In this Executive Spotlight, Loyalty360 CEO Mark Johnson speaks with Amanda Mitchell, Head of Loyalty at Petro-Canada, proudly owned by Suncor, Canada’s leading integrated energy company. With nearly 20 years of experience, Mitchell brings a seasoned perspective on how loyalty can transform a commodity-driven industry.
Overseeing Petro-Points, a program with more than 4 million active members across 1,600 retail fuel locations, she shares insights on the unique dynamics of the Canadian loyalty market. Those include the role of digital innovation in creating seamless experiences, and why value and memorability are central to building stronger customer connections.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Good afternoon.
Good morning.
Mark Johnson from Loyalty360.
Welcome back to our Loyalty360executive spotlight, which is
part of the Leaders in CustomerLoyalty Program.
In this series, we featureconversations with some of the
leading minds and influentialpersonalities behind the most
successful and respectedcustomer loyalty programs in the
(00:24):
market today.
All of whom are proud members ofLoyalty360.
Stay tuned as we uncover thestories of individuals driving
innovation and impact in theworld of customer loyalty.
Through these interviews, you'llgain insight into the people
working behind the scenes tobuild and sustain award-winning
customer loyalty programs.
We'll explore their personaljourneys, their passions,
(00:46):
backgrounds, successes, and evena few challenges they've
overcome along the way.
Today, we have the pleasure ofspeaking with Amanda Mitchell.
She's the head of loyalty atPetro Canada.
Welcome, Amanda.
SPEAKER_01 (00:58):
Nice to see you, Mark.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
First off, for those who may not know, can you share
a little bit about Petro Canada,what you guys do, how you do it,
and also it would be great toknow a little bit more about
your role at Petro Canada?
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
Sure.
So Petro Canada is one of ourcountry's largest fuel and
convenience store chain.
We have over 1,600 locations forgas and convenience stores.
And we also have the country'slargest network of car washes.
We have over 250 locations alsofor fueling heavy haul trucks.
(01:31):
And today I sit in the role ofleading our loyalty program,
Petro Points, where we have over4 million active members in our
program, and we have a millionpeople that visit us every day
in Canada to keep moving aroundour country.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
Excellent.
We love to know how people getinvolved with customer loyalty,
right?
It's not taught in school.
Those who are involved in theindustry kind of have various
paths to get to where they are.
But you know, as I feel, and I'msure you do as well, it's one of
the coolest industries to be inbecause you get to look at all
different facets of marketing,right?
And kind of the data, theinsight, and truly understanding
(02:07):
the customers.
It's just a very cool role.
But most people struggle withgetting into it.
It's not taught.
So can you tell us a little bitabout your journey into the
customer loyalty industry?
You know, were there roles thatled you to the current position?
SPEAKER_01 (02:20):
Yeah, this is a great question.
I do think there are tons ofpeople in the industry that have
been in loyalty for a very longtime, and you can build a career
in that specific area.
However, in our organization,um, I have come a very
unconventional path.
I'm a business leader that findsmyself in loyalty.
And to your point, Mark, thathas served me really well.
(02:40):
I think understanding thecustomer, I've been in marketing
before, but I've also been indepartments of strategy or
logistics and looking at thedata, as you mentioned, in terms
of how are customers behaving?
What are the offers that theywant, and really thinking about
how to drive thatincrementality.
Um, so I've been in lots ofdifferent roles.
I've been with this company foralmost 20 years and been in a
(03:02):
bunch of different roles, but Itotally agree with you.
Working in loyalty isfascinating.
Uh, I can't peel the onionenough to know enough about my
customers.
How are they uh transacting andhow can we give them what they
want and keep them coming backto our business?
SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
Okay.
When you look at the fuel andconvenience uh retail industry,
another uh unique industry, uh,you know, what drew you to
working within the fuelconvenience and even kind of the
manufacturing industry?
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
Yeah, that's a good question.
I had a lot, I have a lot offriends over the years be like,
you work for a gas company.
It's kind of an interestingchoice.
And what I would say is Istarted in the company as an
intern.
Um, they had a new graduateprogram where I got to move
around to different areas in thecompany and learn about
different parts of the business.
And I would say what has kept mehere is really the people.
This company has fantasticpeople, uh, people that are
(03:52):
willing to mentor you andsupport you and learn about the
business.
