VANCOUVER, BC – Michael Watt, Chief Executive Officer of Daiya Foods, today announced the appointment of finance veteran Melissa Lee to the position of Chief Financial Officer for the company.
As a member of the Daiya Senior Leadership Team, Lee will report directly to Michael Watt and she will be responsible for leading the Finance and IT Teams for Daiya.
Originally from Canada, Lee returns following three years in the United States, where she most recently held an executive leadership role as Vice President, Corporate FP&A with Walmart Inc.
“The appointment of Melissa Lee to the position of Chief Financial Officer comes at an exciting time for Daiya; we have just opened our new state of the art plant-based food manufacturing and innovation facility, the largest and first of its kind in North America,” shared Watt. “I look forward to working closely with Melissa as we accelerate Daiya’s leadership position in the plant-based movement.”
Prior to her time in the US, Lee held progressively senior finance roles in merchandising, supply chain, store operations, and e-commerce over her 10 years with Walmart Canada. Her early finance career started at Unilever Canada, where she held a range of business partnering and FP&A roles from 2002 – 2010.
“The Daiya purpose to help change how the world eats through delicious plant-based eating, immediately appealed to me both professionally and personally. I welcome the opportunity to join such a successful company and a team that’s so clearly committed to a values-based business model,” shared Lee. “I have embraced a plant-based lifestyle for years now and I’m eager to apply my genuine passion to help accelerate Daiya’s next stages of growth and innovation.”
Melissa received her MBA from the Schulich School of Business and added enrichment from Harvard Business School.
About Daiya
Daiya Foods was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2008 out of a love for good food and a commitment to healthy living. Today, as an industry leader and one of the founding members of The Plant Based Foods Association US and the Plant-Based Foods of Canada Association, Daiya remains passionate about celebrating delicious food that is free of dairy, gluten, soy and nuts. The company’s growing line of premium, plant-based foods, began with cheese formats including blocks, shreds, slices, sticks, cream cheeze style spreads and cheeze sauces. The product portfolio has expanded with great success into pizza, burritos, and non-dairy frozen dessert. Daiya products are available in the traditional dairy case and freezer aisle and includes shelf-stable products like Cheezy Mac and dairy-free salad dressings. Deliciously plant-based foods from Daiya are broadly available in more than 25,000 grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as through e-commerce partnerships. Daiya’s products can also be found internationally in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. For more information about Daiya, visit www.daiyafoods.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
