Leadership Team

Sue Paish, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd.

As Chief Executive Officer, Sue Paish is responsible for the strategic leadership of Pharmasave's over 400 stores in nine provinces coast to coast. Prior to taking the CEO position at Pharmasave, Sue served as the Managing Partner of a Vancouver-based international law firm. more... She is a Director for various corporate and community Boards, and is the Chair of the award winning Vancouver Board of Trade. Among her accomplishments, Sue has been recognized as one of Canada's Most Powerful Women and one of Vancouver's Most Influential Women in Business. Sue is also the founding Chair of The Board's Women's Leadership Circle, sits as an advisor to many community organizations and is a member of BC Hydro Team Power Smart.

Zvonko Maretic, Chief Financial Officer, Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd.

As Chief Financial Officer, Zvonko Maretic is responsible for overseeing all financial and legal matters for Pharmasave's National organization. Zvonko also acts in an advisory capacity with Regional leaders and Regional accountants. more... Prior to joining Pharmasave, Zvonko was Vice President, Finance for a communications technology company, and prior to that he held the same position with a wholesale distributor of building materials. He began his professional career in public accounting with Price Waterhouse. Zvonko received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, his Chartered Accountant designation from BC Institute, and his MBA from Simon Fraser University.

Mark Dickson, National Director, Pharmacy

Mark Dickson leads the Pharmacy Innovation team by supporting regional and national teams in their commitment to create and implement new patient-care and dispensary operation programs. Mark is involved actively in both external relations with vendors, government and industry on behalf of Pharmasave. more... In 2009 Mark was elected Vice-Chair of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores and will be Chair for 2010 and 2011. Mark is an experienced pharmacist, manager, and former pharmacy owner, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from UBC and a Master of Business Administration from SFU.

Francois Robinson, National Director, Information Technology

Francois Robinson leads the IT department, specifically with the rollout of the company's Retail Integration program. As well, Francois provides advice and counsel to management concerning application of information systems to overall organizational requirements. more... Prior to Francois joining Pharmasave he worked in the area of enterprise application implementation. He also brings over 15 years of experience as a senior manager and has held positions in the IT and Finance areas.

Marlene Novack, National Director, Pharmasave Brand

As National Director Pharmasave Brand, Marlene Novack is responsible for overseeing the growth of over 700 Pharmasave Brand products, with a focus on continuous category expansion and development. Prior to her current role, Marlene was also the National Director, Merchandising for Pharmasave. more... Marlene has over 20 years of experience in the Private Label industry. Previous to joining Pharmasave, she was Senior Vice President, Business Development, and Vice President Sales and Marketing, for major Vitamin and OTC private label manufacturers.

Rob Alexander, National Director, Merchandising

As National Director Merchandising, Rob Alexander is responsible for merchandising programs and vendor negotiations. The primary focus is to produce promotional activities that will increase Pharmasave front store sales and profitability. more... Prior to his current role, Rob spent a large part of his career working with independent retailers including a senior management position of a member owned co-operative with over 450 stores across Canada. In addition to Rob’s merchandising and marketing experience, Rob has Logistics certification and has managed an IT team in the implementation and support of Point Of Sale data warehousing and internal business intelligence.

Dave Reston, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmasave Drugs (Pacific) Ltd.

Dave is responsible for the overall leadership of the B.C. Pharmasave Franchise. Business Development and growing the Pharmasave market share and the successful operations of Pharmasave stores in British Columbia is a priority for Dave. more... Pharmasave has over 110 stores and is recognized as being the premier independent drugstore franchise in British Columbia. As one of the founding members of the executive team for Pharmasave, Dave has served in several capacities, including Operations Manager for Pharmasave Drugs Ltd., and was responsible for getting the franchise developed in Atlantic Canada. Dave has over 35 years of drug retail experience and is based out of Cloverdale, British Columbia.

Vinod Thakrar, General Manager, Pharmasave Drugs (Western) Ltd.

Vinod is responsible for all aspects of successful operation of Pharmasave stores in Alberta. Vinod's main focus is growing the number of locations and increasing same store sales, followed by establishing an infrastructure to provide adequate support to stores for a flawless execution of all core programs. more... He has over 30 years of retail pharmacy experience ranging from front line staff pharmacist to managing several multi-department retail stores. Vinod's previous positions with a large local and well-known national company include Director of Pharmacy and Senior Regional Pharmacy Operations Manager. He has also served in an advisory capacity on pharmacy organizations.

Robert Gare, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmasave Drugs (Central) Ltd.

Robert is responsible for overseeing the operation of stores in the Central Region, which includes Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Ontario. Robert manages all aspects of the Central region, including marketing, merchandising, member relations, and business development. more... Prior to joining Pharmasave, he was part of a senior management team that successfully operated approximately 100 drugstores in Eastern Canada that were subsequently sold to a Canadian drugstore company. Robert has over 15 years of experience in the drugstore industry and is based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Doug Sherman, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmasave Drugs (Ontario) Ltd.

Doug leads the Ontario Region team and oversees the delivery of support and programs to Pharmasave stores in Ontario. Doug and his team focus on the "Two Right Big Things" that continues to deliver success for our customers and our shareholders: more... Supporting the efforts of our existing members to provide outstanding patient care and service to their customers, and growing the Region by attracting only the highest quality pharmacists and owners. Doug joined Pharmasave in 1998 and since then the number of stores in Ontario has grown from 17 to 160. Prior to joining Pharmasave, Doug was a Senior Retail executive in the restaurant and automotive industry.

Greg van den Hoogen, General Manager, Pharmasave Drugs (Atlantic) Ltd.

Greg is responsible for the continued success of the Atlantic region. The Atlantic region includes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. Greg's overall management responsibilities include marketing, merchandising, operations, finance, member relations and growth for the region and its members. more... Greg has worked in several capacities for Pharmasave, including serving as a member on the National Board of Directors and as an advisor on several committees, prior to taking on the General Manager's position. Greg has over 20 years of drug retail experience and is based out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.