2026 Star Women in Convenience winner: Emily Poole
Emily Poole
Area sales manager – Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario
PepsiCo
What are you most proud of in the last 12–18 months?
After nearly eight years in the Ontario market, I took on a new assignment leading the Manitoba sales team. This transition required me to quickly understand a new consumer base, different market dynamics and how we approach go-to-market strategies in a new province.
Biggest career challenge?
One of the biggest challenges was building and leading my first team of leaders. It was an opportunity I had been working toward since joining the organization. While it was incredibly exciting, it came with a steep learning curve. One of the key challenges I had to overcome was shifting my approach from providing answers to coaching my team to develop their own solutions.
What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
Focus on progress over perfection. It’s easy to get excited about solving a problem or growing a business and wanting to fix everything at once, but that’s not always realistic. Instead, it’s important to assess the situation, take thoughtful steps forward and recognize that incremental progress can often be more impactful than rushing toward an ideal solution.
What excites you most about the future of this channel?
How technology will continue to enhance the consumer experience in the C&G channel and enable us to meet evolving needs at a faster pace. As consumer expectations rapidly change, leveraging technology will be essential to staying agile, relevant and competitive.
Nomination highlights
Emily Poole is an exceptional sales leader who has quickly made a significant impact since relocating from Ontario to Manitoba in 2025. As the leader of PepsiCo Beverages’ sales and merchandising operations across Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, she oversees an approximately $150M business while leading a team of five managers and supervisors and nearly 75 front-line associates. She has built strong relationships with key convenience and gas customers including Domo, Co-op Gas, Petro-Canada, Shell, 7-Eleven, Circle K and independent operators, consistently delivering strong customer service, sales growth and operational excellence. She is widely respected as a coach, mentor and people developer who leads with collaboration and accountability. In addition to driving joint business planning, innovation execution and in-store excellence, she also played a key role in supporting major operational improvements, including the expansion of Winnipeg warehouse operations to improve driver safety and customer service. Beyond her business contributions, she has been actively involved in PepsiCo’s Women’s Inclusion Network and regularly supports local community initiatives, demonstrating leadership that positively impacts both her teams and the broader convenience industry.
Click here for a full list of the 2026 Star Women in Convenience winners
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