CBU Names Denise Allen as Incoming Board Chair

Cape Breton University (CBU) has announced that Denise Allen will serve as the next Chair of the CBU Board of Governors (BOG). Allen takes over for outgoing Chair of the Board Robert Sampson, who finished his term in early December.

 “I am thrilled to have Denise Allen in this very important, leadership position on the Cape Breton University Board of Governors,” says President and Vice-Chancellor, David C. Dingwall. “Denise has keen business insights and is a proven leader. Her integrity, experience, and compassion shine through in her work. She also very much understands and appreciates the impact that CBU has in the local community, and across the globe. She will be an absolute asset to the Board and to CBU. I also want to thank Mr. Sampson for his counsel and leadership. His tenure as Chair was not always easy, but he always served with a steady hand, solid logic, and experiential wisdom.”

Allen is the President & CEO of Food Producers of Canada (FPC), the leading national voice of the Canadian food and beverage processing industry. Denise is a substantive, accomplished leader who brings more than twenty years of executive experience across some of Canada’s largest and long-standing retailers. She is a recipient of Atlantic Business Magazine’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business, and the Universal Women’s Network 100 Women of Inspiration. She is a passionate advocate and is active in initiatives focused on food safety, sovereignty, security, and Indigenous food systems.

“I am honoured to be serving as the Chair of the Board for Cape Breton University,” says Allen. “CBU is at the forefront of innovation, growth and community leadership. My experience will allow me to add meaningful advice and guidance in true strategic form. I look forward to working with President Dingwall, the other members of the CBU Board of Governors, and seeing all that CBU and the CBU community accomplish during my term.”

Allen has served on the CBU BOG Ethics Committee and chaired a Special Committee for the Office of the President & Vice-Chancellor. She is a member of the board of CBU Developments Inc. and is a past member of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.  She is also a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Ottawa), where she sits on various committees, including the National Agriculture and Agri-Food Working Group, Food Supply Council, Export Development, and the International Affairs Committee. On November 29, 2023,Allen was elected to the first independent board of directors of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League and is a director on the inaugural board of directors which governs the Office of the Adjudicator of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct as appointed by the federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers.

Allen delivers post-baccalaureate courses in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, and Global Sourcing at the Shannon School of Business and has completed the prestigious ICD.D designation and directors program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Allen’s three-year term is effective December 15.