TORONTO, June 10, 2019 /CNW/ - Drone Delivery
Canada 'DDC or the Company' (TSX.V:FLT, OTC – NASDAQ
INTL:TAKOF), is pleased to announce that it has made changes to
its management team as it continues with its commercial execution
strategy and adds strategic members to the Board.
Mr. Michael Zahra has been
appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective
immediately. Former CEO and director, Tony Di Benedetto will move into the position of
Business Strategy continuing to focus on strategic business
development initiatives for the Company.
Mr. Zahra who previously held the role of Senior Vice President
of Operations and Strategy at DDC is a seasoned executive with over
30 years experience as a senior level leader. Mr. Zahra previously
held positions as President of Staples Advantage Canada and
President of Yahoo Canada. Mr. Zahra brings in-depth
experience in engineering, logistics, P&L management, customer
& vendor relationship management, strategic planning &
execution, change management, innovation, business reinvention,
project management, continuous improvement, industrial sales &
marketing, corporate social responsibility and employee
engagement. He also brings close to 20 years experience in
various Board positions.
"Tony has done an outstanding job in leading the organization
from a concept to a market leader in the commercial drone cargo
space. Utilizing my years of experience in e-commerce,
logistics and management, I am excited to take on my new role and
work with our partners including Air Canada.", said Michael Zahra.
"I am confident in passing the baton to Michael as he has the
necessary skills to take DDC to the next level. I look forward to
working alongside Michael to continue uncovering key opportunities
for the Company both in Canada and
abroad.", commented Tony Di
Benedetto, Business Strategy.
Mr. Zahra will join the Board, alongside new Board member Mr.
Vijay Kanwar. Mr. Kanwar
currently serves on the board of the Business Development Bank of
Canada and is a member of Audit
Committee and Board Investment Committee. He serves on the board of
governors of York University and is a
member of York University board
executive committee. He is Chair of Advisory Committee on Senior
Level Retention and Compensation of the Treasury Board of
Canada, Vijay has combined his
business expertise with his extensive network across government and
private industry, and his understanding of public-private
partnerships, to champion and drive significant capital
projects. He served as a Chair of the Greater Toronto
Airports Authority Board, Vijay was able to guide Pearson airport
to international passenger hub status; supporting several
major infrastructure projects – e.g. terminal development, Union
Station rail link – and spearheading the process to recruit new
management, while improving traveler experience and significantly
increasing net profits. He successfully managed the three levels of
governments.
Mr. Di Benedetto
will continue as an advisor to the board of
directors.
Bio of Mr. Michael
Zahra:
Michael Zahra is a seasoned
executive with over 30 years experience as a senior level
executive. He brings in-depth experience in engineering, logistics,
P&L management, customer & vendor relationship management,
strategic planning & execution, change management, innovation,
business reinvention, project management, continuous improvement,
industrial marketing, corporate social responsibility and employee
engagement.
Prior to Drone Delivery Canada, he was the President of Staples
Business Advantage and was previously President of Yahoo and
President of Schlumberger RMS with prior positions at Alcatel and
Motorola. He also brings close to 20 years experience in
various Board positions. Under his leadership, companies have
won numerous awards in sustainability, quality, marketing and
culture.
Michael has a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Toronto, an M.B.A. from
City University, Seattle and a
P.Log from the Logistics Institute.
Additionally, he has taken numerous advanced programs at
world-class institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Carnegie
Melon, Queen's University, University of
Toronto and the University of
Virginia in Cybersecurity & Cryptography, Artificial
Intelligence, Innovation, Lean Six Sigma, Leadership &
Execution.
Michael was born in Toronto and
has travelled on business and pleasure to 54 countries. He is
actively involved in charitable work in the areas of engineering
education, healthcare and the environment. He is a member of
the Institute of Corporate Directors (Canada) and the National Association of
Corporate Directors (USA).
Bio of Mr. Vijay
Kanwar
Mr. Kanwar's accomplishments as an entrepreneur along with his
participation on a number of high profile boards, have allowed him
to develop his financial management acumen, and to accumulate
significant experience in forming and implementing strategic
plans.
He is Co -Founder KMH Cardiology and Diagnostics Centres the
largest provider of nuclear cardiology in North America. Mr. Kanwar is also Founder,
President and Director of Lambardar Group, a design and
construction firm that owns and operate commercial real estate and
medical facilities, as well as Founder of EHLinq Inc., which
develops enterprise -level software for medical businesses.
Mr. Kanwar currently serves on the board of, Business
Development Bank of Canada and is
a member of Audit Committee and Board Investment Committee. He
serves on the board of governors of York
University and is a member of York
University board executive committee. He is Chair of
Advisory Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation of
the Treasury Board of Canada,
Vijay has combined his business expertise with his connections
across government and private industry, and his understanding of
public-private partnerships, to champion and drive significant
capital projects.
He served as a Chair of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
Board, Vijay was able to guide Pearson airport to
international passenger hub status; supporting several major
infrastructure projects – e.g. terminal development, Union Station
rail link – and spearheading the process to recruit new management,
while improving traveler experience and significantly increasing
net profits. He successfully managed the three levels of
governments.
Helping others to set and realize their goals is a major
motivation for Vijay's philanthropic work. Sitting on boards
including Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's Foundation and is
Vice Chair of MLSE Launchpad. Royal Ontario Museum, and
Canada's National Ballet School
Foundation has been rewarding, and is in line with Vijay's desire
to contribute to a thriving, healthy community.
Mr. Kanwar received his Queens Diamond
Jubilee Medal for Community Service in 2012, 2009 New
Pioneers Award for Entrepreneurship and Ernst and Young
Entrepreneur of the year award for Health Services in Ontario in 2006.
Vijay credits his diverse educational background, including a
Master of Laws earned from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master of
Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management, and a
Bachelor of Science earned from Punjabi University in India, with his ability to tackle a wide range
of challenges and come up with creative, effective solutions.
For more information, please visit
www.dronedeliverycanada.com
About Drone Delivery Canada
Drone Delivery Canada is a drone technology company focused on
the design, development and implementation of its proprietary
logistics software platform, using drones. The Company's platform
will be used as Software as a Service (SaaS) for government and
corporate organizations.
Drone Delivery Canada Corp. is a publicly listed company trading
on the TSX.V Exchange under the symbol FLT, on the U.S. OTC Q B
market with Nasdaq International Designation under the symbol TAKOF
and on the Frankfurt exchange in
Germany under the symbol
A2AMGZ.
Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information
Certain information set forth in this news release may contain
forward-looking information that involves substantial known and
unknown risks and uncertainties. This forward-looking information
is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which
are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited
to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions,
and dependence upon regulatory approvals (both in Canada and internationally). Readers are
cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such
information, although considered reasonable at the time of
preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance
should not be placed on forward looking information. The parties
undertake no obligation to update forward-looking information
except as otherwise may be required by applicable securities
law.
SOURCE Drone Delivery Canada