Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> December 25, 2000
DOUGLAS WHITEHEAD is President and Chief Executive Officer of Finning
International, Inc. Mr. Whitehead joined Finning in January 1999 as
President and Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and
Chief Executive Officer in April 2000. He was elected to the company's
Board of Directors on April 23, 1999. Prior to joining Finning, he was
President and Chief Executive officer of Fletcher Challenge Canada from
1992 to 1998; Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from
1990 to 1992; and Vice President of Fletcher Challenge Canada's Crown
Packaging division from 1988 to 1990. He was also a Director of Fletcher
Challenge Canada from April 1991 to December 1998. Since joining a
predecessor company in 1971, Mr. Whitehead served in a number of line
management and executive positions in general management, marketing and
merchandising, planning and development and human resources. Mr.
Whitehead is a Director of Ballard Power Systems Inc., BC Gas Inc.,
Belkorp Industries, and The Conference Board of Canada. He is a member
of the Business Council on national Issues, and a member of the U.B.C.
Commerce Faculty Advisory Board. He is Past Chairman of the Board of
Finlay Forest Industries Ltd., TimberWest Forest Ltd., the Canadian Pulp
and Paper Association, and the British Columbia Pulp and Paper Employee
Relations Forum. Mr. Whitehead holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in
Civil Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA
from the University of Western Ontario. Mr. Whitehead is active in
fundraising initiatives for the United Way and was General Campaign Co-
Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland in 1997. Profile
Mr. Whitehead: Finning is roughly a 60-year-old company. It started its
operations here in British Columbia. We have been, and
