2023 Star Women in Grocery Award Winner Marie-Eve Jutras (Q&A)
Marie-Eve Jutras
Director Market, Consumer Insights and Business Processes
Agropur Cooperative
How did you get your start in the CPG business?
When I was in university, I fell in love with market and consumer research. On the recommendation of one of my professors, I landed a market analyst job at Nielsen (now NielsenIQ), which was my introduction to the CPG world. Since then, I have continued to gain extensive experience in the industry at Unilever and now at Agropur. I couldn’t be happier; this is an exciting industry. It is fast paced and there is never a dull moment!
What is your best quality?
I would say my optimism, creativity and curiosity. It’s an interesting combination that fuels my drive (many would say endless drive!), my passion and my interest for continuous improvementI think it is critical to be a lifelong learner—to open ourselves to different perspectives and look behind the boundaries we tend to create. And a smile brings everyone together!
What is the best advice you've received?
One key advice I still live by is to trust myself and go for it. Learning to use your fear or doubt is an amazing power to prove yourself wrong and build confidence over time.
What are your greatest career achievements?
My vision to build an insights-driven organization has contributed to the evolution and success of Agropur over the years. I’m energized by supporting the organization with the right information and tools to help make the right business decisions. One key achievement is the recent implementation of a new solution that has been developed with that in mind. It provides flawless navigation, accessibility, reporting capabilities and autonomy. This fact-based selling platform, developed with the user experience in mind, has been a game changer.
What keeps you motivated at work?
I am empowered every single day by the challenges and business questions that come our way. Leveraging information, connecting the dots, helping make the right business decisions and being inspired by the amazing people I have the chance to work with is a continuous source of motivation. It keeps me on my toes, nurtures a collaborative environment where we work as one team and win together and have a lot of fun along the way.
What do you like most about your job?
I’m passionate about the importance of supporting people’s development, building talent and welcoming interns into the workplace to experience our industry. I’m blessed by the support and coaching I have received along the way and it is of paramount importance for me to do that as well. I believe in the importance of creating a “safe zone” where people can learn and grow together. Particularly close to my heart is sharing the expertise I have built in leveraging various sources of data, creating powerful visualization and building compelling storytelling.
What is a fun fact about you?
Believe it or not, I grew up on a dairy farm in a rural area of Central Quebec, that was a member of Agropur! I feel fortunate and proud to have the chance to carry on my family legacy with Agropur. I raise a glass (of milk obviously!) to all Agropur members that work hard day in day out and contribute to the success of the Cooperative.
Click here for the full list of 2023 Star Women in Grocery award winners.