Cott Corporation announced that its CEO Jerry Fowden received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 National Category Award for Retail and Consumer Products. Now in its 30th year, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Mr. Fowden was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at EY's Strategic Growth Forum in Palm Springs, Calif., on November 19.

"Since I became CEO at Cott, we have seen significant changes in the beverage market as consumers have become increasingly health conscious. In response to these changes we developed a strategy to diversify Cott towards a lower risk, higher margin business focused on better for you beverages and healthy hydration," commented Jerry Fowden, Cott's Chief Executive Officer. "I am pleased to be recognized for Cott's achievements and success and I want to thank all of our employees, Board of Directors and shareholders for their work and support over the last few years," continued Mr. Fowden.

Since 1986, EY has honored entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, spirit of innovation, and discipline have propelled their companies' success, invigorated their industries, and benefited their communities. Now in its 30th year, the program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs including Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Robert Unanue of Goya Foods, and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2015 winners Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks.

Over the last 30 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award program has demonstrated a unique ability to identify the traits that lead companies to join the ranks of the some of the world's most successful companies. The vast majority of winners have far outpaced the US market in terms of stock price returns, job creation, and longevity. EY examined the attributes of these businesses in a recent report, Lasting Legacies on November 19.

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored nationally by SAP America, Merrill Corporation, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.