His practice focuses on maximizing the value of businesses in the face of strategic, operational, industry or management challenges to ensure sustainable and profitable growth.
Lewis joined Farber Financial Group in September 2010 bringing more than two decades of experience of results-driven leadership in some of Canada’s most respected companies.
Most recently, he was with Blueprint Partners International, a corporate advisory firm which provides strategic focus and leadership to troubled companies requiring transformation, faster growth, cultural change, and clear strategic direction.
Prior to founding Blueprint, Lewis held executive leadership positions with several North American blue-chip companies. As the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of CryptoLogic Inc., the award-winning company’s market capitalization grew to more than $400 million from $90 million, expanding operations in Toronto, London, Dublin, Singapore, Cyprus, Vancouver, Alderney and Curacao.
As the President and a Director of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., Lewis led the Academy and Emmy award-winning company to achieve $20 million in post-merger integration savings (of Alliance Communications and Atlantis Communications to form Alliance Atlantis Communications, which was subsequently acquired by CanWest Global and Goldman Sachs for $2.3 billion).
As Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Lewis was instrumental in the creation of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., the largest publicly traded food processing company in Canada with revenues in excess of $5 billion and 24,000 employees – the result of the reverse takeover of Canada Packers Inc. by Maple Leaf Mills Limited in 1990. In his eight years with the group, Lewis served as Director of publicly traded baked-goods manufacturer Canada Bread Ltd. and retail franchisor Country Style Food Services; he also had financial responsibility for real estate development and the company’s Caribbean operations; and, as President of Maple Leaf Grocery Products Division, he spearheaded the profitable turnaround of the consumer branded and private label manufacturing, sales and distribution business from a loss in 1994 to a profit in 1995.
Lewis was Assistant Vice President at Wood Gundy Inc. (now CIBC World Markets) from 1984 to 1987, first in Treasury and Operations Management and then in the Mergers and Acquisitions/Corporate Finance Department, before joining Maple Leaf Mills as CFO and a Director in 1987.