Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer FoRWARD Awards inductees
Women are slowly joining grocery’s leadership ranks
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is an excerpt of a current article from Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer magazine.
Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer introduced its inaugural FoRWARD Awards celebrating 28 women who have worked their way to the top of the male-dominated grocery industry and are helping provide a fresh perspective to business decisions. Among the advice they offered to women aspiring to join their ranks included seeking out mentors and staying true to themselves.
“As women, we sometimes struggle with who we think we ‘are supposed to be’ in order to advance professionally,” said Catherine Magistrelli, VP of Dairy-Deli & Frozen, Wakefern Food Corp. “My advice to women with career growth goals has always been to stay focused and work hard, but always be yourself. I have tried to lead by example in all the roles I’ve held, and encourage others to grow and lead their own way.”
Nicole Sopko, VP, Upton’s Naturals, said, “Embrace your impostor syndrome and let it guide you toward becoming a more collaborative, thoughtful and introspective leader.”
Joy Sgro, VP, Merchandising & Procurement, C&S Wholesale Grocers, said she never felt like she did or did not get a job because of her gender. She said, regardless of gender, “I believe that if you work hard and do the best you can, the opportunities will come your way.”
Vivian Son, director of Refrigerated Foods, Grocery Outlet, urges other women to dedicate time to creating and building relationships, both within their companies and the industry. She said, “Having that larger reach allows you to advocate for things you believe in, and gives you the platform to align your goals with others.”
“You deserve a seat at the table, but you won’t get there on your own,” said Becki Schultz Senior VP, Organizational Effectiveness, Bernatello’s Foods, highlighting the benefit of mentors. “Stay curious and never stop learning. Like we say at Bernatello’s, ‘fail forward fast.’”
Asun Romero, director of Supply Management, Superior Foods, said, “I’ve seen a huge shift in our industry in the last 30 years, when I was often the only woman in the room. But employers have realized that women are good at finding solutions and making wise decisions with a spirit of cooperation in mind.”
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What career advice would you have for women seeking to advance in the grocery industry as well as for the stores and brands developing them as leaders? What obstacles do they often still face in career advancement that men don’t?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Carol Spieckerman
President, Spieckerman Retail
DeAnn Campbell
Head of Retail Insights, AAG Consulting Group
It’s about time! It’s still shocking to me that in 2023 we’re having a discussion about how great it is that women are finally advancing to executive roles in the grocery industry – or any other industry for that matter. I have no advice for these accomplished leaders, but I would encourage all younger women who aspire to be leaders to learn about women leaders like these and to use their experiences as inspiration to become leaders themselves.
Considering that the largest group of grocery shoppers are still women, I see only good things from the rise of female leadership in this industry. My advice to new leaders would be that a much needed renewed focus on the customer experience should be a top task on the to do list, as well as getting all departments to work together on communication and data insights to improve omnichannel capabilities. Fresh thinking is going to be critical for all retailers going forward, giving women a distinct advantage over traditional leadership.
It’s interesting because when we’ve worked with grocers in the past, it’s all dudes all the time, other than marketing — that’s the one area in which females seem to have made their initial leadership breakthroughs within old school companies (of which, most grocers are) across the board.
Conversely, when we visit fashion brands, their entire leadership ranks are generally filled with women. So from what I’ve experienced there’s also a choice factor at play here, which doesn’t help. I.e.: it’s not like women are knocking down the doors to be leaders in grocery — sort of a circular prophecy due to said “old school” inhabitants. The more that women fill the ranks within grocery companies, the more other women will join them. The story above is a good start, but there is a long way to go out there in reality.
As areas such as AdTech, MarTech, assortment optimization, personalization, stores of the future, and other advanced capabilities emerge in the grocery industry, I have observed a far better balance where it’s not just dudes running the show. Again, this can’t happen fast enough.
Okay, I laugh-snorted at “it’s all dudes all the time”!
Since I started working in the retailer apparel industry, there has been discussion as to who makes a better CEO; a merchant or a finance person? (I voted for merchant.) One could have a similar argument about what gender makes a better grocery CEO; a woman or a man? (I voted for a woman.)
Women are naturally more collaborative than men in senior management roles, which is a key to successful management. You can’t get there alone. Unfortunately, there are still areas of this country and organizations within them that have a gender bias. It is sad that not every retail organization has evolved to full equality and merit-based promotions, but these stories show that we’re making progress.
Every company has a culture. If a woman senses there’s bias or a glass ceiling where she is now, it’s clear there are now better options elsewhere. Leaders tend to stay true to themselves, regardless of gender. Work hard, fail often, and be yourself. If you’re doing everything right but still not progressing, it’s probably time to move on.
It’s nice to see women breaking through grocery’s good old boys club. I noticed a slew of promotions and hiring for women in grocery just this month. To me, it demonstrates an intention to right a wrong and accelerate gender diversity in the grocery space. The fact that women have been underrepresented in grocery leadership in the past ensures that their presence will bring new thinking. As grocery continues to lag behind in customer experience in particular, that’s a very good thing.
There is no time like the present, and it’s high time for disruption in the grocery industry. It’s absolutely shocking that we are, in 2023, having a conversation about equal opportunities and empowerment. Thankfully, as a father to a 12-year-old aspiring business executive, the world is much better compared to my parent’s generation in terms of career opportunities for women. Having worked in the retail and grocery industry my entire career, the shifts in increasing opportunities for women can’t happen fast enough.
“Slowly joining grocery’s leadership ranks” in 2023 is not acceptable and unbelievable.
Do grocers really think they can achieve excellence while disregarding half of the workforce who happen to be the vast majority of their customers? Time for these guys to wake up!
Is this good news or bad news? The U.S. has the highest percentage of women in the executive suite (China is #2).
What we can sadly say is the lack of women participating at the top has nothing to do with performance. Numerous studies have indicated that companies with a high percentage of women on the board, in the executive suite, and as CEOs perform markedly better than others.
For women making it to the top, on average, it takes them four years longer, and they work in more jobs (internally or externally) than their male counterparts. Ladies, I am not suggesting you should be more patient. I am suggesting the contrary. If you don’t see your talent being recognized, find a place it will be appreciated.
Good news! There SHOULD be more women leaders in this segment!
How confident are you that the grocery industry as a whole is doing a better job….
“Better than…what?” was my thought: Better than it used to do? Better than other industries?
As with nearly all the other commenters here, I couldn’t help but notice the dissonance between the leadership ranks and the customer base, tho that’s probably true for much of retail, and I believe the gap has shrunk (both through more women in the former and more men in the latter). It would be helpful — or at least interesting — to see some metrics to see how grocery stacks up … so to speak.