Board of Directors

The North West Company Inc.

Brock Bulbuck - Chairman of the Board, Winnipeg, MB

Brock Bulbuck

Chairman of the Board, Winnipeg, MB

Mr. Bulbuck most recently served as Executive Chair of Boyd Group Services Inc. from 2020 to 2021. Prior to this role, Mr. Bulbuck served as Chief Executive Officer from 2010 to 2019. After joining Boyd in 1993, Mr. Bulbuck served in many senior leadership roles and played a leading role in the overall development and growth of the business. Mr. Bulbuck also serves as a Director on the Board of Boyd Group Services Inc. He is also a past Chairperson of the Winnipeg Football Club Board of Directors, a past member of the Canadian Football League Board of Governors and a current Director of the Pan Am Clinic Foundation. Mr. Bulbuck has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Manitoba and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Deepak Chopra - Board Member, Toronto, ON

Deepak Chopra

Board Member, Toronto, ON

Mr. Chopra most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post Corporation from February 2011 to March 2018. Mr. Chopra has more than 30 years of global experience in the financial services, technology, retail and logistics and supply-chain industries. Prior to that he worked for Pitney Bowes Inc., a NYSE-traded technology company known for postage meters, mail automation and location intelligence services, for more than 20 years. He served as President of Pitney Bowes Canada and Latin America from 2006 to 2010. He held a number of increasingly senior executive roles in Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. He has previously served on the boards of Canada Post Corporation, Purolator Holdings Ltd., SCI Group, the Canada Post Community Foundation and the Toronto Region Board of Trade and currently serves on the boards of Celestica, Inc. and Descartes Systems Group.  Mr. Chopra is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Committee Memberships:
Governance and Nominating Committee
Human Resources, Compensation and Pension Committee

Stewart Glendinning - Board Member, Ocean Ridge, FL

Stewart Glendinning

Board Member, Ocean Ridge, FL

Stewart Glendinning has served as Chief Executive Officer of Express, Inc. since September 2023. Prior to his current role, he served as President, Prepared Foods of Tyson Foods and before that as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tyson. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors International. He began his career at Molson Coors in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer for Molson Coors UK and subsequently held the positions of Chief Financial Officer for Molson Coors Brewing, President and Chief Executive Officer of the UK Business, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors Canada. Mr. Glendinning worked with KPMG and The Hackett Group, both professional services companies where he held various senior audit and consulting roles, working with a broad array of multinational clients. He has also served with various organizations within the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Committee Memberships:
Audit Committee
Governance and Nominating Committee (Chairperson)

Rachel Huckle - Board Member, Toronto, ON

Rachel Huckle

Board Member, Toronto, ON

Ms. Huckle is the Chief Executive Officer for Staples Canada ULC. She was previously President and Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Staples Ms. Huckle worked with Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Shoppers Drug Mart beginning in 1996 where she held a variety of positions including: i) Vice President Operations, (ii) Vice President, Loyalty and Customer insights, (iii) Senior Vice President, Health and Wellness, and (iv) and Senior Vice President Merchandising - Centre of Store. Ms. Huckle has a Masters in Business Administration from Rotman School of Management, and a Masters of Finance from Smith School of Business. 

Annalisa King - Board Member, Vancouver, BC

Annalisa King

Board Member, Vancouver, BC

Ms. King is currently the Chair of the Board for the Vancouver Airport Authority. Prior to that, Ms. King was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Best Buy Canada Ltd., serving in this position from 2008 through 2016. Before her role at Best Buy Canada Ltd., she was Senior Vice President of Business Transformation for Maple Leaf Foods Inc. She has also held senior positions, primarily in finance, throughout her career at consumer packaged goods companies, Kraft and Pillsbury Canada. In addition to serving on the boards of Saputo Inc., First Capital Real Estate Investment Trust and the Vancouver Airport Authority, Ms. King is a director of the Templeton DOC General Partnership Ltd. Ms. King obtained her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2013, and obtained fellowship from the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2018.

