Meet Future Leader in Convenience: Melissa Lessard

LAVAL, Quebec — Melissa Lessard went straight from college into the retail industry, working for Anheuser-Busch InBev as a management trainee, and then spending four years navigating multiple departments within the organization before joining the convenience store industry in 2011, accepting a job at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in Laval, Quebec, Canada. 

Over the years, she has held a number of positions in the company, including merchandising director, and director of operations and supply chain, where she oversaw the retail operations of 100 stores in Laval, while overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Quebec Distribution Center — both the warehouse facility and transportation. 

Prior to her current role, she spent six years in the marketing department, where she delivered sales and margins on all categories and in 2016, became part of the special internal project team tasked with the global rebranding of Circle K.

“As leaders, we are committed to recognizing and growing our talent from within, so when you come across a young, ambitious employee like Melissa who has great leadership skills, the ability to collaborate with colleagues, and drive results, we want to encourage and honor the innovation and engagement she brings to the company,” said Sophie Provencher, vice president of operations for Quebec West and Lessard’s former supervisor.

Her recent promotion to national marketing director for the Canada market has her supporting all four of the company’s Canadian business units in building a promotional plan that includes a merchandising proposition and a marketing plan, including media, gamification and digital marketing. She also works directly with vendors to negotiate national promotions. 

“I’m so thrilled to be part of the global marketing team,” Lessard said. “I get to work with and impact all our Canadian business units on building a marketing and branding strategy that supports our traffic and sales growth strategy.” 

Since her promotion, she’s already established the first national promotional calendar, and a highly successful national promotion called “Rock, Paper, Prizes,” which is driving excitement, traffic and engagement with the Circle K brand. 

“Melissa is a true rising star on the global marketing team,” said Kevin Lewis, chief marketing officer for Circle K. “I have been deeply impressed with her collaborative work ethic, creativity, and knowledge of the brand and the value it brings to our customers. Melissa has a unique combination of skill sets — merchandising, marketing and operations — that makes her particularly effective and valuable.”