2023 Star Women in Grocery Award Winner Christine Ethier (Q&A)

Christine Ethier

Plant Director
Lactalis Canada

What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your career?

So far, I have been fortunate to work in many different plants and provinces. I have adapted to different work cultures, teams, products (fluid milk, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, processed cheese, butter, milk powder, yogurt), equipment and manufacturing processes. Starting over from scratch each time, both professionally and personally, involved lots of learning.

What is your best quality?

I'm passionate, hardworking and committed. I believe I was born to manage through my ability to plan and keep everyone's short- and long-term goals clearly in mind. I prefer tangible achievements and I'm not afraid to take the “hard road.”

What keeps you motivated at work? 

Change, new projects and variety in the work I do to break the routine. Finding improvements that affect the design, quality and functionality of projects or programs andworking for a specific purpose with clear objectives. To be able to make a difference. See my team make improvements, achieve results, and succeed.

What's the best advice you've received? 

A teacher once told me that in life we ​​have two choices: 1) lie on the ground and wait for death or 2) do something. I think of this often. When I am not doing well in a situation, or when I see that something is not working or when we are moving away from our objectives, I fall into solution mode very quickly. We are drawing our own paths and we are creating our destiny. Don't wait until something happens; do something to make it happen.

What do you like most about your job? 

The products, of course, and all the technical aspects that surround them. The world of possibilities available to us to develop and improve quality, taste and packaging ... and all that with a good team working towards common goals.

What do you like to do when you're not working? 

I am an epicurean. I like to learn and discover new things, whether in terms of culture, countries, food, activities, books, cooking recipes, hiking, etc. To recharge my batteries, I like to spend time with my family on the shores of the St. Lawrence River where I grew up. 

Click here for the full list of 2023 Star Women in Grocery award winners.