New milk board chair

A veteran of the Vancouver business world is the new chair of the BC Milk Marketing Board, succeeding outgoing chair Ben Janzen on July 31.

Janice Comeau brings 30 years of experience in finance and strategic advisory roles to the position. She most recently spent three years as chair of the BC Land Titles and Survey Authority and is a director of Sugarbud Craft Growers Corp., a publicly traded cannabis producer based in Calgary.

She previously held positions overseeing finance for private label snack maker Snack Alliance Inc. and Versacold Logistics. She has also worked in the real estate development and tech sectors.

The marketing board’s announcement of her appointment describes Comeau as delivering “financial leadership, accountability, strategic insight, and performance improvement for both entrepreneurial and public firms in growth or change.”

Comeau’s two-year appointment runs until July 31, 2023.

The announcement also acknowledged Janzen’s many years of service, thanking him for “his significant contributions and dedication to the industry” over the course of 21 years as a board member.

Janzen’s departure was announced earlier this year during the board’s spring producer meetings, but a formal appreciation is planned when the province once more allows in-person gatherings.

“Ben has been a champion for the BC dairy industry and has represented the interests of all industry stakeholders throughout his term,” the board’s statement says. “[We] look forward to the opportunity for the industry to celebrate Ben’s time on the board once provincial health restrictions allow.”