Leadership
Amir Karim
President & CEO
Following a decade of senior investment banking experience at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs in New York and Montreal, Amir joined the family business in 2001. He directed Polykar's national and strategic growth until July 2018 when he became President and CEO. A passionate leader and advocate of sustainable plastics, Amir sits on several not-for-profit boards and associations and is currently Canada Director on the ISSA.
He is also the President of La Fondation Polykar.
Allan Wood
Chief Operating Officer
Allan came to Polykar in 2016 as our Chief Financial Officer and brought with him a decade of senior accounting experience alongside his CPA and CA designations. Originally from Australia via India, Allan is now Chief Operating Officer has developed a love for all things machines, plastic recycling and operational efficiency! Allan believes that successes come every day at Polykar thanks to several mugs of coffee, great desserts and awesome socks!
Sandra Hudon
Vice President of Sales and Business Development
Sandra brings three decades of Sales experience in the North American janitorial/sanitation, food service, and packaging markets. She oversees the strategic sales plan and leads the Sales team in building exceptional customer relationships and developing new markets. Sandra is an avid skier and loves U2’s music!
Mehdi Pakravan
Director, Quality Assurance & Technical Services
Mehdi came to Polykar in 2021 bringing almost two decades of experience in the polymer as well as in the flexible packaging industry. Oriented towards continuous improvement, he has led multidisciplinary projects en route to developing more than 15 new products from ideation to launch. Mehdi has a PhD from Polytechnique Montreal. He enjoys adventurous road trips and watching soccer and tennis matches.
Chantal Chicoine
Director, Human Resources and Organizational Development
With an impressive 35-year background in HR management and Health and Safety in the workplace, especially in manufacturing sectors. Throughout her career, Chantal has consistently played a pivotal role in creating talent-focused organizational structures, driving employee engagement, and aligning businesses with common objectives.
Passionate about travel, history, and architecture, once she sets her mind on something, the sky's the limit!
Bryan Mongeau
Director, Marketing and Communications
With a proven track record in Communication and Marketing in various sectors, Bryan joined Polykar in December 2019 bringing with him an expertise in linking strategy, tactics and projects implementation. He has the ability to create engaging and impactful content to build an organization’s brand image and reputation on a national scale. Bryan enjoys fishing and off-road camping… even if it’s chilly outside!
Board of Advisors
Suzanne Gouin
Chair, Board of Management, Canada Revenue Agency
Suzanne is a seasoned Board Director with significant experience in Business transformation, Digital implementation, Governance, and Human Capital issues. She is Chair of the Board of Management of the Canada Revenue Agency, member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of Greater Montreal, Hydro-Québec and l’Esplanade, and sits on various advisory committees.
An experienced media executive who has been CEO of TV5 Québec Canada for more than 13 years, Suzanne also held various management positions in both the private and public sectors. She is a recipient of the National Order of Merit of the French Republic.
Jean-François Marcoux
Managing Partner, White Star Capital
With a background in finance, Jean-François has 25 years of experience in managing start-ups and investment projects. He is co-founder and managing partner at White Star Capital, an investment firm that supports global founders building industry-defining businesses. A former co-founder of Ludia, he contributed to its growth and profitability, resulting in the Mobile Game Publisher being acquired by FremantleMedia. He has held senior positions in M&A, financing and venture capital in the media and technology sectors—notably for a large publicly-traded media group, a leading Canadian Investment Bank, and one of the largest institutional fund managers in Canada.
Stewart Roth
Former President, Guardian Chemicals Inc.
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Stewart was President and CEO of Guardian Chemicals Inc., a leading Canadian researcher, developer, and manufacturer of industrial process specialty chemicals with six major divisions. He has extensive leadership experience across the North American health and chemical sectors and has held numerous senior executive and influential board positions. More recently, Stewart serves as Director of Glyconet - National Center of Excellence for Glycomics Research and Business Development.
Robert Waite
Managing Director, Waite + Co.
Robert serves as Managing Director of Waite + Co., a strategic communications and marketing firm with offices in Boston, Ottawa and Toronto. He has over 30 years of experience leading communications, marketing, corporate social responsibility and government relations functions for some of Canada’s largest enterprises, including Ford of Canada, IBM Canada, CAE, CIBC and Canada Post. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved as Chair on several major committees. Robert began his career as a journalist, and he is currently a HuffPost Signature Contributor and a professor at Seneca College in Toronto.
Suzanne Blanchet
Member of the board of directors at Tappi
Suzanne Blanchet is an accomplished executive with over 35 years of experience with the Cascades Tissue Group, where her managerial talents and working knowledge of production have been instrumental in many significant projects. She became a reference in this extremely competitive business in America.
Throughout her career, she contributed as a board member of many companies in diversified businesses, from manufacturing to retail trade, and public administration.
A woman of influence, she also took part in numerous strategic committees throughout Canada and the United States. She has been a Board member of GDI Integrated Facility Services since 2018.
She received an Honorary Doctoral Degree from UQO in 2015 for her dedication to the sustainability field.