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Richmond's cranberry king joins Bank of Canada board

Peter Dhillon — CEO of the Richmond-based Richberry Group of Companies - has been appointed by the federal finance minister
Dhillon
Peter Dhillon, chair of Ocean Spray Cranberries LTD., oversees hundreds of fields in Richmond. Photo by BIV

One of Richmond’s leading figures in business has been appointed to the Bank of Canada’s board of directors.

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Thursday that Peter Dhillon — chair of the Ocean Spray board of directors and president and CEO of the Richmond-based Richberry Group of Companies — would be joining the board, along with the reappointment of Monique Jérôme-Forget, who is a special advisor to a leading Montréal business law firm.

“Both appointees have notable track records in their respective fields,” said Morneau.

“I offer them my congratulations and wish them great success in their role at the Bank of Canada.”

Dhillon currently plays an active role on many local and regional organizations and boards, including director of Vancouver Airport Authority and board of governors of Simon Fraser University.

He has also had positions on the audit committee of the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee, Canadian Olympic Committee, as well as being a board member of the Vancouver Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundation and director and vice chairman of B.C. Ferries, as well as director of Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.

In 2009, Dhillon was honoured with the Order of British Columbia, and in 2012, he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Dhillon’s company, Richberry Group, is Canada’s largest cranberry grower and a key supplier to Ocean Spray.

He oversees 238 acres of cranberry fields in east Richmond, with subsidiaries Richberry Farms Ltd. and BK Ranch LP. Richberry, a member of the Ocean Spray Cooperative.

, also operates Pitt Meadows Farms LP, a 352-acre farm south of the Pitt River.

In the run-up to an event hosted by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Dhillon spoke about growth and sustainability as two key areas of doing business.

“I’m always looking to increase our position in the cranberry industry,” said Dhillon at the time.

“It’s an industry I’ve been in since the age of 10 or 11. So I grew up in it and know it well.”