Alliance Grain Traders

Murad Al-Katib – President and Chief Executive Officer

From the first employee in 2001 to one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” and Saskatchewan “ABEX Business of the Year” winner  in 4 short years. Today, Murad Al-Katib, as President and CEO of Alliance Grain Traders Inc, is the guiding vision in all aspects of the business, also serving on the its Board of Directors. After finishing his studies in 2001, Murad, left his role of Manager, International Finance in the Saskatchewan Government, to help found Saskcan Pulse Trading, the original company that provided the nucleus for Alliance Grain. As the company grew and expanded, he has lead its path to becoming a world leader in value-added pulses and specialty crops for the food and ingredient markets around the globe. Murad has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Special Crops Association and Pulse Canada, the national association for the pulses and specialty crops industry. In 2006, he was appointed to the Advisory Board for Small and Medium Enterprise for the Canadian Minister of International Trade, David Emerson. In 2004, he was selected as the Prairie Regional Winner of the Ernst and Young, “2004 Emerging Entrepreneur”, and in 2005, he was named one of Canada's Top 40 under 40 years old in Canada by the Caldwell Partners and the Globe and Mail. Murad graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction in Finance and finished his Master of International Management with Distinction from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona. Bringing all his varied experience to Alliance Grain, Murad has proven himself repeatedly to be a strong financial and strategic business thinker, able to anticipate and mitigate the risks in international trading and commodities.

Lori Ireland is a Certified Management Accountant with over 10 years experience in Agricultural Accounting. Lori worked as an Accountant for Heartland Livestock (formerly the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Livestock Division) for 3 years and in addition to regular accounting duties, managed the implementation and related staff training of the livestock Feeder Finance program through Farm Credit Canada. Lori spent the next several years in Special Crops Accounting at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, with duties including all aspects of grain accounting as well as being appointed Project Manager for the implementation of a new Grain Accounting Reporting Package that was designed for the Grain Accounting and Marketing areas of the company. Lori left her position as Grain Accounting Manager at Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in 2002 to join Saskcan Pulse as the Chief Financial Officer.

Lori has also been on contract with the Society of Management Accountants for several years and acts as a Moderator for the Strategic Leadership Program. This position involves the mentoring of candidates as they learn various areas of management; including strategic planning, human resources management, treasury, decision making and report writing.

Gaetan Bourassa was born and raised in Radville, Saskatchewan. In 1992, he completed a diploma in Marketing from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology and immediately joined the marketing team at Best Cooking Pulses, Canada's first pea splitter. Over the next 12 years, Gaetan built his pulse industry experience as General Manager of Best Cooking. In 2005, Gaetan joined Saskcan Pulse Trading as a Merchandiser for split peas and lentils. In 2006, he assumed the role of Vice President of Marketing and Operations and in 2009 was named Chief Operating Officer, being a driving force behind establishing Saskcan as the world leader in split and value-added pulse production and export. Gaetan spearheads a program of export to over 80 countries globally. He is responsible for all plant operations and marketing programs for the Alliance Pulse Processors including operations in Canada, US and Australia.