Global Institute for Food Security at USask appoints Nutrien sustainability lead to its board
SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) board of directors are pleased to announce that Nutrien executive Candace Laing has joined the GIFS board.
Laing is vice-president of sustainability and stakeholder relations at Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs, services and solutions. Before leading the company’s sustainability strategy, she led Nutrien’s organization and talent development efforts, and served on the core integration team that brought together two legacy Canadian companies to form Nutrien in January of 2018. A USask alumna, her career has spanned both private and public-sector organizations, with a focus on strategic business initiatives that create long-term value and high-performance cultures.
“We are delighted to have Candace join the GIFS board representing Nutrien, a valued founding partner with deep expertise in the business of agriculture,” said Alanna Koch, chair of the GIFS board of directors. “With her experience in sustainability and stakeholder relations, she is an important complement to GIFS and its mission to collaborate with partners to discover, develop and deliver innovative solutions for the production of globally sustainable food.”
Prior to joining Nutrien, Laing worked as the director of people strategies for Saskatchewan Polytechnic and was the manager of organization development for the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority.
“The Global Institute for Food Security is an important player in the quest to advance production agriculture and food production systems,” said Laing.
“Its private-public model is an asset, ideal for bringing government, industry, producers and other stakeholders together to accelerate the development of important agriculture solutions while leveraging Saskatchewan’s strengths. I look forward to supporting its strategy to enhance food security—both in our province and beyond our borders.”
Laing earned a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Arts in leadership, and has served as an instructor at the USask Edwards School of Business. In addition to volunteering on community boards, she is a director on the board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and deputy chair of its International and Strategic Advisory Committee.
Passionate about sustainable agriculture, Laing is proud to have grown up in Saskatchewan where her family farms and where she continues to call home.
“The strategic expertise and high-level perspective on global sustainability that Candace brings to the board will greatly contribute to GIFS’ innovative efforts to improve the global food supply system both at home and around the world,” said Karen Chad, USask vice-president of research. “A sustainable and productive agricultural system is vital if we are to succeed in our goal of helping to sustainably feed the world’s 10 billion people anticipated by 2050.”
Founded in 2012 in a partnership between Nutrien, the Government of Saskatchewan and USask, GIFS works with a diverse range of partners towards its vision of a world where everyone has access to safe and nutritious food.
For more information about GIFS, visit: www.gifs.ca
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For more information, contact:
Olufunke Okochi
GIFS Director of Communications
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-3706
olufunke.okochi@gifs.ca
Victoria Dinh
Media Relations Specialist
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-5487
victoria.dinh@usask.ca