2025 Star Women in Grocery Award Winner Bryana Ganong (Q&A)
Bryana Ganong
President and CEO
Ganong Bros.
As a fifth-generation leader at Ganong Bros., when did you realize you wanted to continue the family legacy?
Growing up in our small community of St. Stephen, N.B., I did not have aspirations to work in the family business. In my early 20s, I began to appreciate the value of both being close to family and the connection the company has in people's lives. I worked at Ganong as a summer student, but began my full-time career as a marketing assistant, then moved through many different roles including marketing, QA, R&D, business development, contract manufacturing and project management, before moving into the role of president & CEO.
Your journey—leading the company while battling breast cancer—is inspiring. Where did you draw your strength from, and what did you learn about yourself including as a leader?
While I may be the first female leader of Ganong, I come from a long line of strong women and certainly drew from their examples. I also had incredible support from my husband and family throughout the journey. I am very thankful for early detection, and I focused on maintaining that positive mindset during my treatment. At Ganong, I was very open with our team throughout my journey. They were tremendously supportive and encouraged me in sharing publicly about my diagnosis and treatment to remind and encourage other women to take advantage of screening opportunities. I’ve been fortunate to meet women who pursued screening after hearing my story, and the experience really reminded me of the importance and impact of transparency.
As the first female CEO of Ganong Bros., what’s your advice for women looking to advance their careers?
Take advantage of every opportunity to learn from others, participate in industry events and be active in professional organizations—there is always something new to learn. It’s easier said than done, but believing in yourself and continuously pushing yourself outside your comfort zone is required to gain new perspectives and skills. I continue to seek these opportunities and encourage women at Ganong to do the same.
What is your leadership style?
I like to take a cross-functional approach to leadership. We are a small but mighty team and we’re at our best when we’re working together on a shared goal.
What do you like most about your job?
When we celebrated Ganong’s 150th anniversary, we revisited our vision, mission and values as part of our “Next 150” strategic plan. Our vision is “To Inspire Life’s Sweetest Moments,” and really, what could be better than that? Our products have been part of Canadian families’ traditions, celebrations and everyday enjoyment for generations, and it feels great to be continuing that tradition. It is also extremely important to ensure our business continues to grow and adapt, while remaining a source of pride for our community—just as it has for five generations.
What is a fun fact about you?
Ganong was the first company in North America to introduce the heart-shaped box in the 1930s. I was born three months early on Valentine’s Day, 100 years after the company was founded.
Click here for the full list of 2025 Star Women in Grocery Award winners.