Collaborative Leadership: Driving Sustainable Impact

Diane J. Brisebois, CAE, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Retail Council of Canada (RCC). She oversees the largest retail association in Canada serving over 45,000 retail establishments including independent merchants, chain stores, mass merchants, big box and online retailers. RCC’s membership covers all segments of the retail market including general merchandise, grocery and pharmacy.

Diane joined RCC as its President and CEO in January 1995. Diane has held CEO positions in the not-for-profit sector representing various industries for the past 35 years.

Diane has and continues to serve on a variety of Boards across North America.

Ms. Brisebois is Immediate Past Chair of the Fair Factory Clearinghouse (FFC), an organization established to enable collaboration between vendors and retailers in assessing and improving workplace conditions globally.

Ms. Brisebois is also the Immediate Past Chair and a member of the Executive Committee of the Forum of International Retail Association Executives (FIRAE) which represents retail associations from more than 30 countries brought together to collaborate on issues affecting the retail sector globally.

Ms. Brisebois also served for many years on the Board of Covenant House Toronto, on the Board and as Chairman of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation and on the Board and as Chairman of the Canadian Society of Association Executives.

She currently serves on:

• The Ted Rogers School of Retail Management Advisory Council
• The Advisory Board of the University of Alberta’s School of Retailing
• The Board of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, and
• The Board of Stewardship Ontario (Ontario Blue Box Program)

Ms. Brisebois is a native of Montreal, Quebec and now resides in Toronto, Ontario.

In his current role, Sam is responsible for driving Walmart Canada’s food, general merchandise, health and wellness and apparel businesses, helping customers meet their everyday needs at everyday low prices. 

Prior to his current role, Sam served as Chief Operations Officer responsible for the performance of more than 400 stores from coast-to-coast serving more than 1.5 million customers daily. 

Sam has been with Walmart for more than 20 years and started his career through the Asda Graduate Program in the UK. He joined the Canadian business in 2008 and then took on an expatriate assignment with Walmart International in 2011 where he led Strategy for the EMEA region. Upon his return to Walmart Canada, Sam assumed leadership of the General Merchandise team before moving into Operations in 2016 to lead the Western division. In 2019, Sam assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Central Operations. 

He currently sits on the board of advisors to LIMA Canada, an organization focused on growing the licensing industry in Canada. 

Sam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Quality Management from the Nottingham Business School. 

Olivier Lemire is President of Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) Canada, overseeing the Company’s strategic initiatives, brand portfolio growth, and operational excellence within the Canadian market. With a tenure that spans back to 2011, Olivier has held various leadership roles within KDP, including Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Vice President of Human Resources, in addition to leading teams across sales, supply chain, and partner brands.

With over two decades of experience in global sales, strategy, and operations within the retail industry, Olivier is renowned for his transformative leadership and collaborative approach to fostering corporate culture. Prior to joining KDP, Olivier held pivotal roles in business operations and sales management with industry titans like Procter & Gamble and Nike, where he significantly contributed to their market dominance.

During his tenure at KDP, Olivier played a critical role in shaping the Company’s trajectory. Most notably by spearheading the strategic merger of Keurig Canada Inc. and Canada Dry Mott’s Inc., which resulted in a seamless transition and strengthened the Company’s market position.

Olivier holds an MBA from Laval University and the Grenoble School of Management. Before transitioning to sales and management, he pursued his passion for professional sports and studied kinesiology.

As the President and CEO of Burnbrae Farms, Margaret is a 4^th generation member of the Hudson family working in the business, which has been in the family since it was founded in 1891.  Burnbrae Farms is recognized as a food industry leader with egg grading, processing, and farming operations in five provinces across Canada.  In her role Margaret is responsible for leading strategy development and implementation, operations, innovation and brand portfolio growth and succession for the business and family ownership. 

Margaret has overseen a number of initiatives contributing to environmental and community stewardship including diverting more than 90% of their waste from landfill in their grading and processing operations, the commissioning of both a solar powered layer hen farm and solar field on two of their layer hen farms,   as well as supporting a wide array of charitable initiatives including breakfast programs, food banks, disaster relief charities, environmental causes, and student education around agriculture.

One of Margaret’s passions has been to educate non-farming Canadians about farming.  She served on the Royal Winter Fair Board for 6 years and has been a leader in promoting transparency as a means of building trust.  Margaret represents Burnbrae Farms on the GS1, FHCP and Grocery Foundation boards and has been honoured with a number of industry awards and recognition including the Golden Pencil (2020), Grocery Business Hall of Fame inductee (2021) and Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement (2022). Margaret holds a B.Sc. and an MBA from the University of Toronto and lives in Toronto with her two children, Evelyn and James Rogan, and enjoys travelling, her farm and cottage, and spending time with her family.