RETAIL COUNCIL OF CANADA
RETAIL WEST
NOVEMBER 6, 2024
NEW LOCATION: FAIRMONT HOTEL VANCOUVER
Made for Retailers in Western Canada
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Western-Specific strategies for retailers
- Standing out in a crowded market
- The future of work and hybrid environments
- Economic influence on consumer behaviour
- In-store and operational technology and innovation
- Successful recruitment and engagement
What People Say
![Sharon Hayles](https://retailwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/RW-Sharon-Hayles.png)
![Jackie Ross](https://retailwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/Jross-RW.png)
Who Attends?
Retail West Speakers
The Retail West Agenda is thoughtfully curated in collaboration with the retail experts that make up the Retail West Advisory Council.
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Diane J. Brisebois
President and CEO
Retail Council of Canada
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Diane J. Brisebois
President and CEO
![RCC logo](https://retailwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/08/RCC-logo-C-Transparent-300x141.png)
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.
Speaking at:
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Jennifer Barr
Vice President
As vice president of Best Buy Express, Jennifer leads this strategic partnership including guiding the success of a joint operating model with Bell and launching Best Buy Express stores in Canada.
Jennifer is an experienced merchandise leader who began her career with Best Buy more than 18 years ago. After working in various categories as a buyer, she became director of the dual brand wireless business in 2013. Following brand consolidation, she led Best Buy’s major and small appliance businesses, playing a key role in expanding major appliances across Canada and introducing key brands to a rapidly growing small appliances business. She returned to wireless as category officer and added wearables and portable audio to her portfolio in 2021.
As a values-driven leader, Jennifer has a track record for developing people, building cross-functional business strategy, and providing mentorship to create opportunities for growth, including being a champion for women leaders. Jennifer is committed to contributing to the community through various volunteer work and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the UBC Sauder School of Business.
Speaking at:
Eric Morris
Managing Director, Head of Retail
Google Canada
Eric Morris is the Managing Director and Head of Google’s Retail practice in Canada, where since 2002, he has worked alongside the country’s top marketers and advertising agencies.
Eric has held several leadership roles at Google Canada, leading sales, operations, research, strategy and analytics for Google’s advertising business. Most recently, he led Google Canada’s search and performance advertising business.
In 2016 Eric was named inventor and issued a patent in the United States for identifying rising search queries and trends at scale for advertisers worldwide.
Eric was elected to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s board of directors in 2009, and elected Chair of the board in 2015.
Speaking at:
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Michael E. LeBlanc
Senior Retail Advisor
Retail Council of Canada
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Michael E. LeBlanc
Senior Retail Advisor
![RCC logo](https://retailwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2022/08/RCC-logo-C-Transparent-300x141.png)
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms.
Speaking at:
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![](https://retailwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/RCC-CCCD-W-Transparent-1024x228.png)
As The Voice of Retail™ in Canada since 1963, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) represents over 45,000 independent, regional, national mass and specialty retail businesses and online merchants in general merchandise, drug and grocery.