Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has announced Chris Anderson, CEO of Braintree, Massachusetts-based supplier HPG; and Denise Taschereau, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based distributor Fairware Promotional Products, as the slate for PPAI Board of Directors Class of 2026 election. The PPAI board election voting period runs from Tuesday, Sept. 7 to Tuesday, September 28, with results available in early October.
PPAI will host an interview with the two nominees on Tuesday, August 24 from 12-1 p.m. CT (also available on-demand after the event) to give members an opportunity to get to know the nominees.
Anderson joined the promotional products industry in 2002 with supplier HandStands, and became president of the company in 2009 and CEO in 2010. Under his leadership, HandStands expanded its distribution into 138 countries and closed multiple strategic acquisitions, including the sale of the business to HPG in 2018. Anderson became CEO of HPG in 2019.
Taschereau launched Fairware after realizing how difficult it was to source promotional merchandise that reflected the social and environmental priorities of the many of brands and organizations she admired. Previously, Taschereau oversaw the Mountain Equipment Co-op’s national environmental programs, community grant-making and ethical sourcing programs, and wrote their award-winning first Sustainability Report. She is currently a board member of PromoCares, an industry group driving awareness and education around sustainability issues in the promotional product industry.
Anderson and Taschereau have been selected for their unique experience and balanced skill set of competencies that align with the board’s current focus and strategic plan. Each has also been extensively evaluated by the Leadership Advisory Committee and the Elected Directors Nominating Committee. If approved by the membership, they will begin four years of board service following The PPAI Expo in January 2022.
In 2019, the association transitioned the board election from a ballot vote to a selection process, presenting one distributor and one supplier to the membership for an approval vote. Nominees for the board of directors are proposed as a slate and confirmed by the membership through an election and are no longer individually elected by popular vote. PPAI made this change as it provides a better opportunity to constitute a board of directors with a balanced skill set and experience best suited for leading the association into the future. The selection process eliminates the time-consuming, peer-to-peer competition; applies strategic foresight; and brings transparency to the process.
For more information, visit www.ppai.org.
