With decades of grocery retail experience, Jamie Nelson is a key member of the executive leadership team of the Pattison Food Group. Jamie began his career in the grocery business as a retail clerk in Mission, B.C., in 1980, and steadily rose through various levels of management at Save-On-Foods before joining the company’s leadership team in 2012. Today, Jamie holds overall management accountability and strategic direction for the operations of all Pattison Food Group banners – including Save-On-Foods, the group’s largest company.

A widely respected leader throughout the grocery industry, Jamie was named the recipient of the 2023 Golden Pencil Award – the highest distinction in Canada’s grocery industry – for his lifetime contributions to the industry he considers himself fortunate to be part of. Jamie’s passion and expertise in the grocery industry has parlayed into active participation on industry boards, including that of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, for which he is chair.

Since 1989, Paul Cope has been immersed in the grocery retail industry. He is a highly respected leader who is widely known for his passion, and for fostering the Save-On-Foods company culture of Always Customer First Service. After many years in various retail positions, Paul became a regional director with Save-On-Foods in 2014. He later became general manager, centre of store merchandising and general manager, B.C. operations before joining the VP team in 2019 as vice president of B.C. operations. In 2020 he took on his current title of senior vice president, retail operations.

Paul has been formally recognized with a Save-On-Foods Leadership Excellence Award in 2011 and a Store Leader of the Year Award in 2012 during his time at the PriceSmart Foods store in Richmond, B.C., and is a graduate of Thompson Rivers University’s Executive Management and Leadership Certificate Program. A driven and highly engaged leader, Paul possesses a broad understanding of the grocery retail business with a focus on delivering what is right for customers. He is also a dedicated member of the Sources Foundation board of directors.

A key member of the Pattison Food Group executive team, Heidi Ferriman began her career in the grocery industry in 2000 and worked her way up through a series of progressively senior roles with Save-On-Foods before joining the executive team in 2018. In 2021, with the formation of the Pattison Food Group, Heidi’s responsibilities expanded to cover human resources and corporate affairs for all Pattison Food Group banners, and all 30,000 team members employed with the company across Western Canada.

A humble, dynamic, energetic and passionate leader, Heidi was named a 2019 Star Woman in Grocery by Canadian Grocer Magazine and a 2023 Jim Pattison Group Special Achievement award winner. She is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources and holds a bachelor of commerce degree as well as a master’s degree in human resources and communications from Northeastern University. Heidi puts people first and has been instrumental in forging strong people, philanthropic and strategic partnerships for the Pattison Food Group.

An experienced retail operator, Ben Harrack has been committed to the grocery industry since 1992. His customer-first approach to decision making and collaborative leadership style led to his rise through Save-On-Foods and later the Pattison Food Group, where today he is senior vice president of merchandising. In this role, Ben oversees all fresh and centre of store merchandising for the company, in addition to procurement and Pattison Food Group’s manufacturing facilities.

Known for his adaptability, progressive and results-focused leadership, Ben has earned a plethora of awards from Save-On-Foods throughout his career, including two Leadership Excellence Awards for his time as a store manager in two of the company’s Northern B.C. stores (Fort Nelson, 2010 and Fort St. John, 2013); a 2016 Special Achievement Award for his leadership during the company’s expansion into Manitoba and Saskatchewan; and Save-On-Foods’ highest accolade, the Business Leader of the Year Award, in 2018 for his work as general manager of Save-On-Foods’ prairies division. Ben also a member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers board of directors.

Paul grew up and was educated in Scotland, earning a joint honours degree in accountancy and economics with first class distinction from the University of Glasgow. Subsequent to graduating, Paul articled with global accountancy firm PwC, becoming a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland before moving to PwC’s practice in Vancouver, B.C. Paul gained experience, progressively moving into more senior roles at PwC and Deloitte in their respective Canadian advisory practices before joining The Jim Pattison Group in 2008.

Paul has been part of Pattison Food Group since 2014. A member of the PFG executive committee, Paul supports a number of key areas within the organization including accounting, finance, tax, treasury, acquisitions, enterprise planning, risk management, data & analytics, information technology, legal, resource protection and quality assurance.

Paul is a Chartered Professional Accountant, and in 2023 was recognized by CPABC as a Fellow in recognition of his career accomplishments and contributions to the community.

Brenda Kirk began her career as a cashier at Overwaitea Foods in Nanaimo, B.C. in 1980. She quickly advanced through a variety of progressively senior leadership positions in retail operations, including regional manager of Save-On-Foods, director of front-end operations and general manager of centre of store merchandising, before joining the company’s senior leadership team as vice president of centre of store merchandising in 2015. An instrumental part of the executive leadership team, Brenda has led a number of business functions as a vice president over the years, including innovation, health, private brands, merchandising, and banner operations. Today, she oversees the Pattison Food Group’s health division, driving growth in the Pattison Food Group’s pharmacy and health food retail businesses.

Brenda was named Save-On-Foods’ Business Leader of the Year in 2014, and she is also the recipient of a 2015 Star Women in Grocery Award from Canadian Grocer Magazine and Jim Pattison Group Special Achievement Award in 2021. A past member of the merchandising committee for United Grocers Inc., Brenda is on the board of directors for both GS1 Canada and the Canadian Health Food Association. As a founding member and now executive sponsor of the Pattison Food Group’s TogetHER Network, which is aimed at driving change around diversity and inclusion, Brenda is a strong advocate for making a positive and measurable difference in the workplace.

Mike Olson brings more than three decades of grocery industry experience to the Pattison Food Group. Mike began his career at retail in the deli at the Pinetree Save-On-Foods store and advanced his career through a series of progressively senior roles, including director of corporate brands, general manager of non-foods, and general manager of Save-On-Foods Alberta. He joined the Save-On-Foods executive leadership team in 2007 as vice president of Save-On-Foods operations, which was followed by a move to vice president of fresh merchandising, then later to a promotion to senior vice president of merchandising and buying.

Today, as senior vice president of supply chain and wholesale for the Pattison Food Group, Mike has successfully led the organization through several challenging years dealing with the effects of a pandemic, floods, fires, ice storms, high fuel costs and labour shortages. A constant innovator, Mike thinks outside the box and is focused on continuous improvement. He challenges himself and inspires others to run with creative ideas and implement progressive solutions. Mike’s unique background in operations and expertise in merchandising made him a good fit as a board member with GS1 Canada’s grocery sector for several years. He currently sits on the board of directors for Food Banks BC, representing the Pattison Food Group and giving back to the communities that support the company’s many grocery banners.