Committee Memberships:
Audit Committee (Chairperson)
Governance and Nominating Committee

Violet (Vi) Konkle - Board Member, Fenwick, ON

Violet (Vi) Konkle

Board Member, Fenwick, ON

Ms. Konkle is the past President and Chief Executive Officer of The Brick Ltd. Prior to joining The Brick in 2010 as President of Business Support, she held a number of positions with Walmart Canada, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Customer Officer. Ms. Konkle also held a number of senior executive positions with Loblaw Companies Ltd., including Executive Vice President, Atlantic Wholesale Division.  Ms. Konkle is a director of Boyd Group Services Inc., GFL Environmental Inc., Bailey Metal Products, Elswood Investment Corporation and Abarta. She is a past director of Longo’s Fruit Markets Inc., Dare Foods, The Brick Ltd., Trans Global Insurance, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Konkle obtained her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2014.

Committee Memberships:
Governance and Nominating Committee
Human Resources, Compensation and Pension Committee (Chairperson)

Steven Kroft - Board Member, Winnipeg, MB

Steven Kroft

Board Member, Winnipeg, MB

Mr. Kroft was Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chair of the CEL Group of Companies from 1998 until its sale in 2022. Under his leadership, Conviron and Argus Controls became widely recognized as the world leaders in the supply and manufacture of controlled environment equipment used primarily in agricultural research and high value plant production applications. A lawyer, Mr. Kroft previously practiced law with a major Manitoba law firm from 1992 to 1997. Mr. Kroft is the President and founder of Falcon Capital Corporation, a firm with investments in a range of companies and real estate. In addition to serving on the board of the recently established Manitoba First Fund, Mr. Kroft is a Director Emeritus of the Business Council of Manitoba, a director of the True North Youth Foundation, a member of the University of Manitoba’s President’s Advisory Council, and Past-Chair of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. Mr. Kroft obtained his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2017.

Committee Memberships:
Audit Committee
Human Resources, Compensation and Pension Committee

Daniel McConnell - Board Member, President and Chief Executive Officer

Daniel McConnell

Board Member, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dan McConnell joined The North West Company in 2002 in the role of Manager, Real Estate and Store Development. He quickly advanced to the position of Director in April 2004, promoted to Vice-President of Real Estate & Store Development in September 2008. He then became Executive Vice-President, Chief Development Officer in 2014 and in 2018 became President, International Retail relocating to Boca Raton before returning to Winnipeg in July 2021 as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Dan has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wales and many years’ experience in retail development.

Dan is a board member of The North West Company and United Grocers Inc.

Jennefer Nepinak - Board Member, Winnipeg, MB

Jennefer Nepinak

Board Member, Winnipeg, MB

Ms. Nepinak is an experienced advisor and lawyer and is the Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Engagement at The University of Winnipeg. She is a citizen of Minegozhiibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation) and is fluent in Ojibwe. She has held leadership roles at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, and with various First Nation governments, as well as with the governments of Canada and Manitoba. A passionate leader firmly rooted in the Indigenous community her efforts are founded in a balanced approach focused on ensuring that Indigenous ways of knowing and being are recognized and incorporated. Ms. Nepinak has over 25 years of political, government and business experience and is skilled at initiating collaborative processes that involve numerous cross-sector partners and stakeholders. With extensive governance experience, Ms. Nepinak has served on various boards including the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Treaty Legacy Foundation, Rossbrook House, the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation, The University of Winnipeg Board of Regents, the Canadian Education Coalition, and Manitoba Hydro. Ms. Nepinak received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (1997), completed her Law degree at the University of Manitoba and Osgoode Hall Law School at York University (2000), and received her designation with the Institute of Corporate Directors at Rotman School of Management (2018). She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance and is also a practising member of The Law Society of Manitoba.

Committee Memberships:
Governance and Nominating Committee
Human Resources, Compensation and Pension Committee

Victor Tootoo - Board Member, Iqaluit, NU

Victor Tootoo

Board Member, Iqaluit, NU

Mr. Tootoo is the Vice-President of NVision Insight Group, which specializes in empowering Indigenous communities and works with all levels of government and Inuit organizations in Northern Canada. He is also President of Northern Allied Nunavut Travel Inc., a travel management company which caters to corporations in Northern Canada; President of AV Nunavut Fuels Inc., which purchases and distributes fuel to Northern Canada; President of Kivallingmiut and Auyuittiq Aviation, which provides helicopter and charter services in Northern Canada; and President of Nahanni Nunavut Construction, which provides civil project management and general contractor services. Prior to launching his commercial career, Mr. Tootoo held numerous positions with various governments in the North. Mr. Tootoo holds a Chartered Professional Accountants designation, and also attended Assiniboine Community College where he obtained a Diploma in Business Administration.

Committee Memberships:
Audit Committee
Governance and Nominating Committee