2025 Star Women in Grocery Award Winner Neda Shafiee (Q&A)

Neda Shafiee

Specialty Team Leader
Whole Foods Market

What do you like most about your current role?

What I love most is the unique combination of working with amazing products and even more amazing people. My journey at Whole Foods Market introduced me to the world of artisan cheese, which quickly became a true passion of mine. Every day, I get to dive deeper into this world, share my discoveries with customers, and help them explore new flavours. Just as rewarding is the opportunity to lead a dedicated team. Helping them grow and celebrating their wins makes the work even more meaningful.

Can you share a proud career moment or accomplishment?

Being recognized with this award is definitely a proud moment for me, and it reflects the teamwork and dedication that drive everything I do. One accomplishment that really stands out is being named Team Member of the Year in 2019. What made it extra special was that it was my fellow team members who cast their votes. Being chosen by my colleagues meant so much and reinforced the importance of working together and showing kindness to one another.

What is your best quality or superpower?

Empathy. It helps me connect with people on a deeper level—whether it’s my team, my customers or colleagues across the store. It’s at the core of my leadership style. When people feel seen, heard and supported, they do their best work.

Best career advice you’ve ever received?

“Lead by example and be your own competition.” It sounds simple, but showing up with integrity, dedication and humility has opened more doors for me and helped build stronger relationships than anything else. Being your own competition means focusing on continuous self-improvement and striving to grow a little every day, without comparing yourself to others.

What excites you the most about the grocery industry?

I love how the grocery industry is always evolving. With product innovations, growing awareness around sustainability, nutrition and wellness, and the constant push for higher quality standards, there’s always something new to learn, share and improve. It truly keeps the work fresh and meaningful.

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?

I feel lucky to live in a multicultural city like Toronto, where there’s always something new to explore. I enjoy reading about food and nutrition and diving into new culinary experiences. Whether that’s cooking at home, visiting farmers markets when the season is right or, lately, hunting for new cheeses and discovering creative flavour pairings. Spending time with my family is also a priority, especially listening to my daughter’s thoughtful ideas about how to make the world a better place! And whenever I can, I escape into nature. It’s where I recharge and feel most grounded.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Whole Foods Market community, which not only nourishes people and the planet, but also supports local communities. There’s real purpose in what we do every day, and I’m proud to contribute to that.

Click here for the full list of 2025 Star Women in Grocery Award winners.