2026 Star Women in Convenience winner: Winnie Pabla
Winnie Pabla
Area manager
Petro-Canada, a Suncor business
How did you get into this business?
My husband got the opportunity from Petro-Canada to operate a site and I stepped in to support him, which evolved into a passion for retail operations.
What are you most proud of?
Managing 13 locations with over 110 employees, taking charge of optimizing inventory and having zero safety incidents.
What do you like most about your job?
The creative freedom to design and implement new strategies that attract a wider range of customers.
Biggest career challenge?
Taking over 12 locations with just two weeks between each transition. Operating in such a high-stress environment tested our systems, but it taught me how to scale operations, streamline inventory controls and lead a large workforce while maintaining high standards.
What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
Always be willing to learn new things and share that knowledge with your team so they’re better equipped to grow sales and provide an exceptional experience for every guest.
Career highlight?
Making the bold decision to step out of our comfort zone—leaving the original location and moving four hours away from friends and family to start from scratch in a new city—was a massive leap of faith. Building this network from the ground up while maintaining a strong presence in the community has been an incredibly rewarding journey.
What excites you most about the future?
The modernization of the customer experience through digital integration and advanced loyalty programs. There’s so much potential in the convenience retail sector to attract a more diverse demographic of customers by offering innovative, seamless services.
How do you define yourself as a leader?
I believe in setting clear, attainable targets and equipping my team with the resources and incentives they need to succeed. By fostering an encouraging and transparent work environment across multiple locations, I ensure every team member feels valued and connected to our shared success.
Nomination highlights
Winnie Pabla is a remarkable leader whose resilience, vision and community focus make her highly deserving of the Star Woman in Convenience Award. Alongside her husband, Guru, they have grown their business from operating a single Petro-Canada location in Brampton to managing 13 sites across the Ottawa region. This rapid expansion required tremendous leadership, operational discipline and the ability to build strong teams while maintaining high standards. Throughout the transition, she remained focused on customer experience, operational excellence and developing site leaders who could sustain long-term success. Beyond business growth, she is deeply committed to community involvement. In Brampton, she supported first responders, the Amar Karma Donor Foundation, CareMakers fundraising initiatives, shelters and senior homes. After relocating to Ottawa, she continued building meaningful community connections and charitable partnerships. Her sites have earned recognition including Petro-Canada Associate of the Year nominations and the A&W Community Award, while she personally received recognition from leaders at Brampton City Council for her work as an honourable community leader. Her leadership proves that growth, culture and community impact can thrive together.
Click here for a full list of the 2026 Star Women in Convenience winners
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