2024 Star Women in Grocery Award Winner Denise Alves (Q&A)
Denise Alves
VP, Sales Strategy
Group Bel Canada
How did you get your start in the food business?
I started my career at Nielsen, where I had the opportunity to work for over five years with major food companies such as Unilever, Danone and other local food manufacturers. My role involved assisting these companies in understanding their markets and identifying opportunities to gain market share. This experience was highly rewarding, as I had the chance to engage with a diverse range of food manufacturers, each with their own unique challenges. This role was instrumental in shaping my career development within the food manufacturing industry.
What keeps you passionate about your work?
Over the past 11 years at Bel, I have had the privilege to cultivate my passion for analysis and leverage it to create valuable business development opportunities and customer partnerships. The journey at Bel has enabled me to collaborate and lead diverse cross-functional projects that have stretched my abilities and offered significant learning experiences. Additionally, it has enabled me to build a successful team and advance my career while working alongside extraordinary women leaders.
What is a career challenge you've faced and how did you overcome it?
An impactful challenge in my career was the move from my native country, Brazil, to Montreal in 2003. The language barrier was my main obstacle, as I had to adjust to working in English while simultaneously learning French. Thankfully, I encountered amazing managers and colleagues who warmly welcomed and included me. It was not easy at times, but despite the language challenge, I felt empowered as I continued to learn and get better each day.
What is the best advice you've received in your career?
Work diligently and with integrity, never stop learning, and stay true to your principles!
How would you describe your leadership style?
I am dedicated to leading by example and cultivating trust among my leaders, colleagues and team members. It is vital for me to ensure that my words align with my actions and that I follow through on my commitments. I strive to create a secure environment for my team to openly share ideas, take calculated risks and help foster their career development, all while enjoying the journey and having fun.
What is your proudest career moment?
The highlight of my career occurred in 2018 at Bel when we launched our business model, transitioning from an indirect distribution model to direct distribution to all major retailers in the country. This initiative was met with anticipation, extensive preparation and resilience from our small but passionate team, laying the foundation for a successful transition. Within just two years of cultivating direct relationships with retailers, the company was acknowledged as a Top Tier Partner, based on the results of the Advantage Report Survey, and this recognition has been consistent over the past three years.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I like cooking and having dinner with my family and friends. With my family, we have our traditional Saturday night dinner with candles, classical music and playing games. This ritual has been a part of our family since my two teens were little, and we still do it today. I hope that they will continue this tradition with their own kids in the future. I also find painting and crafting to be a great way to relax. The process of creating art is genuinely rewarding, and something I want to invest more of my free time to in the future.
What is a fun fact about you?
I came from a family of three girls, two female dogs and one female cat. My father was definitely outnumbered, so female wishes always prevailed in my house growing up.
Click here for the full list of 2024 Star Women in Grocery award winners.