2023 Star Women in Convenience winner: Dayna Palmer

Marketing manager, Canadian channel execution

Parkland Corporation

What work-related accomplishment are you most proud of during the last 12-18 months?

In the short time that I have been at Parkland, I already have so many incredible accomplishments. One would be getting to know my new team and working with them to find some quick wins in processes as well as projects to make their jobs easier or more efficient. My team accepted me with open arms, collaborated with me to align our ways of working, and pushed to not only achieve our goals but exceed them everywhere we could.

What do you like most about your job?

I have such an incredible team who work so hard to not only achieve, but also exceed our goals. I truly believe that the culture and the people that I get to work with are one of my biggest motivators. We have such a variety of projects, programs and departments that my team deals with and we all love the challenge of coming together to absolutely rock each and every one of those initiatives that we’re working on. These people absolutely energize me and push me to be my best and I can honestly say, they are the piece of my job that I love the most.  

What was the biggest challenge of your career?

I think one of the biggest challenges of my career has brought me to where I am now, and that is the decision to leave convenience and shift into learning foodservice. My love for the convenience industry is huge, but the growth and experience that I learned there completely pushed me to be a better overall marketer with a skillset that would transfer back to convenience very easily.

What's the best advice you ever received?

I have been so lucky to have some incredible mentors throughout my career and my life overall. I have a few pieces of advice that I try to stand by professionally and personally, with the largest being: Always take risks. My father, when I was trying to decide what to do with my life at 17, reminded me to always take risks in my life. It may sound simple but sometimes taking that first step or that risk is the hardest part of the journey since it can be so unknown, but anytime I’ve dived in and taken the risk, it’s led me to brighter, bigger things and when perhaps it didn’t, it taught me an incredible lesson that I continue to use as I move forward in my future. Take the risk—it’s worth it.

What excites you most about the future of this channel?

The innovation. It has and will continue to drive this channel. At Parkland, seeing the absolute push to grow and expand our business in innovative ways is beyond exciting.