And this company really hasinspired me to always be
improving.
We're always trying to helpCanadians move and get where
they want to go.
And we're always trying toreinvent our business and make
it more easy to transact with usor, you know, improve our app
and our digital capabilities.
And so the people and ourinterest to do better for
(04:14):
Canadians is is why I'm I'mstill here.
SPEAKER_00 (04:16):
Okay.
When you look at customerloyalty in your space, in your
vertical, you know, how do youthink it may differ from maybe
traditional retail orhospitality or B2B?
I mean, how is it unique in thatregard?
SPEAKER_01 (04:29):
Yeah, I think there's two layers from my
perspective.
One is that in Canada, loyaltyis is a big uh approach to
retailer uh success, whetherit's uh, and and Starbucks is
obviously an internationalbrand, but when you look at
Starbucks or Sephora or all ofthe gas brands are partnered
with credit cards, loyalty is avery big part of how we do
business.
And I think part of it isbecause we are a convenience
(04:52):
play or we are a commodity.
And so it really is about how doyou differentiate yourself in a
commodity business?
And loyalty really allows you toknow that customer, talk to that
customer, and try to bring themback with things that are
differentiated because yourproduct really isn't.
SPEAKER_00 (05:07):
Um, for those who may not be familiar with the
retail landscape in Canada, it'svery unique, right?
Uh coalition is big or coalitionfor um, should I say
partnerships that are framed ison a mini coalition?
There's a number of big bigplayers in that industry, right?
They're kind of doing some coolthings.
So, how is customer loyaltyunique?
And you may not think it'sunique because you obviously you
live in Canada, but how maybe itbe different than maybe
(05:30):
traditional loyalty in the US?
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
Yeah, I think the big difference is that our
population is so small, right?
So we're a country of you know,less around 40 million people.
And so because there is asmaller market population,
brands are really fighting forthat share of wallet, that share
of mind, and really trying todrive that connection with the
customer.
Uh, and they have to work prettyhard for it compared to a larger
(05:54):
population like the US.
Uh, and then yeah, I thinkthere's different brands that
are specifically Canadian.
And so, to your point, Mark,about how do you create those
coalitions with brands that aremaybe Canadian, you might get
some halo and connection topeople because of the partners
that you choose to be with.
Uh, and I think also the priceof goods in Canada can be higher
than America.
(06:14):
Also, again, uh just giving theability to transport them from
the US uh or from othercountries.
And so loyalty really allows usas brands to give back value to
people that are loyal to us.
And so really creating uh someopportunity for savings for
Canadians.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
Okay.
When you look at the fuelconvenience industry, uh very
unique front court, backcourt.
Do you control the front court,the backcourt, some of the
unique challenges with regard topotentially building
relationships with customers inthe, you know, at Pump and in
store, you know, how how do youview customer loyalty and maybe
how is it viewed within yourorganization and you know, the
opportunity that presents?
SPEAKER_01 (06:53):
Yeah, loyalty is a key pillar of our strategy.
And I think to your point, Mark,there are physical places where
we believe we can leverage oursite to communicate with folks.
So whether they're gassing up orif they're in our store or if
they're going and getting a carwash.
And then the the kind ofadvancement is that digital
place.
Where can we communicate withthem from a media perspective or
(07:13):
also in our tools like our app,where our app today, you can
start the car wash withoutrolling down your window.
You have a code and you can turnit on, making it a better
experience, particularly whenit's a cold winter day,
similarly to fueling.
How do we advance our app so youcan activate the pump within
your car, the warmth of your carin your app, uh, and really
trying to give them offers and agreat experience digitally.
(07:35):
So we always are trying tostrategize about our physical
presence, our digital presenceto really try to make that
experience great for customers.
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
When you look at in the 1600 locations, you also
mentioned you had the largest uhkind of collection of car washes
across Canada.
You know, how do you see yourrole in in kind of the larger
ecosphere, right?
You have two different touchpoints that you have with
potential customers that cancreate value within both of
them, right?
So when you look at uh, youknow, the Canadian uh kind of
(08:04):
loyalty landscape, how do yousee your role in kind of shaping
that with your unique brand andkind of your touch points?
SPEAKER_01 (08:12):
Yeah, I think the car wash is a really important
business to us.
