Canada stands at a defining moment, shaped by global uncertainty and growing pressure on food systems worldwide. Demand for secure, high-quality, and responsibly produced food is accelerating, even as geopolitical instability, climate risk, and supply chain disruption reshape the global landscape.
At the same time, Canada’s agriculture and food sector, our largest manufacturing industry, is not keeping pace with its potential, as more coordinated and better capitalized global competitors move faster to capture this opportunity. Efforts remain fragmented, capital is not scaling at the level seen in leading markets, and the country continues to struggle to tell a clear, unified story about its role in the future of food.
And yet, the opportunity is significant. With greater alignment and ambition, Canada is well positioned to lead. Realizing that potential will also require a more confident national narrative, one that reflects both the sector’s achievements, the urgency of the moment and Canada’s generational opportunity to lead in the future of food and agriculture.
Join Canadian Club Toronto on June 1 for a conversation with Justine Hendricks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Farm Credit Canada, and Alison Sunstrum, Managing Partner at NYA Ventures.
Moderated by Evan Fraser, Executive Director, Arrell Food Institute, University of Guelph, this panel will explore what it will take to move from potential to scale, and how stronger alignment, increased investment, and a more unified and confident voice can help position Canada’s food sector for global leadership.
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:40 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Justine Hendricks
President & Chief Executive Officer, Farm Credit Canada
As President and CEO of Farm Credit Canada (FCC), Justine Hendricks leads Canada’s largest agricultural lender with a clear purpose: accelerating the success of the people, businesses, and innovations that power Canada’s food system. A seasoned financial services executive with broad experience in lending, credit and risk management, she brings a deep understanding of how financial institutions can apply creativity, insight, and disciplined innovation to meaningfully strengthen primary production, agri‑business, and food processing in a rapidly evolving global market.
Since joining FCC in 2023, Justine has championed a bold, customer‑first transformation, bringing a creative and forward‑looking approach to how FCC designs services, deploys technology, and partners with the ag and food sector. Her focus is on providing faster service, stronger insights, and innovative financial solutions while leading FCC’s modernization of digital tools and data platforms, including advancements such as AgExpert and Root AI. Under her leadership, FCC Capital has advanced a multi‑billion‑dollar investment strategy that accelerates growth in Canadian agri‑food technology, supporting companies that are driving productivity, sustainability, and global competitiveness.
Recognizing the industry’s pivotal role in Canada’s economic future, Justine consistently elevates the potential of agriculture and food as both an investment opportunity and a national advantage. She amplifies FCC’s research and economic insights to help producers navigate shifting global conditions. Her leadership also reinforces FCC’s long‑standing commitment to environmental and social responsibility, supporting emerging tools and financing options that help producers build resilient operations for the future.
Justine is known for her energetic, people‑centered leadership style—one grounded in listening, continuous improvement, and deep respect for the producers and entrepreneurs who feed Canadians and the world. She is also a visible champion for youth and the empowerment of emerging leaders across the ag and food value chain.
Prior to joining FCC, Justine held executive leadership roles at Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), where she built expertise across lending, organizational transformation, risk management, and sustainability. At EDC, she oversaw major insurance and working capital portfolios and became the organization’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, aligning long‑term strategy with evolving environmental, social, and innovation priorities.
Alison Sunstrum
Managing Partner, NYA Ventures
Alison Sunstrum is an entrepreneur, investor, and strategist focused on building globally competitive and resilient agricultural systems.
She co-founded and scaled GrowSafe Systems from an Alberta garage into a globally recognized livestock intelligence company, exiting in 2019. That experience shaped her core thesis: Canada is strong at starting companies but struggles to scale them; leaving founders without the capital, mentorship, and aligned incentives needed to build enduring global businesses.
Today, Alison is CEO of CNSRV-X and Managing Partner of NYA Ventures, a $51M Canadian Food & AgTech fund backing founders transforming food and agriculture. Her work focuses on the critical stage between validation and scale, where capital efficiency—not just access to capital—determines outcomes.
She is a Founding Partner and Fellow at the Creative Destruction Lab (Ag Stream), a mentor for the Weston Home Grown Innovation Challenge and advises on national innovation and economic strategy, advising leading institutions including NRC-IRAP, Ivey Business School – Building Sustainable Value Institute, and the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph to ensure publicly funded research translates into scalable companies.
Evan Fraser
Executive Director, Arrell Food Institute, University of Guelph
Evan is Executive Director of Arrell Food Institute and full Professor of Geography. He is an award-winning author, with five books, over 150 academic publications, and opinion editorials that have appeared on CNN, the Guardian, and all major Canadian media outlets. As one of Canada’s most cited academics working on the future of food, sustainability, and climate change, he is a sought after expert and speaker and works with communities, the corporate sector, the Federal Government of Canada, and the United Nations.
In 2025, Evan was recognized as a Fellow by the Royal Society of Canada for his work on global food security in a world also affected by climate change and population growth. He is an inaugural co-chair of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, which is a multi-stakeholder group that advises the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the implementation of Canada’s food policy. He is one of fifteen international experts who sit on the United Nations’ High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. This is the scientific body that advises the Committee on World Food Security and is the top-most global body dealing with issues related to food systems and sustainability. As vice chair of the Maple Leaf Center for Food Security, he helps direct funding to community groups across Canada and as a scientific mentor for Creative Destruction Labs he works with agri-food technology start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Evan is also part of a team made up of producers, NGOs, and the senior leadership from some of Canada’s largest corporate players (including the Royal Bank, Loblaw, Maple Leaf Food, McCains and Nutrien), that founded the Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agrifood (CANZA). CANZA is initiating programs aimed at creating financial incentives and the infrastructure to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by Canada’s agri-food sector.
Other present and past leadership roles include holding a Canada Research Chair between 2010-2020, being a Fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau foundation, acting as a scientific advisor to Genome Quebec and Proteins Industries Canada, being a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, and a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
