Canadian Retailer - Fall 2014 - 44

2014 kpmg WomEN IN REtAIL EXEcutIvE RouNDtABLE

KPMG have been valuable partners of Canadian Retailer magazine and Retail Council of Canada, helping to moderate
and develop numerous previous roundtables.

Because customer engagement is such a
critical component to the retail business, Triple Flip's Maslechko believes that this is yet
another opportunity to convey the benefits
of the industry to today's youth.
"I spend a lot of time speaking with MBA
students and young entrepreneurs, as I think
it's so important to share experiences and
mentor the next generation of leaders. My
message to them is to be passionate about
what you do and build a business that is
about meeting people's needs in an authentic way. Retail is definitely a unique and rewarding place to do that."
For Martini at Groupe Dynamite, who is
currently Chair of RCC's Board of Directors,
the message should be a simple one that
needs only to be relayed.
"This industry is the most dynamic and
diverse industry in the world," she says with
pride. "What we do for people, what we do for
our colleagues, what we do for the Canadian
economy and consumer confidence-it's outstanding and can serve as a great sense of
accomplishment for professionals looking to
achieve. We are important to the health of
the country and its citizens. Young professionals everywhere need to be shown this,

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cANADIAN REtAILER | fall 2014

and they'll want to be a part of it. Retail is such a vibrant and
exciting environment that changes every day."
The 2014 Women in Retail Executive Roundtable featured
lively discussion and healthy debate concerning some of the
biggest challenges and opportunities within the industry today.
Throughout the conversation it was evident that the panelists
believe the need for retailers to embrace technologies and leverage them to connect with the consumer has become paramount.
However, in order to take advantage of the latest innovations to
improve the experience for customers, information that is acquired through transactions with them must be properly mined,
understood, shared across the network and acted upon. In addition, to continue competing in the ever-evolving digital world,
the panel discussed the need to improve the marketing of retail
as a viable and lucrative career to attract the best and brightest
to the industry. Though the work is cut out for many Canadian
retailers concerning the topics that were discussed, the thoughtprovoking insights that were shared by panelists during the
roundtable represent the innovation and thought-leadership
driving the industry today and enabling future success.
In addition to providing this roundtable coverage, KPMG
conducted video interviews as well. We spoke with Ann Martini,
President of Groupe Dynamite, about Bold Strategies for Retail
Growth. We also spoke with KPMG's Beth Wilson about How to
Move Women into Retail Leadership and Willy Kruh
concerning Key Retail Leadership Qualities. To view the
interviews, visit www.kpmg.ca/consumermarkets.

http://www.kpmg.ca/consumermarkets

Canadian Retailer - Fall 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Fall 2014