And I think as we think aboutthe customer always at the
center, you know, there areseasons in Canada where it
really is advantageous and needyou need to get a car wash,
whether we think about thewinter, slush, uh spring and
fall.
And so, really, as I think as aloyalty leader, it's how do we
(08:33):
look at our loyalty program andour membership, look at the
seasonality of what's happeningin Canada?
What do Canadians want and whatdo our members want?
And how do we give them valueback when that moment is right
to wash your car?
What can we give them to make iteasier for them to choose Petro
Canada?
That's our job, is to yourpoint, Mark.
What are the things we're tryingto sell?
And how do we create anexperience for customers at the
(08:55):
right time that makes them go,this brand is different?
This brand is really helping meand supporting me and giving me
what we what they want.
SPEAKER_00 (09:03):
You mentioned value.
That's a pretty consistent uhtopic we hear in the
conversations we have with ourmembers.
We have uh lunch and learnsessions we do every week, and
you've done uh a couple of them,which is appreciated.
But you know, value is a frontand center right now, but that
can take many different formsand factors, right?
It could be giving the customerswho may be asking for more
values or discounts or maybeeven convenience.
(09:25):
So when you look at value, is itfuel savings?
Is it convenience?
Uh, is it uh providingsimplicity in the kind of the
customer loyalty approach?
How are you looking at value andespecially in regard to keeping
it top of mind for yourcustomers?
SPEAKER_01 (09:39):
It's a tough one, right?
So if I asked you value, youmight answer differently to me.
And so I think that is thechallenge is when you look at
millions of people that buy fromyou, how do you get a common
sense of what value means?
And so how our business does itis looks at segmentation.
And so there are differentgroups and classes of people
that we look at them and say,what do we assume that they
(09:59):
want?
And we do research to validatethose assumptions.
And then we can tailor ouroffers to make sure that they're
getting value from us and it'stheir definition of value.
So people that drive a lot,their value might be
over-indexed if they buy a lotof gas, if they're driving
professionally, their valuemight be a cheaper price or a
(10:21):
more discount back from being aloyalty member.
Whereas, you know, maybe it'ssomeone who's more of a road
tripper, the value might be ondiscounts on in-store snackable
items.
And so it's really about uslooking at these different
groups of customers, looking attransactional behavior, doing
research to understand thosecustomer groups, and then
accordingly giving them value.
(10:43):
And so I have my perception ofvalue, you have your perception
of value, Mark, but I think it'sabout us organizing groups to
give different value todifferent people so that they
feel, hey, this brand gets me.
This brand is giving me value.
Uh, and so I'd really suggestthat it's not anchoring your
business to one valuedefinition.
SPEAKER_00 (11:02):
Now that that's a that's a very salient point, I
think, uh, especially withbecause your segments are gonna
be different psychographic,demographic, attitudes,
opinions, interests.
But being able to understandthem, first off, listening to
and understanding them is a bigchallenge, but being able to
action on them is kind of achallenge.
But with having, you know, kindof the organizational alignment
you have around customer loyaltythat we've seen, does that make
(11:23):
it easier potentially?
And using kind of the theloyalty program as a fulcrum to
drive that uh that value uh tothe customers in the in the in
the way they would like it.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Yeah, I think you need organizational alignment
and a strong strategy to usethat segmentation to be able to
execute on it.
So to your point, what we'reable to give members comes from
a strong financial um kind ofplan and a strong strategy to be
able to make sure that you'redelivering on your promises to
(11:57):
those customers.
I think without that internalalignment and that plan, it's
hard to make uh your behaviorsin the marketplace, the customer
actually feel like you're givingthem value.
And so I do think those pieceshave to be true in order for you
to be be able to deliver foryour customers for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
Excellent.
When you look at uh kind ofgreat customer experience,
what's the single biggest factoryou feel that drives a you know
memorable customer experience inthe fuel and fuel retail
industry?
SPEAKER_01 (12:28):
I think what's tough about that question is
memorable, right?
Creating a memorable experienceis hard in today's society.
And I would say, I know youasked me for one thing, um, but
I believe our business and mepersonally is passionate about
two pieces of creatingmemorable.
One is everyday value.
And so really being consistentwith members to say we treat you
(12:51):
better because you're loyal tous.
