What a year 2025 has been for WFIM! It was a year of momentum, building into each of our events and programs which resonated with our community and attendees… We thank you for your continued support.
Our first two events were our Network & Nibbles, adding a table top meet & greets, followed by the presentation part of events…
We started the year with our International Women’s Day later in March during a tumultuous time with the Trump tariffs and what that meant for the food and grocery business in Canada. WFIM had its pulse on the health impact during these challenging times. Featuring KeyNote speaker Dana McCauley, President / CEO CFIN and then joining Moderator Aaron Skelton, President / CEO CHFA and Panelists Andrea Donsky, Suzie Yorke, Tali Remennik, Monica Walker of Healthy Planet and Belinda Elysee-Collen of Dempsey, featuring different perspectives on handling health matters important today…
If that wasn’t enough, the ground was swelling with the community asking for insights and answers from retail during these tumultuous times. WFIM took the initiative and brought on Errol Cerit EVP to tap into a diverse retail panel with Monica Walker – Healthy Planet, Jackie Dalimonte – Loblaw, Chris Siabanis – Longos, Chris Gruber – Calgary Co-op to give a candid review on the other side of the table. Open for business and we are here to work together were welcomed themes.
June 5th WFIM Sustainability Event
June brought about WFIM Sustainability Event with a host of industry experts – showing a series of panels starting with KeyNote Speaker – Michelle Saunders, VP Sustainability FHCP and panelists Laura Kennedy of McCain Foods, Chris Gruber of Calgary Co-Op, Catherine McVitty of Unilever, Megan Silk of GingerBug.
Then Nick Gibson of NielsenIQ spoke about the launch of Product Insights and panelists shared experiences and examples of sustainability collaborations with Suzie Yorke of La Cacao, Pia Simran of Rootree, Chris Siabanis of Longos, Zelka Ridjosic Traikos of Joyburst and Paul Yip of LCG Foods.
Rounding out the evening was Brett Wills of Carbon One and panelists Jennifer Lambert of Compass Group, Wesley Gee of WorksDesign, Jackie Hanton of Friendlier, Jas Kohli of TrueGradient and Bhanu Panwar of Loblaws providing live case study examples of sustainability in action in various functional areas.
September WFIM Nine & Dine
September took us to Glen Abbey for our very popular WFIM Golf Nine & Dine Event.
Proceeds for the donated raffle prize draws went to Second Harvest. The Golf Committee introduced new activities such as Driving with the Pros, Putt for Charity before Shotgun, and then Themed Brand Stations during the networking part of the event.
November WFIM Holiday Gala
November’s Holiday Gala featured Naniss Gadel-Rab, President Mondelez Canada. She spoke about Breaking the Frame and shared her 5 anchors that helped Redefine her Leadership journey. Guests enjoyed Cadbury Advent Calendar gifts. Proceeds for the Raffle Prize Draws went to the speaker’s charity of choice – Food Banks Canada.
During the Gala we presented awards to our Sustainability Scholarship and our Annual Donna Messer Scholarship.
WFIM Mentorship & Leadership Programs
Our WFIM Mentorship program reached its highest participation of mentors and mentees, since inception and double 2024 Cohort. Cohort 2025 ends in January 2026 and we will be accepting applications for our Cohort 2026 in March! Note: You must be an active member to participate in the mentorship program. It’s a great time to update your membership. Take advantage of the current pricing in effect until January 31st, 2026. Go to wfim.ca/membership for more info on why be a member and to update your membership at the current price.
WFIM also introduced an Executive Leadership Coaching program with 5 finalist applicants selected. Presented by Stacey Kravitz, a 6 month 1:1 program, commencing soon.
What a year indeed. Thank you for all your support of WFIM. Watch for more updates for 2026 in our eblasts and webpage. For more info on all of the above, go to wfim.ca .
We also want to thank our annual sponsors for believing in us and supporting WFIM over the years – Azelis, Barentz, Brenntag, Burnbrae Farms, Caldic, Calico, Chgmkr, Dempsey Food, FHCP, Flavorcan International, FlavorSum, Foodology by Univar Solutions, Giraffe/Symrise, Griffith Foods, IMCD, Ingredion, Lassonde, PrairieTide Analytics, Probenefits / Penmore, Quadra, Sensient, Unilever and our Media Sponsor Grocery Business Magazine.
Finally, we would like to thank our volunteers for their support at each event or program, and don’t forget pre and post dedication this year and over the years. We can make this happen without the village we have. We are grateful for your dedication and contributions. If you would like to join WFIM and participate on a committee, program or board position, please reach out. We would love to talk to you! Details on website or contact admin@wfim.ca to learn more.
To view more photos, click on wfim.ca or inquire to gain access on our WFIM private FB Group.
All the best for the holidays. We look forward to seeing you in 2026.
On behalf of WFIM Board
