RCC's Diane J. Brisebois receives Canadian Grocer's inaugural Star Women in Grocery Icon Award

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of recognizing hundreds of exceptional women. For 2025, we’re thrilled to introduce a new distinction: the Star Women in Grocery Icon Award. 

This special honour will be presented annually to one woman widely admired for her leadership and contributions to the Canadian grocery industry.

In its inaugural year, the award is presented to Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC).

There are few more recognizable advocates for Canadian retail than Brisebois.

For more than 30 years, Brisebois has successfully led RCC, an organization that represents retailers of all stripes, including grocers. During her tenure, Brisebois is credited with elevating the organization and firmly establishing it as the voice of retail in Canada.

READ: Meet the 2025 Star Women in Grocery Award Winners!

When inducting her into the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame earlier this year, RCC hailed Brisebois for her bold leadership, tireless commitment, as well as her skill in navigating industry upheavals, championing forward-thinking policy and building powerful alliances between retailers, government and communities across the country.

Speaking to Canadian Grocer earlier this year, Brisebois said in addition to being proud of the association’s work advocating for retailers, she is proud of RCC’s work to attract young people to the sector and help them recognize retail as a viable career. She is also proud of the council’s work to bring the industry together to share information and provide best practices to help retailers succeed.

When asked to share the most important leadership lessons she has learned over her distinguished career, Brisebois spoke of the importance of learning from one’s mistakes. “Don’t deny your mistakes or point the finger at someone else. Sit back and think about what happened and what you could have done better, and then share,” she said. “As a leader, your team needs to see that you can, at times, make mistakes. But, most importantly, it’s how you deal with those mistakes and how you bring everyone together to do better the next time. That is key.”

In late January, Brisebois announced she would be retiring from RCC this year, and has confirmed she will exit the association in September. At RCC’s STORE25 conference in June, the long-serving leader took a moment to thank the industry: “All of you have made my job not a job, but just an incredible journey.”