And so I think that's memorableif you can deliver that
consistently.
And then the fun part is wheredo you build in surprise and
delights for those customers?
And then that's even morememorable where they didn't see
it coming, and you're going,hey, I want to give you
something special because you'reloyal to our program.
And so we we think aboutmemorable as the promise that
(13:14):
our brand gives to customers andCanadians every day.
And then when people are reallyloyal to us, we want to create
joy and bring more than kind ofan everyday promise with those
surprise and delights.
And that's how we believe we canbreak through and be memorable.
SPEAKER_00 (13:29):
Well, I think you mentioned uh in the previous
question, we were talking aboutvalue and value being very
personal, right?
And everyone's focused onpersonalization and making sure
you can actuate uh aroundpersonalization.
So memorability uh could be verypersonal as well, right?
What's personal to you uh couldbe different to me.
And I think that's that's thekey.
If you have that focus on onvalue and listening to it and
(13:53):
driving the innovation,memorable is is going to be
disparate, but it sounds likeyou're doing a great job of you
know responding in kind to whatcould be memorable.
SPEAKER_01 (14:03):
There's always more you can do with being memorable,
right?
Um, I think that's the challengeis you know, a lot of brands are
trying to break through and it'ssaturated communicating with
customers.
Uh, I'll share quickly with you.
We did do a recent offer wherewe gave a VIP experience and uh
a VIP shopping with one of ourpartners.
(14:24):
And so what was cool is we sentout this communication to all
our members, and it was like,you are VIP, but we didn't have
the value or the exact discountin the note because when they
went to the store of one of ourpartners, every brand in the
store had offered discounts andthey were all different prices.
But I'll tell you, I took myfamily and we saved a ton of
(14:44):
money and it was a greatexperience.
And at the end of the day, yougot this receipt and it said,
you're a Petro Points VIP, andhere's your savings.
And it was like, that was agreat, memorable experience.
My daughter got a full soccerkit and a bunch of new stuff
that she needed for her sportsthis fall.
And so those are the exampleswhere I think it's like, how do
you do things that might costmore?
(15:06):
You can't do them as frequently,but that's where that may stand
out for a member to say, wow,that program isn't just every
day.
And you're constantly trying newthings to see if it lands.
SPEAKER_00 (15:16):
Absolutely.
So I know uh we know each othera little bit uh outside.
I have a number ofconversations.
Health wellness is somethingthat you're really you're very
focused on, and also giving backto your community.
When you look at health andwellness, how does that help you
in in your career?
SPEAKER_01 (15:31):
Oh, I to get started.
I love this question.
Uh, I think health and wellness,whether um for me it's really
about a healthy body, a healthymind can take on any challenge
of the day.
And so I would say I've I'vebeen an active person my whole
life, but in university, uh Ireally had a great uh
relationship, and my auntinspired me to start running.
(15:53):
Just with my crazy universityschedule, I started running.
Uh, and in a few short years,she had helped me and I'd
qualified for the BostonMarathon.
And since then, I've run uh over10 marathons, um, traveled all
over to have those experiencesand see different cities, which
was amazing.
Uh, I then had my daughter, andthen after that, I started
(16:14):
training um into cycling.
So as my daughter was little andwould be napping, I would jump
on my bike trainer and switchedmy sport into cycling just
because it kind of fit thefamily life better.
Uh, and now I'm part of theSuncor cycling group.
So the company we're part of, wehave about 80 folks that ride
and raise money for charity.
Uh, and I would just say thatwhat I love about athletics is
(16:36):
it really helps my mind uh staygrounded and I can focus on um
being clearing my mind andfocusing and taking care of the
things in proportion.
And I can solve throughchallenges much more efficiently
and effectively, um, just givenit uh I have this priority of
other things outside of theworkplace that really do keep me
(17:00):
balanced and you know focused onwellness.
SPEAKER_00 (17:03):
That's awesome.
You know, how outside of healthand wellness and obviously
giving back to the community,are there other passions or
hobbies that uh that you have aswell?
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
I love to uh explore food.
I love to explore cultures.
Um, and you know, trying to findthe balance of integrating some
of this is a bit tough becausetime is scarce, right?
So um right now my key passionis spending time with my
daughter, um, spending time withmy husband.
