Michael Medline

Mr. Medline is the President & Chief Executive Officer of The Woodbridge Company Limited (“Woodbridge”). Woodbridge is the primary investment vehicle for the Thomson family of Canada. It has a number of investments, including a majority stake in Thomson Reuters.

Mr. Medline is the former President & Chief Executive Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. He served in the role from January 2017 to November 2025, when he formally retired from the company. Under his leadership, Empire was transformed in terms of sales growth and profitability, it more than tripled its stock price, acquired grocery brands Farm Boy and Longo’s, and launched a new loyalty program.

Mr. Medline has held senior retail leadership positions at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), including President & Chief Executive Officer of CTC. He began his career working with the Ontario Securities Commission, followed by two years practicing law with McCarthy Tétrault. He was Corporate Counsel for PepsiCo Canada before moving to Abitibi Consolidated Inc. where he held a variety of roles including Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development.

Mr. Medline serves on the Board of Trustees for SickKids and as Chair of the Human Resources Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Scotiabank (and Chair of the Board’s Corporate Governance Committee), the Board of Governors for Huron University College at Western University, and as a trustee on the William & Mary Business School Foundation Board. He is past Chair of the Retail Council of Canada as well as The Grocery Foundation, and was formerly on the Board of Governors for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Board of Directors for The Sobey Foundation, SickKids Foundation and The Black North Initiative.

In recognition of his industry contributions and transformational leadership, Mr. Medline was honoured as the Globe and Mail CEO of the Year in 2018, Canada’s Most Admired CEO for 2020 by Waterstone Capital and with the 2024 Trailblazer Award by the Retail Council of Canada for his outstanding service and dedication to the Canadian retail and grocery industries. In 2025, Mr. Medline was honoured with the 2025 Principled Achievement Award from the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary, as well as the 2025 Golden Pencil Award presented by the Food Industry Association of Canada for his outstanding service to the grocery retail industry.

Mr. Medline holds an MBA from Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William & Mary; an LL.B. from the University of Toronto; and a BA from Huron University College at Western University.