all major areas of corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, corporate restructuring and financing and has advised on a number of Canadian and cross-border acquisitions. He acts for a variety of companies and financial institutions involved in the agrifood sector, notably manufacturers of food and alcoholic beverages and he has advised these clients on transactional work, regulatory matters and general commercial matters. Upon completing high school at the Collège Bourget in Rigaud (1986) and the educational program at John Abbott CEGEP (1988), Mr. Gosselin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and a certificate in environmental studies from McGill University in 1991. He also received his LLB from the Université de Sherbrooke in 1994, was called to the Québec bar in 1995 and has been a member of the Ordre des agronomes du Québec since 1998.

Mr. Gosselin serves on the board of directors and executive committees of the Fondation de la Place des Arts (executive vice-president). He also sits on the board of directors of Culture pour tous, on which he acts as Chairman of the board and of Festival TransAmériques. He also sits as an external member on the Arts and Business Committee of the Conseil des Arts de Montréal. He was one of three mentors of Go-C.A. when the program was launched in January 2011 and is still actively involved as a mentor in the program. Go-C.A. is a twinning activity involving professionals from the business and arts communities designed to recruit new members to the Board of Directors of artistic organizations.

Mr. Bernard Poliquin, BSc’84(Agr), MSc’90

Executive Vice President, Office and Chief Real Estate Operations Officer, Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust

Bernard Poliquin is Executive Vice President, Office and Chief Real Estate Operations Officer at Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust. In this position, he will oversee the leasing and property management teams for office and industrial assets as well as operations, maintenance and construction activities for the entire portfolio.

Bernard also held the position of Senior Vice-President at Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc., a position he assumed in June of 2015. His duties included responsibility for the entire office building port­folio in Québec, including Place Ville Marie, Le 1000 de la Gauchetière, World Trade Centre Montréal, the business office of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the future Maison Manuvie in Montréal, and the Edifice Price in Québec City. He was also responsible for coordinating the implementation of Ivanhoé Cambridge's $1 billion plan for downtown Montréal.

Mr. Poliquin is an experienced manager in the real estate field.  Since November 2010, he had held the position of Vice President, Real Estate Services, at Mouvement Desjardins, where his responsibilities included occupancy strategy and planning, transactions, lease and project management for Desjardins across Canada, as well as property management activities including Complexe Desjardins, Montréal’s largest commercial property, and the organization’s corporate campus in Lévis, Québec.  His team also provided support to the Desjardins retail network involving some 1,700 sites.

He also worked at Jones Lang LaSalle as President of Canadian operations and then as Managing Director in Sydney, Australia and at Bell Canada as Vice President, Real Estate Asset Management, Canada.

Mr. Poliquin is past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Urban Development Institute of Québec (UDI) and currently sits on its board of governors.  He currently presides over the real estate and construction sector for the 2016 – 2017 Centraide (United Way) campaign in Montréal and chairs the Faculty Advisory Board of McGill University’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, from where he holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Science.

Mr. Anton Angelich, BSc(FSc)’73

VP Marketing, Virginia Dare

Anton Angelich is the Group V.P. of Marketing for Virginia Dare, responsible for the marketing of flavors and consumer research. Mr. Angelich holds previous executive positions with Symrise, Cultor Food Science and Givaudan flavor companies. He has over 17 years with Nestle as a manager and food scientist in product and process development, sensory evaluation, and the Nestle Test Kitchens.

Mr. Angelich holds B.S in Food Science from McGill University and a M.B.A. in Marketing from N.Y.I.T. His professional memberships include the American Society for Enology & Viticulture, American Association of Candy Technologists, Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology, American Marketing Association, World Futurists, and numerous trade association affiliations. Other Volunteer Positions: Friends of McGill (NYC), NYC McGill Alumni Association.

Anton is a passionate Mac supporter, and is also frequently consulted by students and Faculty alike for insights and knowledge sharing on various initiatives, typically tied to food development and innovation.

Mr. Marc Bieler, Dip Agr’58, BA’64

Founder, President & General Manager, Bieler Cranberries inc.

Marc Bieler founded Bieler Cranberries, which is Canada’s leading cranberry producer with 1,400 acres in production. They supply the processing company ATOKA with high quality cranberries which are transformed into Juice, Sweet and Dried Cranberries, Powder and Sauces. Certain products are sold retail under the ATOKA label or sold as fresh fruit in season. Bieler Cranberries sets high standards for the fruit they produce by taking actions for sustainable agriculture. Their standards result from development policies such as water optimisation and cultural prevention methods, and wetland preservation. Mr. Bieler is also Founder & President of Congelateur Bieler inc., Atoka Cranberries inc. and President of Bieler Holdings inc.

His previous experience includes, Investor & Board Member of Doxsee Food, a Food Processor in Baltimore Maryland for clam products, salad dressings and maple syrup. He also worked as an Apple Grower and Processor for a company in Frelighsburg Quebec and a Grain Trader for the Continental Grain Company in New York.

Mr. Bieler has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Adelard Godbout Award (Ordre des Agronomes du Québec, 1996); the Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur (1997); he was named the Personalité de l'année du Monde Agri Alimentaire du Québec (2006); and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the McGill Alumni Association (2014).

