Village Farms International Welcomes Yvonne Trupiano as Global Chief Human Resources Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Village Farms International (NASDAQ: VFF) has appointed Yvonne Trupiano as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), a newly created leadership position. This strategic hire aims to support the company's global expansion initiatives and organizational excellence efforts.

Trupiano brings over 25 years of experience leading HR functions in public and private companies, including Fortune 500 companies like Avis Budget Group and SpartanNash. Her expertise includes human capital management, business transformation, and building high-performing teams.

CEO Michael DeGiglio emphasized that Trupiano's appointment comes at a pivotal period of transformation for Village Farms, particularly as the company expands its presence in regulated cannabis markets globally.

Positive

• Strategic executive hire to support global expansion initiatives
• Addition of experienced Fortune 500 executive with 25+ years of HR leadership
• Strengthening of management team during international growth phase

Negative

• Creation of new executive position may increase operational expenses

– Former consumer goods distribution, food, and retail service industry executive will help guide the Company’s global expansion initiatives –

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today announced the hiring of Yvonne Trupiano as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). In this newly created leadership position for the Company, Yvonne will support Village Farms’ global expansion initiatives and its continued efforts to drive excellence across all areas of the organization.

Ms. Trupiano brings over 25 years of experience primarily leading HR functions for public and private companies across various industries and sizes, with the majority of her career at Fortune 500 global companies Avis Budget Group and SpartanNash. She began her career at a privately held automotive supplier and most recently served as CHRO at a large insurance company. She is a results-oriented business leader and transformation expert with proven success assessing human capital needs to deliver successful outcomes for current and future business goals. She takes pride in leading purpose driven, consumer centric organizations, and is an accomplished builder of high-performing teams.

Michael DeGiglio, Chief Executive Officer of Village Farms commented, “We are excited to welcome Yvonne to Village Farms, and look forward to her contributions during a pivotal period of transformation and international expansion. Yvonne’s proven track record scaling global businesses and her passion for developing talent and driving continuous improvement will be valuable additions to our team. Yvonne’s leadership will help drive our business forward with a high-performance culture as we continue expanding our presence in regulated cannabis markets across the globe.”

Ms. Trupiano commented, “I am proud to join Village Farms and look forward to helping the Company achieve its international growth objectives and develop a talented global workforce. I was drawn to this opportunity by the Company’s strong reputation as a pioneer in its industry and its deep commitment to its people and communities, and I am excited to help the Company execute its next phase of growth.”

About Village Farms International

Village Farms leverages decades of experience as a large-scale, Controlled Environment Agriculture-based, vertically integrated supplier for high-value, high-growth plant-based Consumer Packaged Goods. The Company has a strong foundation as the leading and longest-tenured fresh produce supplier to grocery and large-format retailers throughout the US and Canada and is capitalizing on new high-growth opportunities in the cannabis and CBD categories in North America, the Netherlands and selected markets internationally.

In Canada, the Company's wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms, is one of the single largest cannabis operations in the world, the lowest-cost greenhouse producer and one of Canada’s best-selling brands. The Company also owns 80% of Québec-based, Rose LifeScience, a leading third-party cannabis products commercialization expert in the Province of Québec.

Internationally, Village Farms is targeting selected, nascent, legal cannabis and CBD opportunities with significant medium- and long-term potential. The Company exports medical cannabis from its EU GMP certified facility in Canada to a growing list of international markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Australia. The Company is expanding its international presence with additional export contracts to new countries and customers in the Asia-Pacific and European regions, as well as select strategic investments in operating assets. In Europe, wholly-owned Leli Holland has one of 10 licences to grow and distribute recreational cannabis products.

In the US, wholly-owned Balanced Health Botanicals is one of the leading CBD and hemp-derived brands and e-commerce platforms in the country. Subject to compliance with all applicable US federal and state laws and stock exchange rules, Village Farms plans to enter the US high-THC cannabis market via multiple strategies, leveraging one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms' cannabis success in Canada.

Village Farms Clean Energy (VFCE), through a partnership with Atlanta-based Terreva Renewables, creates clean energy from landfill gas at its Delta RNG facility. VFCE receives royalties on all revenue generated. This partnership reduces Vancouver’s greenhouse gas emissions by 475,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to removing more than 100,000 vehicles off the road or the energy use equivalent of powering 51,300 homes for one year.

Contact Information

Sam Gibbons Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs Village Farms International Phone: (407) 936-1190 ext. 328 Email: sgibbons@villagefarms.com

FAQ

What is the significance of Yvonne Trupiano's appointment at Village Farms (VFF)?

Trupiano's appointment as Global CHRO is strategic for VFF's international expansion and organizational excellence initiatives, bringing 25+ years of Fortune 500 experience to guide the company's global growth.

How will Yvonne Trupiano's role impact Village Farms' (VFF) expansion plans?

As Global CHRO, Trupiano will support VFF's international growth objectives, develop global workforce talent, and drive high-performance culture during the company's expansion in regulated cannabis markets.

What experience does the new Village Farms (VFF) CHRO bring to the position?

Trupiano brings over 25 years of HR leadership experience from Fortune 500 companies like Avis Budget Group and SpartanNash, with expertise in business transformation and building high-performing teams.

What markets is Village Farms (VFF) targeting for expansion?

Village Farms is focusing on expanding its presence in regulated cannabis markets globally, though specific target markets are not detailed in the announcement.