I am extremely pleased and very proud to announce that six Sobeys employees have been named 2020 Star Women Awards recipients by Canadian Grocer.  Since 2012, this award has been given annually to recognize exceptional women who demonstrate influence, innovation, and leadership in the Canadian grocery industry.

Our Star Women honourees are individuals that bring passion and commitment to their work and their communities each day. They are recognized by both their Sobeys peers and industry professionals as role models who deliver business excellence through collaborative team engagement. I am very pleased that they are being given the recognition they deserve, not only within Sobeys, but by the country’s grocery industry.  Their achievement serves as an inspiration for all leaders on our team.

This year, two of our Sobeys recipients were named in the Senior Level category, three in the Store Level category, and one in the Rising Star category.

Please join me in celebrating and congratulating our 2020 Star Women awardees:

Senior Level Stars

Kerry Tompson, Vice President of Talent & Inclusion

Kerry is innovative, customer-driven and willing to set bold ambitions to drive results. Since she joined Sobeys Inc. in 2018, Kerry has worked tirelessly to ensure the company’s people practices were “best in class” so that Sobeys could attract and retain the best talent. In 2020, when the company faced the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerry, together with a dedicated team, rallied to create a national Talent Acquisition SWAT Team, employment branding and labour dashboard to ensure our stores were supported to serve families during a difficult time.

Vittoria Varalli, Vice President of Sustainability and Chief of Staff to the CEO

As a future- oriented strategy driver, Vittoria is highly skilled at building consensus and mobilizing action plans as the retail industry evolves. Vittoria’s commitment to reducing avoidable plastic in grocery retail has already created a lasting impact. In July 2019, under Vittoria’s direction, Sobeys Inc. was the first national grocer to announce it would eliminate single-use plastic grocery bags at all banner locations in Canada, starting with its 255 Sobeys stores, taking 225 million plastic bags out of circulation annually.

Rising Star

Julia Mallett, Manager Retail Operations, Atlantic Division

Julia is knowledgeable, passionate and solution-orientated.  She does not hesitate to find opportunities for improvement, whether they be for the industry, our stores or our customers. Focused on serving the total team, Julia actively works towards identifying root cause issues and solutioning them, helping to improve internal processes, communications and reporting which benefits everyone. Recently, Julia worked diligently with the strategic sourcing of key supplies to assist with pandemic safety measures.

Store-level Stars

Alice Warner, Store Manager, Safeway McBride, New Westminster, BC

Alice is a store operation professional with a unique leadership style that inspires strong team engagement, customer loyalty and community recognition. She is a committed advocate for the advancement of leadership opportunities for talented women in store-level grocery operations at Sobeys. Alice is dedicated to mentoring her store staff to pursue career development opportunities, and has committed her time and energy in helping to establish Sobeys’ Women’s Inclusion Network in B.C.

Suzanne Horner, Store Manager, Sobeys West River Road, Pictou, NS 

Suzanne’s depth of store operations experience and an approachable and highly motivating leadership style have been essential to building strong workplace engagement and business performance. A key element to her success is a commitment in creating opportunities to welcome and advance diverse talent within her community to support operational success. Her inclusive hiring experiences have brought process improvements and identified areas to improve accessibility within her store that have resulted in more inclusive experiences for both employees and customers.

Leslie Robb, Store Manager, Safeway Fort St John, Fort St John, BC

Leslie is a strong, experienced business and community leader who goes above and beyond to support her store teams as an authentic role model and mentor of individuals in early stages of their careers. As a member of Sobeys’ Alberta Women’s Inclusion Network, she has undertaken a deep interest in supporting advancement of female professionals in her store and within her operating district and boasts a high-performing and accomplished team of department managers that consistently contribute to operational success.

Winners will be featured in the August 2020 issue of Canadian Grocer and will be celebrated at the Star Women in Grocery Awards Breakfast on October 29, 2020.

It seems that every year, more and more Sobeys women leaders are recognized through this awards program.  In 2018, we garnered two spots in the program, followed by four in 2019, and now an amazing six recipients for 2020! I look forward to congratulating more of our hardworking and passionate female leaders winning this award in the coming years.