Dr. Karen Lapsley, BSc(FSc)’74

Chief Scientific Officer, Almond Board of California (ABC)

Karen has managed the nutrition and food research programs and established the scientific rational and the research network that has made science based global messaging standard practice at the Almond Board of California Since August 1999. This science platform of over 140 high impact-level publications along with appropriate tool kits and spokespeople, forms the backbone for the Almond Board’s extensive international outreach program to consumers, health influencers, and policy makers in key markets. As California produces 80 percent of the almonds globally and exports over 70 percent of the crop and its products, she has also focused on more international research collaborations to explore the almonds//health/sustainability links. She also has oversight for the production and environmental research at ABC, and their integration into ABC’s sustainability programs. She has a strong record for identifying crucial scientific issues, providing balanced perspective to senior management, and mobilizing resources to reach consensus and resolution. She represents the Almond Board of California professionally with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), International Treenut Council World Forum, and University of California Davis advisory boards in the food science and agr/biological engineering departments.

She has presented more than 100 conference presentations, has written over 50 publications and reports and has been co-author of several book chapters. Previous experience included progressive research and management responsibilities in government and food industry positions and university teaching to entry level nutrition and dietetic students. She began her career in consumer communications and quality assurance with a multinational food company (T. J. Lipton/Unilever). Professional memberships and active leadership roles have been with US and Canadian Food Technology Associations. She was born and raised in Montreal, Canada and speaks French and German. When she’s not thinking about almonds and travelling, she enjoys sailing and scuba diving with her husband.

Mr. Cyrille Néron, BSc(Agr)'92

Senior Manager of Major Accounts - Agri-Food Sector at the Fédération des Caisses Desjardins du Québec

Mr. Cyrille Néron is the Senior Manager of Major Accounts - Agri-Food Sector at the Fédération des Caisses Desjardins du Québec since September 2017.

Growing up on a dairy farm in Saguenay, he completed a « Diplôme d'études collégiales » (D.E.C.) in Farm Management and Technology at Alma College before getting a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics at McGill University - Macdonald Campus in 1992. He is also an active member of the Ordre des agronomes du Québec.

In addition to his fifteen years of experience in financing the agriculture and agri-food sector, including eleven years at Desjardins and four years at the Bank of Montreal, Mr. Néron combines eleven years of experience in the field of research and development, including eight years as Senior Director of Innovation and Growth department at the Coop fédérée, where he has developed an advanced expertise in renewable energies and biomass.

Ms. Kantha Shelke, PhD

Founder and Principal, Corvus Blue LLC

Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., is a Lifetime Member of Phi Tau Sigma, and is currently a Principal at Corvus Blue LLC, a contract food science and research firm. She holds Master’s degrees in Organic Chemistry and in Food Science and Nutrition, and a Ph.D. in Cereal Chemistry and Technology. She practices, writes, and teaches from end-to-end in food and supplement supply chains on the global front. An IFT Food Science Communicator, she is also a technical editor at PLMA Live!, (Private Label Manufacturers Association), and Prepared Foods magazine, and holds adjunct/visiting professorship positions at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and at the MCI Management Center in Innsbruck, Austria. Her book “Pasta and Noodles: A Global History” was published in August 2016 by Reaktion Press, UK. When not teaching or working with clients, Kantha helps advance the understanding of food science and nutrition, food safety and regulations for enterprises successfully tackling food disruption, food safety, supply chain tech, novel ingredients, and precision agriculture.

Mr. Eric B. Mercier, BSc(Agr)’91

Eric MercierPresident, Premier Wine Cask

Eric Mercier joined Premier Wine Cask in March of 2007 as President. He has been in the wine industry since 1992, first as Sales Representative for Pechiney Cork & Seal of California (now AMCOR), and then as President & CEO of Oeneo Closures USA, also based in Napa.
He is a graduate of McGill University in Canada, where he is from, and has received his Agribusiness MBA from Santa Clara University. Eric lives in Napa with his wife Annie and their three daughters.

M. Abe Razzak Adham, BSc(AgrEng)’98

Abe AdhamManaging Director and Head of Quebec Investment Banking, TD Securities

Abe Adham was actively involved in the turnaround of the Québec Investment Banking franchise initiated in 2006. He has more than 23 years of work experience, 16 of which was spent at TD advising Québec-based companies on M&A transactions, divestitures and public equity and debt financing transactions. Selected transactions include advising CDPQ and FSTQ on their acquisition of Bonduelle S.A.'s North American Operations, PSP Investments on its acquisition of Engie's North American renewable energy assets, Atrium Innovations on its sale to Permira Advisers, Fibrek in the context of the hostile bid by Resolute, Stella-Jones secondary offering of common shares and Innergex Renewable Energy in its acquisition of five Cartier wind farms from TransCanada. Abe currently serves on the boards of the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra and Finance Montreal and is the Institute of Corporate Directors' (Quebec Chapter) current President (till July 2024). Engineer by training at McGill University, Abe holds an MBA from HEC Montreal and a master's in finance from London Business School. 

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