Meet the 2019 Top Women in Convenience
NATIONAL REPORT — When the U.S. women's national team (USWNT) won its fourth Women's World Cup championship this year, the team was feted with a ticker tape parade in New York City to celebrate their achievement. Congratulations flowed in from around the world commending the record-breakers for their exciting play, resilience, chemistry and passion.
Many of those same adjectives could be used to describe the 42 women from the convenience store industry who are being honored this year in the sixth-annual Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) awards program.
As the first and only c-store industry program that recognizes women for outstanding contributions to their companies and the industry at large, TWIC each year honors a diverse array of women from leading c-store retailers, distributors and supplier companies. Their job titles run the gamut from the C-suite to category managers, from financial executives to marketers, from sales leaders to human resources managers.
TWIC winners are recognized in four categories:
- Women of the Year
- Senior-Level Leaders
- Rising Stars
- Mentors
Winners are chosen by CSNews in collaboration with the Network of Executive Women (NEW) and the 2019 Top Women in Convenience Advisory Board (which includes the 2018 Women of the Year honorees).
From nearly 200 submitted nominations, this year's judges chose five Women of the Year, 17 Senior-Level Leaders, 15 Rising Stars and five Mentors for recognition.
Like the USWNT World Cup champions, this year's TWIC champions will be publicly feted for their achievements. The sixth-annual TWIC Awards Gala will be held Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga. Nearly 300 convenience industry leaders are expected to celebrate with the honorees in what is sure to be one of the highlights of the many events taking place during the 2019 NACS Show.
Here are the spotlights on this year's winners:
Women of the Year
Recognized for their exceptional impact on the success or direction of their company, as well as their positive impact on the convenience store industry as a whole.
Sarah Bibbs
Vice President, Merchandising, Candy & Snacks, Eby-Brown Co.
Deb Hall Lefevre
Chief Information Officer, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K
Jayne Rice
Partner, Managing Director & Director of Institutional Sales, Marketing & Investor Relations, Yesway
JoAnn Saverino
Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Saverino & Associates Inc.
Rebecca Troutman
Director of eCommerce, 7-Eleven Inc.
Senior-Level Leaders
Retailer, supplier and wholesaler executives who have executed on a strategy and transformed their business in a positive manner.
Rising Stars
Women with job titles from store manager to just below vice president who are making their mark on the c-store industry even in the early stages of their careers.
Mentors
Women who have made an extraordinary effort, and had an extraordinary impact, on the careers of their colleagues.