Article

By Jacques Pomerleau, President & CEO

For almost twenty years Pork International has been committed to the competitiveness and prosperity of the Canadian Pork Industry by driving exports. Our organization has participated in the incredible growth in Canada’s international pork trade.

In the past year we have undertaken two critical initiatives to strengthen our organizational capacity to meet future demands. We have enhanced our strategic planning and redesigned elements of our governance and management.

Our latest strategic plan describes how CPI articulates its commitment into significant outcomes through March 2013.

The plan describes how we intend to: maintain and gain access to international markets; to differentiate Canadian pork from its international competitors; and to increase the value of the Canadian pork exports.

We have built and are implementing action plans that are designed to increase our competitive intelligence, reduce logistical barriers, increase access to markets and administer robust trade facilitation programs for our members.

Our strategic plan has essentially ‘set the sail” now we must complete the journey.

Governance was an aspect that we had not addressed in the two decades since we were established.
Our new approach to governance includes;

• Updated bylaws approved by our members
• Regularizing some current practices of the Board and Staff
• Establishing a range of internal organizational changes
• Strengthen the committee system by aligning it to our strategic plan

The governance project has provided our Board with a set of decisions that will ensure CPI remains a vital component of the pork industry and utilizes a sustainable approach to organizing and delivering needed services to our members.