About

Frank C. Sobey is a Corporate Director at Empire Company Limited and a member of the Trebek Council. Mr. Sobey was Vice President, Real Estate of Empire Company Limited until his retirement in 2014 after 36 years with the Company. Mr. Sobey also served as a trustee and Chairman of Crombie REIT from 2006 to 2019, as Chairman of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, as well as a board member of the Canadian-U.S. Fulbright Program. Mr. Sobey graduated from Harvard University Business School’s Advanced Management Program and earned the ICD.D designation. He holds an honorary degree from Dalhousie University.

Heather Sobey-Connors has done volunteer work in her community for the greater part of her life. For many years, she canvassed door-to-door for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, eventually taking on the role of local lead. Mrs. Sobey-Connors has served on the boards of the Aberdeen Hospital Foundation, and the IWK Foundation, and as trustee of The Sobey Art Foundation. Together with her husband, Lauchie, and their children, Daniel and Matthew, Mrs. Sobey-Connors established the MSC Paediatric Oncology Research Fund associated with the IWK, where she also played a role in creating the Sobey Family Child & Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes Chair. She was active in launching the Family of Support initiative with Canada’s Children’s Hospitals Foundations.

Janis Sobey-Hames is a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University, BSc Nursing. She was a Director of the Aberdeen Hospital Foundation and National Director, Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust. Ms. Sobey-Hames served on Mount Saint Vincent University’s Board of Governors, and was Co-Chair of the Leaders of The Way campaign, Pictou County United Way. She is a member of the David Sobey Centre Endowment Committee and the Sobeys Scholarship Endowment Fund Committee at Saint Mary’s University, as well as Chair of the David and Faye Sobey Foundation.

Kent Sobey is founder of Farmhouse Productions. He is a corporate director of Hollywood Suite and Blue Ant Media. He served as a trustee on the board of Crombie REIT for 10 years from 2009 – 2019 and previously served on the advisory board of Empire Theatres. He is a trustee of The Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies. He previously served on the board of directors of The North York Harvest Food Bank.

Michael Medline was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. in January 2017. Mr. Medline is a proven leader with a strong track record of success in Canadian retail. He has held senior retail leadership positions at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), including President & Chief Executive Officer of CTC. He began his career working with the Ontario Securities Commission, followed by two years practicing law with McCarthy Tétrault. He was Corporate Counsel for PepsiCo Canada before moving to Abitibi Consolidated Inc. where he held a variety of roles including Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development. Mr. Medline serves on the Board of Directors for Scotiabank, the Board of Trustees for SickKids, the Board of Governors for Huron University College at Western University, the Board of Directors for The BlackNorth Initiative and The Sobey Foundation. He is past Chair of the Retail Council of Canada as well as The Grocery Foundation, and was formerly on the Board of Governors for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Board of Directors for SickKids Foundation. Mr. Medline holds an MBA from Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William & Mary; an LL.B. from the University of Toronto; and a BA from Huron University College at Western University.

Paul Sobey is a Corporate Director at Empire Company Limited, where he also served as President & Chief Executive Officer from 1998 until his retirement in 2013. Mr. Sobey serves as a trustee of Crombie REIT, holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and graduated from Harvard University Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He received an honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia. In 2013, Mr. Sobey received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Bernard Doucet is Executive Director of the Sobey family foundations and Trustee of the Sobey Art Foundation. He is an internationally recognized philanthropy and arts’ administrator who believes that the visual arts provide boundless opportunities for the foundation of human and community connections. Mr. Doucet has been a central figure in the evolution of the contemporary Canadian art ecosystem for the past decade, and is a trusted leader in Canadian Arts and Philanthropy. Mr. Doucet holds a BA Hons in German Studies from McMaster University and an MBA, Finance from Dalhousie University.