2025 Star Women in Convenience winner: Bianca Blanco

Bianca Blanco

Category Manager      

Parkland Corporation                

How did you get into this business?

My retail background started when I held account management and trade marketing roles for Unilever Philippines. I moved to Alberta and came across the retail category coordinator opening with Parkland. Fortunately, the business units I previously managed in Unilever and my CPG experience worked to my advantage as it matched with the profile they were looking for.

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

I’m proud of the number of the developments we have done in the ancillary business over the last few months but what sticks out the most for me were the closure of robust contracts for my categories. These will continuously deliver significant increases in annualized vendor investments and more importantly, the stronger terms negotiated to better protect the retailers we represent. I am excited for the future as the additional capabilities from these agreements unfold.

What do you like most about your job?

The opportunity to work and make great connections with the greatest teams and individuals in and out of Parkland including the retailers and vendor partners. I also appreciate that there is a constant learning opportunity in this job as the company and industry continue to evolve.

What was the biggest challenge of your career? What did you learn?

Moving to Canada, I knew that joining the work force would be a challenge without having any local experience. Additionally, there were factors including my location and a brief hiatus that made my chances of getting back into the same industry very slim. I learned to be persistent and to not be afraid to start from scratch. I took my very first job in Canada as a temporary employee, proud to say that I am still with the same company after 10 years.

What's the best advice you ever received? 

Focus on what you can control and leave what you cannot. This is applicable to certain aspects of the categories I look after. Keeping this in mind allows me to focus my time and energy and it brings out the creativity in me and the team that I work with as we still look for ways to create something significant despite the limitations.

What's your career highlight?

Being acknowledged as someone who would always push for what is best for my company but is also someone who is willing to challenge and collaborate with the vendor partners. For me, it is imperative to maintain that balance in this industry.