Advisory Board

Advisory Board Chair

John London has over 30 years of experience managing a wide variety of public and private businesses. His experience includes international Masters of Law degree, partnership at a Toronto Bay St. law firm, senior position at auto parts multinational, co-founder of public auto parts company, venture capital investing and CEO and board positions at technology and public pharmaceutical businesses. London’s current focus is business and academic board roles, including his roles at the Wood Centre as Chair of the Advisory Board and Executive in Residence.

Ben Cullen grew up in a gardening family and, in pursuit of his love of food, attended agriculture college in the heart of Ontario’s farm country: Ridgetown, Ontario. When in Ridgetown Ben became immersed in the culture of Ontario’s agriculture industry and forged relationships which are strong to this day. After attending university in Nova Scotia and working the food industry he decided to participate in the John F. Wood Centre's Hub program to gain support as he launched his own business, Cullen’s Foods. Cullen's Foods promotes a model of food business that connects agricultural producers more directly with consumers. They are 100% transparent in their supply chain and deal directly with farmers they know, rather than using intermediaries. They promote more sustainable food systems at home, and supporting better systems abroad through their not-for-profit partner, S.H.A.R.E. Agriculture Foundation.

Dr. Greg Bauer is the Associate Dean, Strategic Partnerships and full Professor at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. Prior to joining Lang, Dr. Bauer was the Michael J. Barclay Alumni Professor and former Associate Dean of Full-Time Programs at the Simon Business School, University of Rochester. In that role he was responsible for admissions, academic affairs and career advice for the full-time MBA, MS in Finance, MS in Accounting, MS in Business Analytics and MS in Marketing Analytics programs. He created the Simon Integrated Student Experience and guided the development of the STEM MBA option. As a result of these efforts, the Simon Full Time MBA program was honoured as the “MBA program of the Year” in 2018 by Poets and Quants. The program moved up 16 places in one year on the 2019 Bloomberg Businessweek ranking to reach #29 overall and #4 for learning. 

President, Wood Development Group

Susan Frasson was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario and has been actively involved in her family’s businesses since the age of 9.  She is a graduate from the University of Western Ontario where she took English, psychology and of course business.  She worked in the family business as a project manager designing new appliances and setting up new assembly lines.  Susan married Alex Frasson in 1996 and two years later gave birth to the first of their four children.  She returned to W.C. Wood Company in 2005 to assist with special projects and strategic planning.  After the family business was sold in 2008, Susan began working in the real estate end of the business and is currently President of Wood Development Group.  In 2009 the family established The W. C. Wood Foundation, which Susan is also actively and passionately involved in. Susan and her husband also own and operate a number of other businesses together.  On a daily basis, Susan juggles her many business interests with her role as a very involved and committed parent, while still making time for her passion as a community philanthropist and activist.   Her style is to build consensus and lead by example and you see that reflected in every aspect of her life - family business owner, philanthropist, parent and life partner.

Wood Centre Chair in Innovation

CEO Crafty Ramen and, Franchisee Harvey's 

Having grown up in a family who made their name in the restaurant world, Khalil’s passion for the industry came naturally. Khalil had a penchant for the numbers side of the business and pursued a degree in Management Economics and Industry Finance at the University of Guelph.  During this time, he co-founded a multifaceted event marketing and production business, Fresh Media Events Inc., which produced over 300 events in a four-year period. With this background, Khalil entered the restaurant franchisee environment and became the youngest multi-unit franchisee in the Harvey’s franchise system. Khalil’s franchise restaurants are some of the top-producing locations in the country, with one of his locations currently ranked the number one drive-thru in Canada. Khalil has received multiple awards from Harvey’s and its parent company Recipe Unlimited Corporation and has been sought as a corporate advisor to help enhance profitability and sales. He previously sat as an executive on the board of the Harvey’s Franchisee Association. Khalil joined Crafty Ramen in 2018 as a strategic investor and has since played a pivotal role in catapulting system sales by over 4x, taking on the role of CEO in February 2021. Crafty Ramen has grabbed a spot on Canada's Top Growing Businesses list for 2022 and 2023. Khalil is also the Chair of the board of directors at the Foundation of The Guelph General Hospital, which is just one of his many philanthropic commitments. With experience in marketing, operations, financing, sourcing, and IT, Khalil’s keen eye for detail and visionary outlook have firmly established him as a leader within the food, beverage and restaurant industries.