Holiday Season 2021: Predict, prepare and prosper

Mamta has over a decade of experience leading initiatives that directly address customer needs and support business growth. Her deep understanding of market and customer influences has enabled her to launch direct marketing products and online solutions, assess financial and operational impacts and develop communication strategies that are customer focused. Her focus at Canada Post is to enable and nurture small businesses by providing them access to content, resources, solutions and partners that will help them get started and grow. Mamta is motivated by finding solutions that address the needs and challenges faced by small businesses and highlighting their successes.

Irena is a customer-centric leader who builds problem solving strategies to enhance business performance. She has cross-enterprise leadership and broad functional experience that includes everything from merchandising strategy and branding and product development to retail operations and ecommerce. Irena has held business leadership roles with strategic responsibility leading transformational projects and teams to maximize revenues. Irena’s love for problem solving led her to the consulting industry where she started in PwC’s Retail and Consumer Markets practice, responsible for business development and overall project delivery leadership. Irena has assisted retailers and CPG companies in tackling changing consumer shopping behaviours and evolving technologies by solving problems, developing strategies and managing change.

Jacqueline Jacek launched JACEK Chocolate Couture in 2009 from a small, home-based chocolate studio in Sherwood Park, AB, Canada. In 2012, JACEK expanded into a commercial chocolate studio and boutique. In 2014, they opened their second boutique in Edmonton, then the third in 2016 in Canmore. In 2020 JACEK redesigned its business to further leverage ecommerce.

Jacqueline has been chosen as one of the Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine in NYC (2011), the Don Neil Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2011), Strathcona County Business of the Year (2014), Global Woman of Vision (2015), a recipient of the Leaders award by Business in Edmonton Magazine (2015) and Avenue Edmonton’s Top Chocolatier two years in a row (2016 and 2017). The JACEK Bean-to-Bar collection has won medals in the International Chocolate Awards, both for the Americas and the world.