2021 Star Woman in Convenience winner: Cherrie Palo

Cherrie Palo loves a good challenge and the last 15 months have certainly delivered. At Wallace & Carey, she leads compliance for Goods Distribution Practices (GDP), thereby ensuring the quality and integrity of items delivered to customers across the convenience channel, while also ensuring health and safety standards for Wallace & Carey locations in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Sask. and Thunder Bay, Ont.

For Palo, her role comes down to two important things: “Making sure every process is being done safely and the teammates are going home safe every day.”

The pandemic has added another layer of complexity to her job, but that makes it all the more satisfying. “I love the challenge and I love that every day is different—I work with so many interesting people.”

Palo moved to Winnipeg from the Philippines in March 2015 and joined the wholesale distribution company just two months later. She started on the order desk, however her willingness to embrace new challenges soon propelled her into a leadership role. Palo encourages her team to “think like a customer” and treat every product in the supply chain with a high standard of care.

Those efforts are paying off: In 2020, she worked with local management in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay to achieve Gold GDP External Audits certification.