Food industry executive and private equity investor Jonathan Belair, MBA ’07, has joined the Ivey Business School’s Sustainability Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council, composed of forward-thinking leaders from business, government, and not-for-profit organizations, provides expert guidance to expand the impact and reach of Ivey’s sustainability research and programming.
Jonathan is the Managing Partner of Power Sustainable Lios, a specialized North American agri-food private equity firm. Lios invests in profitable mid-market companies across the food value chain, aiming to build and support a more resilient and sustainable food ecosystem.
Jonathan’s expertise will be invaluable for the ambitious strategy of the Centre for Building Sustainable Value (BSV) – Ivey’s Centre of excellence for sustainability – aiming to accelerate the transformation of the Canadian agri-food system to a more regenerative and inclusive future.
“I am delighted to come back to Ivey to guide the BSV Centre’s impressive ambitions to catalyze real systems change,” said Jonathan. “At Power Sustainable Lios we share the same world view, that business, capital and innovation have a critical role to play in driving the urgent transition we need to a more sustainable food system.”
“It is a privilege to have a leader with the unique vision and experience of Jonathan guiding the work of the BSV Centre,” said Associate Professor Jury Gualandis, Faculty Director of the Centre for Building Sustainable Value. “It also sends an important signal to key players in the food system that our groundbreaking research at the Centre has the potential to make a real difference.”
Jonathan has 20 years of investing and operating experience with a focus on food, agriculture, and sustainability.
Previously, he spent 5 years as a senior executive at McCain Foods, a global food processing and agriculture company with $14 billion in revenues. During this time, Jonathan led global investing, strategy, and venture, as well as the company's global sustainability/ESG function.
He has led investments across the food value chain, including agriculture production, food processing, and distribution, control environment agriculture, equipment and data analytics.
Before McCain Foods, Jonathan was a senior member of the direct private equity team at OMERS Private Equity and part of the investment banking group at Scotiabank. Jonathan also serves as a board member for several portfolio companies.
