Leadership Update: Claude Talbot to Transition from President & CEO to Executive Director, Campbell Tourgis to Lead Next Chapter!

Wainbee Limited has announced that Claude Talbot will transition from his role of President and Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2024. Campbell Tourgis, the current Chief Operating Officer, will be appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Wainbee at the same time. Claude will remain active in the business as both an Executive Director of the corporation, and an active employee, leading high-level projects and integrations to support the strategic initiatives of the business.

Mr. Talbot joined Wainbee in 1984, and after successfully navigating most management roles in the business, has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Wainbee since September 2016, guiding the corporation through 8 years of growth and increased shareholder value. Among other things, Mr. Talbot oversaw the implementation of a cloud-based ERP system, passionately lead through COVID while able to increase the percentage of employee ownership of its employees to the highest level ever.  Commenting on his experience, Mr. Talbot said, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the Wainbee team and to contribute to the ongoing growth of a Canadian employee-owned success story. In my 4-decades of employment, I have witnessed enormous change, both in the market and internally, and am always in amazement on how Wainbee graciously navigates these changes, without losing site of our most important attribute – employee-ownership. I look forward to working with Campbell and the leadership team to ensure a successful transition, and I know this employee-owned company has even greater potential from the contributions of all it’s owners”.

Mr. Tourgis joined Wainbee in 1996 and held numerous sales and senior leadership roles in the organization. He has been instrumental in leading the strategic development and long-term vision of the business. He holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and has devoted his business career to Wainbee.

Commenting on his upcoming role, Mr. Tourgis said, “I am honoured to have been selected to lead this unique company, who unveils its passion through a legacy of employee ownership every day. I am indebted to everyone who supported me in my career and development and am very excited by the opportunity to lead Wainbee into the future.”

Derek Sutton, Chairman of the Wainbee Board of Directors, stated, “On behalf of Wainbee’s employees, strategic partners and the board, I would like to thank Claude for his incredible hard work during his eight years as President and Chief Executive Officer, and his lifelong commitment to this business. Claude’s outstanding leadership, and his exceptional work ethic and resolve have ensured that Wainbee navigated all changes and opportunities with efficiency and passion, and that Wainbee is better for his leadership, in all aspects. The board continues to believe very strongly in the vision and strategy built by Claude and his team, and we are grateful that Claude will be remaining engaged with the business as we make this succession change.”

Mr. Sutton also commented that “as part of a comprehensive succession planning process, the board surveyed and evaluated a wide range of internal and external Chief Executive Officer candidates. We are confident that the choice of Campbell as Wainbee’s next leader will allow the company to continue its successful growth strategy and build upon the work already done to position Wainbee as the industry leader in Motion Control, Filtration & Automation, while holding employee satisfaction and shareholder value as core fundamentals. We are excited to support Campbell and the leadership team in driving the next level of growth for Wainbee and its stakeholders.”

About Wainbee Limited

Founded in 1957, Wainbee is one of Canada’s largest, privately held and employee-owned Motion Control distributors and value-added solutions providers. With 16 locations Coast-to-Coast and operating in both national languages, Wainbee has a history of providing unsurpassed customer service combined with technical expertise.  The corporation operates a national distribution system providing sales, service and value-added systems to a broad range of customers in diverse sectors of the Canadian economy, including construction, forestry, mining, metals, industrial and commercial manufacturing, automotive (on and off highway), marine, rail, transportation, metal processing, life-sciences, power generation, security & defense, utilities and oil & gas.