... Business Council of Manitoba ...
Member Highlight

Mr. Jeff Vassart

President & CEO, Cargill Limited

For as long as Jeff can remember, agriculture was life. Growing up on cattle farm in rural Manitoba, from an early age, Jeff understood how important farmers were to nourishing communities, but also how challenging life on a farm can be. He became passionate about helping farmers succeed and pursued a career in building connections between farmers, producers and business, from field-to-fork. As President of Cargill Limited, Jeff has dedicated his career to supporting a […]

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Member Highlight

Mr. Jeff Vassart

President & CEO, Cargill Limited

For as long as Jeff can remember, agriculture was life. Growing up on cattle farm in rural Manitoba, from an early age, Jeff understood how important farmers were to nourishing communities, but also how challenging life on a farm can be. He became passionate about helping farmers succeed and pursued a career in building connections between farmers, producers and business, from field-to-fork.

As President of Cargill Limited, Jeff has dedicated his career to supporting a strong food supply chain in Canada and fulfilling the company’s core purpose: to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.

Cargill Limited is a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Cargill, Incorporated, an international provider of food, agriculture, and risk management products and services. Cargill links farmers to markets, customers with ingredients and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.

In Canada, Cargill operates 88 locations and employs around 8,000 people across six provinces. Our Canadian operations have been named one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Top Diversity Employers and Canada’s Top Employer for Young People.

Cargill partners with farmers, ranchers and food companies of all sizes to support a strong and dependable food system in Canada. Cargill processes meat and oilseed, and manufactures livestock feed. In addition, Cargill is involved in crop input product retailing, grain handling, salt distribution and merchandising.

Jeff began his career at Cargill in 1996 as a facility assistant at the Yorkton, SK grain elevator. During his tenure, Jeff has held several leadership positions with Cargill’s grain and Oilseeds business, including General Manager of business in Australia, leader of Canadian operations, and global leader of Operations and Supply Chain. Today, in addition to his role as President of Cargill Limited, Jeff serves as the Managing Director of Commercial Excellence for Cargill Agriculture Supply Chain in North America.

Jeff is a proud alumnus of the Assiniboine Community College Agribusiness program and is a member of the Business Council of Canada. Jeff also volunteers his time coaching youth sports and sitting on community boards. Jeff lives in  La Salle, Manitoba with his wife Lori and their three sons.

Cargill Limited (Canada)

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and more than 155 years of experience. We have 160,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work.

Cargill Limited is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba and operates 88 locations across six provinces, employing around 8,000 people. Our Canadian operations have been named one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Top Diversity Employers and Canada’s Top Employer for Young People.

Cargill partners with farmers, ranchers and food companies of all sizes to support a strong and dependable food system in Canada. Cargill processes meat and oilseed, and manufactures livestock feed. In addition, Cargill is involved in crop input product retailing, as well as grain handling, salt distribution and merchandising.

We join with community leaders, non-profits and others to enrich the places where we live and work in Canada, building a strong, sustainable future for agriculture. We support local food banks, school meals, food safety and community gardens. We strengthen farmer livelihoods through development programs for future farmers and ag-education programs in classrooms. We work to safeguard the environment for future generations through a number of programs protecting wetlands, supporting youth environmental education and community cleanups.

At Cargill, everything begins with our purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. We help farmers grow more, connecting them to broader markets. We are continuously developing products that give consumers just what they’re seeking, advancing nutrition, food safety and sustainability. And we help all of our partners innovate and manage risk, so they can nourish the world again tomorrow.

FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to the Business Council of Manitoba.

I am privileged to have the opportunity to serve as chair of the Business Council of Manitoba following other successful and accomplished chairs. Since our founding in 1998 our members, the CEOs of Manitoba is leading businesses, have contributed to making Manitoba a stronger province.

The Council, now in its third decade, will continue to fulfill its mandate to speak out on major policy issues and to advance non-partisan advice, fresh ideas, and policy positions on matters of importance to our members and our province.  On a regular basis we meet with the most senior leaders in all levels of government to lead discussions on innovative solutions to make Manitoba an even better province.

Members of the Business Council believe that it is the investments they and others in the private sector make that will create sustainable long-term growth, jobs, and prosperity all Manitobans seek. We know success is achieved by working in partnership with governments on the public investments that support economic growth, and just as importantly to improve the quality of life we enjoy in Manitoba.

As a Council we recognize that our office is located on Treaty One lands, the original territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Lakota, Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Metis Nation and wish to recognize and honour all Treaties.  The Business Council is proud of the many relationships it has formed, and we dedicate ourselves to moving forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.

The Business Council is dedicated to making Manitoba a better place to live, work and invest.

We are accessible through LinkedIn and Twitter @bizcouncilmb.


Darryl Levy

Chair

FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am very honored to have been entrusted to be only the third President and CEO in the history of the Business Council of Manitoba.

The Council, established in 1998, is proud of its record of accomplishments, offering a constructive, non-partisan voice on major challenges and opportunities for Manitoba and Canada. I look forward to working with our members and our key stakeholders in building on our past successes and continuing to contribute towards realizing the full potential of our great province.

Our membership, through private sector investments and working in partnership with various levels of government, is focused on sustainable long-term growth, jobs and prosperity for all Manitobans present and future.

We welcome inquiries from readers who are interested in the work we do and the opinions we hold. We recognize the value in building support for positive change to make our province more competitive as we look forward to future opportunities and challenges.

Our goal is simple, to provide fact based and innovative input into major policy issues focused on making Manitoba a place where all can live, work and invest in vibrant and healthy communities.

Please follow us on twitter and LinkedIn


Bram Strain

President & CEO