John DeFranco

John is a graduate of Western University with a degree in business.

John spent the majority of his career in Retail and Service organizations. As the previous Chief Commercial Officer at Staples Canada, he co-led a multi-year transformation which strengthened the brand and grew the business.Prior to that, John was President of PetSmart Canada where his leadership propelled the organization forward, as it grew into the largest and fastest growing Pet Retailer in Canada. John spent 13 years at Home Depot Canada in progressive roles in Store Development, Merchandising and Strategic Planning.

As a first generation Canadian, John has great appreciation for the opportunities that Canada provided to him and his family and is excited to be part of an organization that supports students to “Dream Big”.