Oct. 01/20 News Print Page

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) announced today that its Board of Directors has selected Darryl Kay as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2020. Kay currently holds the role of AFSC’s Chief Financial and Innovation Officer

“Darryl has strong background with AFSC and the agriculture industry, and we believe he is the right person to successfully lead AFSC forward as we continue to support Alberta’s producers,” said AFSC Board Chair Mabel Hamilton. “He brings strong financial and business expertise and solid relationships with our industry partners and the Ministry.”

Kay has been with AFSC for close to 10 years and brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience with him to the role. He has served in a number of different capacities at AFSC, including interim CEO in 2017. During that time he was instrumental in supporting the new online client platform, AFSC Connect, developing a renewed lending mandate, and approving exciting new lending products that are relevant to today’s producer.

“With my internal knowledge of AFSC, I will bring much needed stability to the Corporation. I’ll be able to hit the ground running and continue to focus on items that are most important to producers—delivering relevant programs, improving our client experience, streamlining our organization so that we are easier to deal with, and positioning AFSC as a key trusted partner with farmers across the province.”

 Chief Executive Officer Darryl Kay

 

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead AFSC as the new CEO. With my internal knowledge of AFSC, I will bring much needed stability to the Corporation. I’ll be able to hit the ground running and continue to focus on items that are most important to producers—delivering relevant programs, improving our client experience, streamlining our organization so that we are easier to deal with, and positioning AFSC as a key trusted partner with farmers across the province.”

Kay replaces Board Member and Interim CEO Jerry Bouma in the role. Bouma has been acting as Interim CEO since former CEO Steve Blakely’s retirement in April 2020.

“I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work that Jerry has done since he stepped into the role,” said Hamilton, “and for the leadership and momentum that he has brought to the organization during this time. He was instrumental in ensuring things moved forward smoothly, even in these challenging times.”

Kay will report to AFSC’s Board of Directors, through the Board Chair. The CEO supports policy development and leads the Executive Leadership Team in responding to operational issues and challenges while achieving business plan goals and objectives.

“I’m pleased to welcome Darryl Kay as the new CEO for Agriculture Financial Services Corporation,” shared Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen.

“Darryl’s understanding of the challenges in agriculture and experience within AFSC will serve Alberta’s farmers and ranchers well. With Darryl’s leadership, AFSC will prioritize customer service, work to improve farm programs, and attract more value-added food processing investments to Alberta. He will be a farm-friendly CEO.”