2022 Star Women in Grocery winner Nastran Najafi-Fard (Q&A)

Nastran Najafi-Fard

Sr. Director, Contact Experience Centre

Loblaw Technology/Loblaw

 

What is your proudest career achievement?

The day I got promoted to senior director, contact experience centre is my proudest career achievement. Although the journey to get there was rewarding, that moment showed me that all my years of hard work and dedication had paid off. Doing things the right way is hard, and often goes unnoticed. When leadership recognized me for everything—my work ethic, my integrity and my skills, it was the best feeling in the world.

What keeps you passionate about your work?

The passion I have for my work stems from how I approach what I do. I love being able to do things from start to finish. It allows me to be creative, applying everything and all my knowledge from my past career experience. That’s when I do my best work. When I see the results, it creates a ripple effect and makes me want to keep doing more, making sure there are wins for everyone. This approach allows me to understand the impact for our stores and customers and helps me do my job better.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

It’s always a challenge whenever I have to prioritize resources for greatest impact to stores. However, I stay positive, and always come up with solutions. I’m a firm believer that the “impossible is always possible.” It keeps me going and motivated until I’m able to solve the issue.

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?

One of the best pieces of advice I received was to really get to know your team. Take care of them and do what you would want your leaders to do for you. Build reciprocity through authenticity.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

Going for runs, trying new restaurants, spending time with my friends and family, and working on home projects where I need to plan and work on things from beginning to the end.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Without my team, I couldn’t do the things I do. The care, trust, accountability and ownership being reflected in their day-to-day makes me proud. This fuels the passion I have for my work and enables me to deliver the top-notch results for everyone we serve.

Click here for the full list of 2022 Star Women in Grocery award winners.