Drone Delivery Canada Appoints Michael Zahra as CEO, Director and Appoints Vijay Kanwar to the Board
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
For further information: please contact: Richard Buzbuzian, Capital Markets, Telephone: (647) 501-3290, Email: [email protected]; Bill Mitoulas, Investor Relations, Telephone: (416) 837-7147, Email: [email protected]
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