We together, for example, willdo a bike ride to brunch.
(17:34):
Our new thing is looking at allthe trails in Calgary where we
live and taking a new trail on aweekend and going exploring a
new restaurant.
Uh so spending that family timetogether uh on the weekend is
one of my most exciting things.
I also love to read.
Um, there was a period of timewhere I was reading a lot about
business, a lot aboutleadership, and really focused
(17:54):
on how to improve myself.
I now am into some more kind offun, uh unrelated books to work.
It allows me to have a bit moreof an escape.
And so I just think it isamazing to balance yourself and
focusing on other things so thatyou can bring your best to your
workplace.
In terms of giving back tocommunity right now, my big
focus is mentorship.
(18:14):
Um, I've had the pleasure andbeen extremely privileged to
have some amazing mentors in mycareer and in my life.
And so I would say right now Ispend a lot of time um
supporting people who look formentorship and uh support in our
organization and outside to helpthem grow, whether it's
personally or professionally aswell.
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
Excellent.
Um, when you look at uh yourfamily life, you talked about
obviously sharing times andmoments with them, very
important.
Um your background growing up,uh, you know, where'd you grow
up?
Uh and where'd you go to school?
Uh, you know, how'd that start?
SPEAKER_01 (18:50):
Yeah, so I'm from a very small town in Alberta, uh,
Canada.
Um, I spent a lot of time in theoutdoors.
Um, I am of Ukrainian heritage,and I'm the oldest of uh all the
grandkids in my family, and I'mvery close with my grandfather.
So a big influence on who I amtoday uh is from learning a lot
(19:12):
from him.
And he taught me a lot aboutwork ethic, about also staying
humble and using nature toground yourself uh and to stay
present and to stay appreciativeof the things that that you
have.
Um so I grew up in in this kindof small uh small town Alberta
University.
I m I went over to Ontario.
(19:34):
Um I went to the University ofWestern and I um also did my MBA
in Ontario from the Universityof uh Queens.
And um that was a greatexperience.
And I currently now am back inAlberta.
Um, our company's head officehere is here in Calgary.
SPEAKER_00 (19:48):
Excellent.
When you look at your first jobafter school, what was your
first job after school?
Uh, and is there something thatstands out that it was very
impactful from an experiencedperspective that may have, you
know, also helped shape whereyou are and what you do today?
SPEAKER_01 (20:04):
Yeah, my first job out of school, I worked in a
photo lab, and and many peoplemaybe you know, going forward,
be like, what's a photo lab?
And so I had to take film andprocess it through chemicals,
change all of the colors to it,and then print it out of these
machines back when all of ourcameras were of this film that
needed to be processed.
(20:24):
And there were two things Ilearned from this job.
The first was time management.
You know, people would bring infilm and say, I want my pictures
in an hour, um, and I want themeight by ten, or I want them
four by six, I want them five byseven.
And so you got to change thechemical, you got to change the
paper size, and you've reallygot to be uh multitasking to
accomplish all of these taskswithin the dedicated time.
(20:45):
So I did learn very well how tobe a bit of a time master in
that job.
And the second thing I learnedwas the importance of
leadership.
In this photo lab, there weresome amazing leaders that asked
the right questions that werevery empowering, that were very
supportive, that congratulatedand recognized people who could
rise above kind of the averageproduction and that kind of
(21:08):
thing.
And so I would say from thatfirst job until now, it's been
amazing uh the exposure I've hadto great leaders that has kind
of informed my approach toleadership as well.
SPEAKER_00 (21:19):
Okay.
When you look back at some ofthe challenges you faced in your
life, uh, is there been, youknow, one challenge that may
have been bigger than othersthat uh may have influenced or
shaped uh who you are today andand how you lead and manage?
SPEAKER_01 (21:34):
This is such a good question.
Um I've faced many challenges.
I don't think there's one maybeto call out.
But what I would say is at thetime when I was facing these
challenges, I don't think Irealized how helpful that was in
making me a stronger, smarter,more resilient person.
(21:57):
And so I think if anybody'swatching this podcast is kind of
going through challenges orthinking about their challenges,
for me, it's just the gratitudefor those hardships and how they
can build you into a per intothe future person that you want
to be.
Um, I have this thing on mydesk.
