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Sandra Sanderson
Chief Marketing Officer, Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc.
Sandra Sanderson is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc., two prominent Canadian companies in the retail and food distribution sector.12 With a career spanning several decades, Sanderson has established herself as a respected leader in the marketing industry.
Career Highlights
Sandra Sanderson joined Empire Company Limited in 2018, recruited by CEO Michael Medline as part of a significant transformation strategy for the company.1 In her role as CMO, she oversees a wide range of functions, including:
- Brand marketing
- Sports partnerships
- Loyalty programs
- Community investments
- Consumer insights
- In-house creative agency
Prior to joining Empire, Sanderson held executive positions at several major companies, including:
- Walmart Canada
- Shoppers Drug Mart
- Universal Studios
- Canada Post
- Coca-Cola
- Kraft
- Procter & Gamble
Key Achievements
Scene+ Loyalty Program:: Sanderson led Empire's transition from Air Miles to become a co-owner of Scene+ with Scotiabank and Cineplex. This move resulted in Scene+ becoming the second-largest loyalty program in Canada, with over 15 million members.1
Sports Partnerships:: Under her leadership, Empire became the first-ever "Official Grocer of Team Canada," creating a strong emotional connection with customers through sports sponsorship.1
Brand Transformation:: Sanderson has been instrumental in developing clear positioning for each of Empire's banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland, and Thrifty Foods.1
Leadership Philosophy
Sanderson's leadership style can be characterized by what she calls "confident humility." This approach emphasizes the importance of empowering team members and recognizing that a leader doesn't need to be an expert in every area.1
Background
Born in Hong Kong, Sanderson immigrated to Canada with her parents at the age of eight. She developed an early interest in marketing during her high school years, attracted by its unique blend of art and science and the opportunity to build customer relationships.1
Sandra Sanderson's LinkedIn profile can be found under the username sandra-sanderson-072a376, where more details about her professional experience and education are available.2
Highlights
As a proud Empire teammate and a Special Olympics Canada Board Member, I'm thrilled to announce our recent in-store fundraising campaign raised $1.46 million for Special Olympics! This was made possible by the generosity of our amazing customers and the passion of our teammates, along with a $500K company match. 100% of these funds will directly support local programs and nutrition education from coast to coast.
As part of this year’s campaign, we also wanted to shine a light on the incredible impact that Special Olympics has on our communities and teammates. Check out our inspiring Teammate Ambassador stories: https://lnkd.in/gqiu489n.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated! Together, we are enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport. #Empire #SpecialOlympics #Inclusion #Community #EmpowermentThroughDiversity
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Special Olympics Winter Games 2024 in Calgary, as both a proud Empire teammate and a Special Olympics Canada volunteer board member. I witnessed the passion and perseverance of more than 800 athletes reaching for their athletic pursuits. In particular, I would like to recognize Justin Dodge, our dedicated Empire Special Olympics Games Correspondent from the Foodland store in Grand Bank, Newfoundland & Labrador. Justin, your passion for Special Olympics and infectious pride for your fellow teammates is truly exceptional. Thank you for representing the Empire family and for reinforcing the importance of creating inclusive communities so everyone has a chance to thrive.
And congratulations to the Special Olympics Winter Games Committee for putting on an incredible event that created lasting memories for thousands of athletes, volunteers and their families!
#SpecialOlympics #InclusionMatters #gratitude #volunteering Erika DeHaas, Renée Hopfner, Kristi Lalach, Special Olympics Canada
