AptarGroup, an Illinois-based company that specializes in consumer packaging and drug-delivery devices, announced last week that Vanessa Kanu will become the firm’s chief financial officer and executive vice-president effective Jan. 1, 2025.
One of the Ottawa region’s most highly respected finance executives is joining the C-suite of a major publicly traded U.S. corporation.
AptarGroup, an Illinois-based company that specializes in consumer packaging and drug-delivery devices, announced last week that Vanessa Kanu will become the firm’s chief financial officer and executive vice-president effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Kanu will replace current CFO and executive vice-president Bob Kuhn, who is retiring at the end of 2024 after 37 years with the company.
Founded in 1992, Aptar manufactures products such as nasal spray systems and metered-dose inhaler valves for major pharmaceutical companies. The global firm, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, has nearly 14,000 employees and last year generated revenues of more than US$4.4 billion.
The move marks another next step up the career ladder for Kanu, who was named Ottawa’s CFO of the Year by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade in 2021 while serving as Telus International’s top finance executive.
The Edmonton native spent nearly four years as CFO at Telus International, guiding the offshoot of Telus Communications that offers IT, call-centre and other services to a $1-billion initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in February 2021.
Before that, Kanu worked for more than 15 years at Kanata-based telecommunications equipment giant Mitel, rising through the ranks to become the firm’s chief financial officer in 2019.
At Aptar, Kanu will lead the firm’s global finance organization, including planning, treasury, tax, financial reporting, financial operations and information technology.
Aptar president and CEO Stephan Tanda lauded Kanu for her “tremendous experience” in areas such as financial reporting, global operations and cost management.
“She is an accomplished CFO and a dynamic leader whose extensive experience will bolster our strong foundation,” Tanda said in a statement. 
