John Anderson

For more than 50 years, John Anderson’s sharp business instincts have shaped the global produce industry while helping build Oppy into a strong, successful produce marketing enterprise.

Since joining Oppy as a warehouseman, John quickly advanced through sales, operations and executive leadership roles, bringing forward ideas that helped shape the organization’s future. By building strong international relationships, securing consistent supplies of preferred produce and investing in logistics and technology, he helped distinguish Oppy as an industry leader. Through his focus on strategic growth and stewardship of our “expect the world from us” culture, Oppy has continued to thrive.
John has also led key industry initiatives, from streamlining international trade to attracting top young talent to the produce community. His service on industry boards and committees has earned him a reputation for leadership and insight well beyond the Oppy network.

John’s contributions to the produce industry and broader business community have been recognized with numerous professional awards. He is the first and only Canadian to receive both The Packer’s Produce Man of the Year award (2000) and Produce Marketer of the Year award (2012). He was also named Ernst & Young’s Pacific Region Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 and 2015, Dealmaker of the Year by ACG British Columbia in 2013, and BC CEO of the Year in 2014. That same year, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce, presented by Senator and Lieutenant Governor-elect Mike Stack in recognition of his contributions to the well-being of people living and working in Pennsylvania.

More recently, John was named Waterstone Human Capital’s Canada’s Most Admired™ CEO in 2017, received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the BCPMA (2020) and CPMA (2021), and was inducted into the Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2024, he received the Order of British Columbia and the King Charles III Coronation Medal, and served as Chair of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). His 2025 honours include the International Humanitarian Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Fraser Valley, induction into both the Grocery Business Hall of Fame and the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame, and the Gamechanger Award from the Pacific Autism Family Network.

Under John’s leadership, Oppy has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 25 consecutive years, one of BC’s Top Employers every year since 2017, and one of Canada’s Most Admired™ Corporate Cultures for the fourth time in 12 years due to the award being handed out every three years —earning a place in the program’s Hall of Fame. Oppy was also named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2020 and 2021.