News
New chair for Ontario Food Terminal

Feb. 9, 2016, Guelph, Ont. — The appointment of Agri-Food Management Institute executive director Alison Robertson as the next chair of the Ontario Food Terminal presents new opportunities for collaboration in Ontario’s food system.

Robertson, the terminal’s first female board chair, has a wealth of experience in the agri-food industry, from packaging and student nutrition to working directly with growers and retailers. She joined AMI in November 2015 as the organization’s executive director.

“We offer our congratulations to Alison on her appointment as Chair of the Ontario Food Terminal Board,” says AMI chair Doug Alexander. “This new role will offer opportunities to strengthen AMI’s links with the broader agri-food sector so we can work better collectively to advance agriculture and agri-food in Ontario.”

AMI, which develops and promotes agri-business management resources and training, has extended its mandate beyond the farm gate in recent years to include a focus on business management for the food processing sector as well.

“At AMI, we see strong value chain relationships from the farm right through to consumers as vital to the prosperity of our agri-food businesses,” says Robertson. “The Ontario Food Terminal is such an integral link in Ontario’s food industry and I look forward to increased collaboration between the two organizations so we can help foster a business environment where our sector can thrive.”

Prior to joining AMI, Robertson spent more than a decade with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, which included working closely with farmers and produce marketers, the nutrition sector, and government. She joined the Food Terminal board as a director in 2014.

Robertson also served for many years as a volunteer with the trade fair committee of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference.

AMI promotes new ways of thinking about agribusiness management by developing resources and information and offering training opportunities for agri-food and agri-based producers, processors and their business advisors.