MEDIA Release:
Genumark names Mitch Freed as Chief Executive Officer and Mark Freed as Executive Chairman
Toronto, ON, Canada (January 25, 2022) – Genumark, the largest Canadian-owned distributor of corporate branded merchandise, has named Mitch Freed its new Chief Executive Officer. Mark Freed, Mitch’s father and Genumark’s former President & CEO, will become the company’s Executive Chairman. Genumark is wholly owned by the Freed family, with Mark serving as the company’s top executive for 27 years.
In a move to preserve and ensure Genumark’s continued leadership in the merchandising industry, Mark felt that the time was right to officially implement the company’s second-generation plan. “We have been working towards this day for several years in conjunction with our long-term vision. Whether on purpose or not, Mitch has been training for this role his entire life and is ready to lead the daily management of our company. I look forward to continuing my focus on strategy, financial oversight, community initiatives and collaborating with Mitch as he leads our amazing team.“
Mitch continued, “My dad, David Lewenberg (COO) and John Gill (CFO) will all continue to be with our company. They have done a phenomenal job at setting the course and cementing Genumark as the most frequent winner of the PPPC’s (Promotional Product Professionals of Canada) annual National Distributor of the Year award over the past decade. I am fortunate to be working with such an accomplished and experienced team that I know will be instrumental in our continued quest to be the most trusted partner and first choice for branded merchandise.”
Prior to joining Genumark in 2017, Mitch worked as a Strategy Consultant in KPMG’s Management Consulting Practice and was the Co-Founder and General Manager of an experiential entertainment company. Most recently, Mitch led the Genumark sales team as Executive Vice President of Sales & Strategy. He also quarterbacked Genumark’s acquisition of Rightsleeve Marketing in 2019. Mitch holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and an HBA from Western University’s Ivey Business School.
In addition to Mitch’s new role, several other team members will take on new, expanded responsibilities. Of note, Rightsleeve’s former VP and General Manager, Stephen Musgrave, will become Genumark’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Several other appointments include industry veteran David Colantonio as Vice President of Corporate Apparel and Uniforms, Elizabeth Wimbush as Vice President of Supply Chain, and Eleanor Davidson as Western Canada Business Development Manager.
ABOUT GENUMARK
Genumark is an award-winning promotional products and corporate apparel distributor and has been named Canada’s National Distributor of the Year on numerous occasions including 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The company is headquartered in Toronto with satellite offices and showrooms in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Halifax. Genumark provides a full suite of merchandising solutions, including E-commerce web stores, international fulfillment, sports and licensing marketing and corporate uniform programs. Genumark has attained platinum level as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. Mark Freed is named perennially to ASI’s Power 50 list of the top influencers in the North American Promo Industry. He received the Bess Cohn Humanitarian Award from ASI in 2010 and the PPPC Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2012.
