Diane J. Brisebois, RCC President & CEO, Announces Retirement

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2025 /CNW/ - The Chair of the Board of Retail Council of Canada (RCC), Anne Martin-Vachon, and the President & CEO, Diane J. Brisebois, today announced that Diane will be retiring in 2025 after more than 30 years at the helm of the association.  

"This is an opportunity for Retail Council of Canada and for me to focus on how we can contribute most to the organization in the months and year ahead while providing the Special Committee of the Board time to conduct the search for a new President & CEO. I am grateful for the decades I have been involved with RCC and look forward to supporting the Board in a smooth transition," says Brisebois.

During her 30 years as President and CEO, she has strengthened the organization, leaving a solid base for her successor to build upon. Under her leadership, RCC played a critical role supporting the retail community and serving as a key advisor to governments during the COVID-19 pandemic.  As the country emerged from the crisis, Retail Council of Canada focused on how the organization could best serve its members and the retail community at large.

Along the way, Diane also modernized RCC, built a skilled and respected team from coast to coast and positioned the association as the most respected and credible Voice of Retail.

Anne Martin-Vachon, Chair of the Board of Directors, says the Board is grateful for Diane's extraordinary record of service to both RCC and the retail community: "She is a relentless advocate for all retailers ensuring the association always acts as a united voice to support success for retailers large and small.  Her ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders, continuously building strategic partnerships, has ensured that RCC has more influence and greater impact than ever before."

"The Board and the RCC team take enormous pride in their work. Our new President and CEO will have the privilege of working with a very strong team to ensure a great future for all our retailers," says Ms. Vachon.

"It's important to keep the momentum going," says Brisebois. "I'm proud of what our team has accomplished, and am committed to moving the organization forward until a new successor is named. And I know that the next CEO will bring a fresh perspective and renewed energy to ensure the continued success of the organization."

A Special Committee of the Board will oversee the extensive selection process in tandem with the designated search firm to attract best in class candidates who bring impressive experience in leading an agile organization and who have remarkable business, public affairs, and communications skills. The Board is determined to remain focused on finding a successor that will continue to make Retail Council of Canada more and more relevant to the retail sector in the years to come. The Board's overarching goal is a smooth transition as it starts the process of leadership renewal.

About Retail Council of Canada

Retail is Canada's largest private-sector employer with over 2.3 million Canadians working in our industry. This sector is a major economic contributor, generating more than $93 billion annually in wages and employee benefits. In 2023, core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) exceeded $502 billion. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members account for more than two-thirds of these core retail sales and 95 per cent of the grocery market. Our membership extends across the country, embracing over 54,000 storefronts in diverse formats such as department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers, online merchants, and quick service restaurants. As the Voice of Retail^™ in Canada, RCC, a not-for-profit, industry-funded association, proudly represents retail businesses of all sizes, from small independents to large national chains, in communities nationwide. retailcouncil.org

SOURCE Retail Council of Canada