The Niagara College Learning Enterprise Corporation (NCLEC) recently expanded its Board of Directors with the appointment of three recognized industry leaders.
The Niagara College Learning Enterprise Corporation is the governing body behind some of NC’s trailblazing learning enterprises. A wholly owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Niagara College, NCLEC provides a focal point for commercial activities and community outreach for the College’s Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery, Teaching Distillery, Cidery, Campus Vineyard, Concession Vineyard and Hop Yard, as well as the Canadian Food and Wine Institute-Aurora Armoury and the Niagara College Cannabis Institute (NCCI).
Appointed in January 2022, new board members include Matt Giffen, Founder and President, Bench Brewing Company, Denis Gertler, Independent Consultant and Regulatory Expert, and Sherry Gibson Gray, Marketing Director, Canadian Wines – Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc.
The NCLEC Board, established in 2010, is comprised of internal and external members who lend diverse voices and perspectives, while helping to identify strengths and opportunities across NCLEC’s operations. Incoming directors join members from NC’s senior leadership team and current-serving external directors including Klaus Reif, President and CEO, Reif Estate Winery (appointed in 2019), and NCLEC’s longest-serving external director, Ross Macfarlane, a Lawyer with Flett Beccario, Barristers & Solicitors (appointed in 2011).
Up until recently, NCLEC’s Board also benefited from the knowledge and expertise of former director, Mike Scott, who retired from the Board in June 2021, having served as external director since 2011.
“I am pleased to welcome our new members to the NCLEC Board of Directors,” said Niagara College President Sean Kennedy, Chair, NCLEC Board. “All of our external volunteer members provide dynamic leadership and their contributions are vital to the continued innovation and evolution of our unique learning enterprises.”
The activities of NCLEC are an extension of the College and contribute to the achievement of NC’s strategic priorities. NCLEC supports and enhances NC academic programs, experiential learning, and applied research opportunities for students, in partnership with the College, industry, government, and other academic institutions.
About NCLEC’s external Board Members
Ross Macfarlane was called to the bar of Ontario in 1995, after completing his Bachelor of Laws cum laude at University of Ottawa, and his Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science summa cum laude at McMaster University. Ross practised in Ottawa until 2003, when he returned to his hometown of Welland to join Flett Beccario Barristers & Solicitors where he practises as a commercial litigator, with an emphasis on debtor/creditor, bankruptcy and insolvency, and commercial disputes. Ross is Founding President of Les Marmitons Niagara, a gentlemen’s cooking club, and in June 2018 became the President of Les Marmitons International. He was instrumental in the establishment and growth of the Les Marmitons bursary fund supporting students at Niagara College. Since 2014, he has been a jury member for the University of Guelph/Food Day Canada Good Food Innovation Awards, is the current President for the Welland-Port Colborne Concert Association and was a committee member for the Pelham Mayor’s Gala Committee for eight years.
Klaus Reif is President and CEO of Reif Estate Winery, Reif Vineyards, Monastery Cellars and Vitis Consulting Niagara, and holds an Engineering degree in Viticulture, Winemaking and Wine marketing. From Germany, Klaus was born into a family with a tradition in winemaking spanning thirteen generations. After a visit to Canada in 1978 at the age of fifteen, Klaus found himself captivated by the scenic beauty and winemaking potential of the Niagara Peninsula. After graduating from the most prestigious winemaking school in the world, the Geisenheim Institute in Germany, Klaus moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake. He has since served as an Executive Director of the Wine Council of Ontario for over 20 years, is a founding member of VQA, and received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Ontario Wine Society. Klaus’ philosophy that “great wines start in the vineyard” has won over 400 International awards, including twice the Grand Gold at VinItaly, and “Canada’s Best Winery” at both VinItaly and the International Wine & Spirit Competition, London, England.
Matt Giffen is the Founder and President of Bench Brewing Company, which he created in 2018 to follow his passion for brewing and agriculture after a 24-year career in banking overseas and in Canada. Located in Beamsville in beautiful Twenty Valley, Bench crafts premium-quality and award-winning IPAs, Ales, Lagers and Barrel-aged Sours. With the taproom located in the renovated and historic Maple Grove Schoolhouse, the Bench Brewing site also features a three-acre hops field, an outdoor beer garden, as well as a restaurant that offers seasonal menus drawing on locally produced ingredients. Matt was born and raised in London, Ontario, and is a Bachelor of Commerce graduate from McGill University. He is married to Erin, with three daughters Molly, Kate and Ella.
Denis Gertler has more than 20 years’ experience in regulatory policy and operations, and is known for delivering major government regulatory initiatives in the cannabis and gaming industries. Prior to becoming an Independent Consultant and Regulatory Expert, he was Senior Regulatory Advisor at CannDelta Inc., where he was co-developer and instructor for CannDelta’s SmartTending program, and a frequent commentator and writer on cannabis retail and related issues. Before joining CannDelta, Denis headed gaming compliance and audit at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the provincial regulator of cannabis retail, and led regulations for the Smoke-Free Ontario initiative, among many other professional achievements. Denis has an M.A. from Purdue University and holds advanced certificates from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and for the Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Sherry Gibson Gray is a seasoned marketing professional with broad experience in brand management, innovation, and consumer insights gained from tenures at Bacardi Canada, Maple Leaf Foods, Tim Hortons, and Kellogg Canada. A long-time resident of Niagara and passionate VQA wine supporter, Sherry returned to her Niagara roots in 2021 as the Marketing Director for Canadian Wines at Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc., owners of Niagara-based wineries Creekside, Queenston Mile and Lakeview Wine Co., as well as Backyard Vineyards in Langley, BC. Sherry has been a member of Niagara College’s Canadian Food & Wine Institute Innovation Centre’s Industry Advisory Committee since 2019. She is proud to help grow the reputation for quality Canadian wines and contribute to Niagara College’s role in developing future industry leaders.
