Meet Sandra Sanderson Empire’s CMO

If there is one thing that can be said about Sandra Sanderson, Empire Company Limited & Sobeys Chief Marketing Officer, its that she has had the enviable role of being involved in some of Canada’s biggest brands, no easy feat as a woman and person of colour.

In her current role he leads marketing across multiple banners, including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Thrifty Foods, Foodland, FreshCo, Lawtons, and Needs. Sandra is accountable for brand strategy, integrated marketing, Scene+ loyalty program, private label marketing, sponsorships, community investments, marketing technology, consumer insights and an in-house creative studio. Sandra currently serves on the Board of Special Olympics and Scene+.

Sandra has led marketing across many diverse industries, beginning her career in consumer-packaged goods with P&G, Kraft and Coca-Cola. She worked as GM Brand Marketing at Canada Post and SVP Marketing at Universal Studios. Sandra’s career journey eventually led her to retail, where she was SVP Marketing at Shoppers Drug Mart, and Chief Marketing & Quality Officer at Walmart Canada. Sandra also worked in the U.S. as SVP Marketing at White House Black Market.

Sandra was inducted into Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends in 2023 and won CMA’s Marketer of the Year award in 2020. She was also named Marketer of the Year in 2012 by Strategy for her work at Shoppers Drug Mart and in 2021 for her work at Empire. She was also a recipient of the 2015 Star Women in Grocery Award while at Walmart.

Throughout her career, Sandra has invested in giving back to the marketing community. She served on the Canadian Marketing Association’s Board of Directors, including as Vice-Chair. She was Chair of Retail Council of Canada’s Senior Retail Marketing Committee and was on the Advisory Board of the Shopper Marketing Forum and Dx3. Sandra has chaired and judged numerous marketing awards and is a frequent speaker at marketing conferences.

On April 11th, AMA Toronto president Santo Ligotti will be hosting an intimate gathering where you will be able to hear about Sandra’s personal journey, how she managed to stand out and achieve her level of success despite the odds against her. The event is a part of a series called Legendary Leadership, a part of Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legend’s programming designed to give community members an opportunity to connect and learn from Canada’s Legendary marketers.

Grab your tickets now!