Empire's Sandra Sanderson to receive 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award
Empire Company’s chief marketing officer Sandra Sanderson is a 2026 recipient of the Retail Council of Canada's (RCC) Canadian Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award.
RCC will present the award to Sanderson and PepsiCo Canada CEO Cara Keating at a gala held in Toronto.
Sanderson, who is retiring in July, built her marketing expertise in consumer packaged goods at Procter & Gamble, Kraft and Coca-Cola before pursuing retail with leadership roles at Canada Post, Danier Leather, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada and White House Black Market in the United States.
In her current role at Empire and Sobeys Inc., Sanderson leads marketing across Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Thrifty Foods, Foodland, FreshCo and Lawton's. In her seven-year tenure at the company, she has played a pivotal role in the grocer’s multi-phased transformation.
Her accomplishments include the creation of a Marketing Technology & Digital Centre of Excellence and leading the launch of Scene+. Sanderson also championed the company's entry into the retail media space with the launch of Empire Media+.
READ: Empire execs on why they entered the Scene+
Under her stewardship, Empire created a new community investment strategy, including the launch of Family of Support: Child & Youth Mental Health initiative, the first national philanthropic partnership between the Sobey family and the business. She also established Empire as the Official Grocer of Team Canada, overseeing the "Feed The Dream" Olympic and Paralympic campaigns.
"Sandra Sanderson has set the standard for what great retail marketing leadership looks like in Canada.," said Kim Furlong, president and CEO of Retail Council of Canada, in a press release. "She leads with rigour and purpose, builds brands that genuinely connect with consumers, and does it all with a generosity of spirit that has made her a mentor and a model for the next generation of retail leaders. Her contributions to Canadian retail are both profound and enduring."
Sanderson received the Canadian Marketing Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 and was inducted into the AMA Marketing Hall of Legends in 2023. She has been named Marketer of the Year three times (CMA 2020; Strategy 2012 and 2021) and was recognized as one of Canadian Grocer’s Star Women in Grocery Award winners in 2015.
She currently serves as a board director for Special Olympics Canada and Scene+ and has held a leadership role as vice-chair of the Canadian Marketing Association. She has mentored emerging talent through the AMA Mentor Exchange and served as a guest lecturer at the Ivey Business School for the last 3 years.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Sanderson at RCC's Canadian Grand Prix Awards Gala on June 3 at the Toronto Congress Centre. The gala will mark the closing of RCCSTORE26, RCC's retail industry conference.
