MEET OUR SPEAKERS Cornie Thiessen is the General Manager for Adama Canada. In his five years in the role, Cornie has invested in building a great team committed to advancing Canadian agriculture by being a hardworking, high integrity partner to distribution and retail. These investments have driven strong growth and set the stage for an ambitious future. Cornie is also a CropLife Canada board member. Prior to joining Adama, Cornie worked for 20 years at Monsanto and Bayer in a wide variety of sales, marketing and global strategy management roles. Cornie holds an honours degree in political science from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from the University of Guelph. Alanna Koch is a farmer, industry leader, long-time agriculture champion, former senior government executive and experienced corporate director from Edenwold, Saskatchewan. She’s the Board Chair of the Global Institute for Food Security and CN Agricultural Advisory Council, sits on the board of SeedMaster Manufacturing and the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame, chairs the Field of STARS Fundraising Committee and is an active member of the Global Farmer Network. She works with farmers and the agriculture industry through her consulting company, KoHert Agri Inc. Before this, she served as Deputy Minister to Premier Brad Wall and Cabinet Secretary and was the Saskatchewan Deputy Minister of Agriculture for nine years. Prior to joining government, she was President of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance and was Executive Director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers. Crystal Mackay is recognized as a speaker, trainer and leader in communications and earning public trust in food and farming in Canada. She served as the founding CEO of Farm & Food Care, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, and now her own company, LOFT32 and UTENSIL.CA. She is a Board member for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, former Chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef communications committee, Board Member of the Poultry Industry Council, the Ontario 4-H Foundation and past president of the OAC Alumni Association at the University of Guelph, where she graduated with her degree in Animal Science. Crystal is a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program and several other executive business management training programs. Crystal is proud of her farm girl roots in the Ottawa Valley. Jennifer Wright grew up working in her family’s farm equipment dealership and helping on the farm in southwestern Ontario. She has worked in the field of human resource research and development for more than 20 years. Jennifer has worked with several industries, including agriculture, leading initiatives related to inclusion and diversity, attraction and retention, work integrated learning, labour market research, skills development, training and education. In addition to her work experience, she holds a Masters of Business Administration from Royal Roads University. Jennifer worked with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council as a consultant for more than 10 years before joining the staff in 2019 and is currently serving as the Executive Director. Chris Beaudry is a father, farmer, and public speaker who uses his lived experiences as grist for the mill for personal and spiritual growth. Growing up in Northern Saskatchewan, Chris remembers the carefree days of his childhood as much as he remembers the dark moments cast over these memories being raised by an abusive mother who struggled with drug addiction. As a teenager, he turned to alcohol to numb the traumatic experiences of his childhood. Years later, two major life events changed Chris’ life – getting sober and being a coach of the 2017/18 Humboldt Broncos who were involved in a tragic bus accident that killed 16 players and staff and injured 13 others. Through his speaking work, Chris shares stories from his life and wisdom he carries through spiritual practice to help people recognition and embrace the pain that sets them free from suffering. CORNIE THIESSEN ALANNA KOCH CRYSTAL MACKAY JENNIFER WRIGHT CHRIS BEAUDRY
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