Kristin Benke joined Dairy Farmers of Ontario in 2008 and has worked in a variety of areas of the organization during her time with DFO. She was promoted to the position of Chief Business Officer at Dairy Farmers of Ontario in December 2021, and is currently responsible for economics and policy, quota, and billing and payment. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree at Queen’s University in Economics and has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Meghan Connelly, Research and Technical Director at Protekta, grew up on her family’s dairy farm and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison focusing on serotonin and calcium metabolism in the dairy cow. At Protekta, Meghan is responsible for overseeing dairy research and providing technical support to nutritionists, veterinarians, and dairy producers across North America and the globe.
Neil Petreny, Chief Executive Officer – Lactanet Canada
Originally from Saskatchewan, Neil has been involved in the dairy industry in both Western Canada and Ontario for more than 4 decades. He is a University of Saskatchewan agriculture grad and has an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. Neil has been actively involved in the evolution of our industry including the formation of CanWest DHI in 2004 and the 2019 Lactanet Partnership that involved CanWest DHI, Canadian Dairy Network and Valacta.
He has worked closely with many global DHI colleagues as a result of relationships built through 7 years on the Board of ICAR - the International Committee on Animal Recording – including 4 as President. These international connections lead to Lactanet’s involvement as a founding member of the International Dairy Exchange Network in 2020 along with 6 other leading milk recording organizations from around the world. Together they represent nearly 15M milk recorded animals in different parts of the world and work directly with GEA, DeLaval and Lely to streamline the data movement processes for today and the future.
Originally from Saskatchewan, Neil has been involved in the dairy industry in both Western Canada and Ontario for more than 4 decades. He is a University of Saskatchewan agriculture grad and has an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. Neil has been actively involved in the evolution of our industry including the formation of CanWest DHI in 2004 and the 2019 Lactanet Partnership that involved CanWest DHI, Canadian Dairy Network and Valacta.
He has worked closely with many global DHI colleagues as a result of relationships built through 7 years on the Board of ICAR - the International Committee on Animal Recording – including 4 as President. These international connections lead to Lactanet’s involvement as a founding member of the International Dairy Exchange Network in 2020 along with 6 other leading milk recording organizations from around the world. Together they represent nearly 15M milk recorded animals in different parts of the world and work directly with GEA, DeLaval and Lely to streamline the data movement processes for today and the future.
Mathieu Frigon, President and CEO, DPAC
Mathieu Frigon joined DPAC in October 2016 as Senior Advisor, Policy & Economics, and was promoted to President & CEO in June 2018. Prior to joining DPAC, he worked with the Parliamentary Information and Research Service for 9 years where he successively assumed leadership roles with various House of Commons and Senate Committees. Mathieu was also an Assistant Director of Policy and Economics with Dairy Farmers of Canada from 2000 to 2007.
Mathieu Frigon graduated with a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Université Laval in 1999. In 2016, he earned a MBA and a Graduate diploma in accounting from Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). Mathieu became a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA,CMA) in 2016.
Mathieu Frigon is a board member and treasurer of Voie Verte Chelsea, a not-for-profit organization that is raising funds for the development of a community trail in the municipality of Chelsea.
Mathieu Frigon joined DPAC in October 2016 as Senior Advisor, Policy & Economics, and was promoted to President & CEO in June 2018. Prior to joining DPAC, he worked with the Parliamentary Information and Research Service for 9 years where he successively assumed leadership roles with various House of Commons and Senate Committees. Mathieu was also an Assistant Director of Policy and Economics with Dairy Farmers of Canada from 2000 to 2007.
Mathieu Frigon graduated with a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Université Laval in 1999. In 2016, he earned a MBA and a Graduate diploma in accounting from Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). Mathieu became a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA,CMA) in 2016.
Mathieu Frigon is a board member and treasurer of Voie Verte Chelsea, a not-for-profit organization that is raising funds for the development of a community trail in the municipality of Chelsea.