TORONTO, March 26,
2024 /CNW/ -
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is honoured to
announce Michael Medline, President & Chief Executive Officer
of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc., as the recipient of
the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix Trailblazer Award.
The Canadian Grand Prix Trailblazer Award recognizes individuals
or families who have demonstrated outstanding service and
dedication to the Canadian retail and grocery industries,
spearheaded historic, transformational change in their sectors, and
exhibited both passion and courage in their leadership.
"Michael has always been a passionate and vocal advocate of the
retail sector and has never shied away from standing up and
speaking out on the issues of greatest importance for our
industry," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, RCC.
"His commitment to being authentic and courageous, and leading with
compassion each and every day has left an indelible mark on our
industry and his professional and philanthropic pursuits perfectly
exemplify the essence of a true Trailblazer.
"Michael has played a significant role in strengthening the
foundations and resilience of our industry while demonstrating
exceptional and unwavering passion to respectfully serve customers,
employees, and the community at large."
Appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Empire
Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. in
January 2017, Mr. Medline is a proven leader with a
strong track record of success in Canadian retail. He held senior
retail leadership positions at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC),
including President & Chief Executive Officer of CTC.
Mr. Medline serves on the Board of Directors for Scotiabank, the
Board of Trustees for SickKids, the Board of Governors for Huron
University College at Western
University, the Board of Directors for The BlackNorth
Initiative and the Sobey Foundation. He is past Chair of the
Retail Council of Canada as well
as The Grocery Foundation and was formerly on the Board of
Governors for Canada's Sports Hall
of Fame and Board of Directors for SickKids Foundation.
Mr. Medline joins a distinguished list of past Lifetime
Achievement and Trailblazer recipients from across
Canada that include Sobeys' Chair Emeriti, Donald and David Sobey, Mother
Parkers Tea & Coffee Co-Chairmen, Paul Higgins Jr. and Michael Higgins, Longo's President and CEO
Anthony Longo and the Longo
Family, Cindy and Tina
Lee of T & T Supermarkets, as well as
Burnbrae Farms' President & CEO, Margaret Hudson, Pattison Food Group's
President, Darrell Jones,
Morrison Lamothe Inc & Club Coffee L.P. CEO, John Pigott, and Metro Inc.'s Former Senior
Vice President Procurement & Corporate Brands, Serge Boulanger.
The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Michael Medline
at Retail Council of Canada's
Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards Gala on
May 29, 2024, at the Toronto
Congress Centre. Joining Mr. Medline at the Gala
is Dino Bianco, Chief
Executive Officer, Kruger Products Inc., who is receiving
the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award from Retail
Council of Canada & Food,
Health & Consumer Products of Canada.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Canadian
New Product Awards here .
The Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards Gala will close the
second day of Canada's biggest
retail conference, STORE 2024 , May 28/29, 2024.
Media are invited to attend.
About Empire Company Limited
Empire Company Limited (TSX:
EMP.A) is a Canadian company
headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire's
key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary
Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately
$30.7 billion in annual sales and
$16.6 billion in assets, Empire and
its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately
131,000 people.
About Retail Council of Canada
Retail is Canada's largest private-sector employer with
over 2.3 million Canadians working in our industry. The sector
annually generates over $91 billion
in wages and employee benefits. Core retail sales (excluding
vehicles and gasoline) were over $501B in 2023. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members represent more than
two-thirds of core retail sales through small, medium, and large
retail businesses across the country. This includes 54,000
storefronts including department, grocery, specialty, discount,
independent retailers, online merchants and quick service
restaurants. Our grocery members alone represent more than 95 per
cent of the market in Canada.
SOURCE Retail Council of Canada