2026 Star Women in Convenience winner: Adriana Padikova
Adriana Padikova
Senior director, franchise operations
INS Market
How did you get into this business?
I started in retail sales, developing a strong interest in how store performance is driven by merchandising, supply chain and customer experience. I moved into multi-store operations and franchise support, then the convenience retail sector.
What are you most proud of?
Leading the rollout of standardized planograms across the network and reinforcing compliance through structured audits: Transitioning stores to authorized suppliers, improving ordering discipline and introducing clearer operational standards.
What do you like most about your job?
Taking complex operational challenges like vendor coordination, compliance, or store performance and turning them into clear processes teams can follow.
Biggest challenge?
Managing non-compliant stores while maintaining strong relationships with franchisees. Enforcing standards around ordering, vendor compliance and audits can be difficult when there’s resistance. I learned the importance of setting clear expectations, following through with accountability and communicating the ‘why’ behind decisions.
What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
Be consistent, not just right. In operations, being right once doesn’t matter if it’s not applied consistently.
Career highlight?
Leading operational transformation across multiple stores, bringing them from non-compliance and low performance to structured, revenue-generating locations.
What excites you most about the future?
The opportunity to modernize operations using stronger systems, better vendor partnerships and clearer data to drive performance. There’s lots of opportunity to standardize and scale, especially within franchise networks.
How do you define yourself as a leader?
I focus on creating clear processes, setting expectations and holding teams accountable while providing the support they need to succeed. I’m hands-on when needed but prioritize building systems that allow the business to run efficiently without constant intervention. My approach is direct, transparent and focused on long-term sustainability.
Nomination highlights
Adriana Padikova is being awarded for her exceptional performance, leadership and consistent positive impact on both her team and the retailers she supports. She consistently meets budget expectations while demonstrating strong operational discipline, effective communication and a commitment to excellence. In her role, she oversees operations, franchisee communication, compliance and team management, ensuring stores are well supported and aligned with company standards. She is recognized as a dependable and collaborative leader who works closely with retailers to improve store performance, solve operational challenges and drive growth opportunities. Through her hands-on leadership style and focus on continuous improvement, she contributes positively to the convenience industry by helping strengthen retailer success, supporting innovation and fostering strong working relationships across the business.
Click here for a full list of the 2026 Star Women in Convenience winners
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