Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer, Canada | Sofina Foods Canada

Toronto, Ontario | Executive Leadership

Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH is recruiting for a Chief Financial Officer, Canada on behalf of Sofina Foods Canada, a privately held, Canadian-based leader in the food manufacturing industry, recognized for its sustained growth, diversified portfolio of protein products, and commitment to quality, innovation, and social responsibility.

The Opportunity

Based at Sofina's Head Office in Toronto, the CFO is a critical leadership role reporting to the President of Sofina Foods Canada with dotted line reporting to the Global CFO. Leading a team of 6 direct reports and over 50 finance professionals, the CFO will be responsible for the leadership and management of the Finance & IT functions supporting Canadian operations.

This role offers:

• A seat at the executive table of one of Canada's largest and most successful food companies
• The opportunity to shape financial strategy during a period of rapid domestic and international growth
• Leadership of a world-class finance team across multiple facilities and geographies
• Meaningful involvement in M&A activities and corporate development initiatives

The Ideal Candidate

Education & Experience:

• The ideal candidate holds an undergraduate degree, along with an MBA and/or CPA. With over 15 years of progressive leadership experience and a foundation in accounting and controls, the CFO has led large, complex manufacturing organizations – preferably publicly traded food manufacturers in Canada. Experience working in a unionized environment is considered an asset.

Industry Expertise:

• The CFO brings extensive experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry, ideally in food or beverage, serving retail, foodservice, and commodity customers. A proven track record in building, implementing, and enhancing finance systems is essential. Leadership experience in non-finance areas such as manufacturing or sales is preferred, with IT experience considered an asset.

• The CFO has experience engaging with senior leaders across customers, competitors, suppliers, and regulators, and brings familiarity with agricultural commodities, supply management systems, and international trade.

Financial & Strategic Leadership:

• The CFO is a financially astute, articulate, and influential leader with the agility to navigate ambiguity, change, and transition. They bring foundational treasury experience, including bank financing, risk management, hedging, and lender presentations, and possess a clear understanding of the competencies required to succeed in dynamic markets.
• Equipped with Corporate Development (M&A) knowledge, the CFO brings experience successfully integrating acquisitions and driving synergies as well as a proven track record of sourcing, negotiating and completing due diligence during the closing and integration phases of a transaction.

Business Acumen & Performance:

• Driven to succeed and motivated by the organization's achievement, the CFO demonstrates a passion to grow the business through people and a disciplined approach to business. With a passion for results, the ideal candidate brings the skills, processes and information needed to support and drive for superior performance of people and by extension, the business.
• A performance-driven leader who is passionate about details, the CFO quickly evaluates various situations in the market, sees the big picture, and makes well balanced decisions that will support strong business performance. Persistent and focused, the ideal candidate brings "business driven" finance instincts and is equally capable on both planning and executionary levels.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship:

• With an entrepreneurial mindset that is balanced by discipline and thoroughness, the CFO recognizes new opportunities on the horizon and thinks critically about ways to be innovative and creative. The CFO maximizes the utility of assets and resources and is prudent in applying technological solutions that deliver proven and tangible benefits.

Communication & Relationship Building:

• A candid communicator, the CFO goes to great lengths to understand the point of view of others, is masterful in distilling complexity and cogently communicating their thoughts, quickly building rapport, instilling confidence and winning respect of executives, employees, customers, suppliers and community partners. This includes handling difficult conversations calmly, truthfully and effectively, and resolving conflict without eroding relationships.

Continuous Improvement:

• In a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement, the CFO is never complacent and possesses an inherent drive to always be better. The CFO is equipped with boundless curiosity and has an insatiable desire and ability to analyze details, continuously striving to learn more about the business and industry more broadly. In this regard, the ideal candidate will always express a desire to learn and a genuine willingness to "roll up their sleeves", which includes traveling to plants/warehouses to observe and understand processes.

Team Leadership & Development:

• An outstanding team builder, team player, mentor and coach, the ideal candidate will have a proven track record of growing organizational capacity through attracting, developing and retaining top talent across multiple geographies as well as building strong relationships with cross-functional leaders and external stakeholders.

Values & Culture:

• Values-driven and self-aware with high emotional intelligence, the ideal candidate is a high integrity leader with strong ethical standards. The CFO embeds the desired organizational values into the fabric of the organization, always conducting themselves in a manner consistent with Sofina's Core Values, Guiding Principles and Leadership Behaviours.

Why Join Sofina?

This is a unique opportunity to join a highly impactful, world-class organization at the forefront of the global food industry. As CFO, you will play a critical leadership role in a business that is scaling rapidly with a clear vision for long-term growth and operational excellence.

For a strategic, commercially minded finance leader, this role offers the platform to make a meaningful and lasting impact within a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment alongside a values-driven executive team.

How to Apply

For a confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact:

Glenda Hirvela, Senior Principal

Steven Pezim, Co-Founder

Bedford Group/TRANSEARCH is one of North America's leading privately held executive search and talent strategy firms, with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Boston. We are a recognized member company of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) and partner of TRANSEARCH International, one of the Top 10 largest executive search firms in the world.