It says, do something today thatyour future self will thank you
(22:18):
for.
And so when I think of thechallenges, these are beautiful
moments that come into your lifethat you face, that you can
choose to crumble, you canchoose to stay knocked down, or
you can choose to say, I learnedsomething, I'm gonna get up, I'm
gonna do that again, and I'mgonna do it better.
And so I've I haven't had anykind of big challenges worth
noting, but I think the biggestthing about challenges is just
(22:40):
receive them with grace and bethankful for them because I do
think they can really help youget to greater in the future.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Uh absolutely, yeah, that's a good perspective.
I think kind of be beingcognizant of the present and and
and looking for the past, and Ithink uh looking towards the
future is is a great perspectivefor sure.
SPEAKER_01 (22:59):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:00):
Um, so this one may not be as applicable, but uh, if
you could go back and change onething uh about your life uh or
career, you know, what wouldthat be?
SPEAKER_01 (23:12):
I think the thing I would change, and I have changed
it over time.
So it's about being bold.
I think sometimes as we figureourselves out, as we mature and
grow into our careers, we mightbe more hesitant or looking
around for the right answer orfor someone to approve that
you're going in the rightdirection.
(23:34):
And I I would just say to gowith courage and to be bold, to
learn and back to the challengesis if you fall down, I think
you're going to be able to learnearlier in your life if you take
more risks and if you are morebold.
And so I have learned that.
And I think that is my approachto leadership today is let's be
courageous.
(23:54):
Like, what could we do that willdisrupt?
What's something that's reallyhard that we can take it on?
Because I think if we thenachieve it, we'll be more proud
and it will make a biggerimpact.
And so to not hold ourselvesback, I think that's where um
I'm trying to build that into myeveryday is to do bigger and
better.
SPEAKER_00 (24:13):
Okay.
Kind of we like to wrap these upuh with advice for uh you know,
someone who may be new tocustomer loyalty.
You talked that you're veryfocused on mentorship and and
and uh uh nurturing uh thoserelationships.
But when you look at uh customerloyalty, someone who's started
out uh who wants to elevate uhtheir experience and their
(24:34):
success uh in the customerexperience and customer loyalty
arena, you know, what what wouldyou suggest to them?
SPEAKER_01 (24:41):
Well, I I think being part of the association
that you've created, Mark, Ithink is amazing.
Like Loyalty 360 allows you tolook at other industries and
other businesses and how they'redoing it, to be curious, ask
questions, and to always bewondering how to do um what
you're doing better.
I think internally to yourorganization, if you're working
(25:03):
in loyalty, it's really aboutunderstanding two things very
clearly.
The first thing you need tounderstand very clearly is what
are you serving the customerwith?
What is what is your offering orproduct or service to the
customer?
What do they want?
And how can you give that tothem?
And then, yeah, what are yougoing to do and what what tools
do you have to drive growth inyour business?
(25:25):
What are your businessobjectives to match what the
customer wants?
So I think if you if you knowwhat the customer wants, if you
know what your business istrying to accomplish and what
you have to engage thatcustomer.
And then if you look outside toorganizations that help you see
best practices or how othercompanies are doing it and
asking great questions, I thinkthat you'll you'll be very, very
(25:47):
successful.
It's always helping curious,right?
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
I'm a big fan of curious reading, uh always uh to
trying to read as much as youcan, I think, and looking at it,
uh you mentioned earlier fromanother's perspective, right?
How are other industries lookingat customer loyalty?
And I think that's one of thethings that we do a good job of,
and I enjoy is just looking atcustomer loyalty, customer
experience, new technologies,what's working, what's not
working.
I definitely think you can takeuh pieces from you know other
(26:15):
industries that are working, andalso you can uh you forewarn
yourself about challenges thatmay exist within other
industries that you may not havethought of.
So I think that kind of groupthink uh is is is very very fun
to be part of.
Uh well now we have our ourquick fire questions.
Uh I know you've done thisbefore, but this is a different
group.
So uh, you know, how would youdescribe your work life?
SPEAKER_01 (26:38):
Uh exciting.
SPEAKER_00 (26:39):
Excellent.
Uh if you have a day or a weekoff from work, what are you
doing?
SPEAKER_01 (26:47):
I'm cycling or traveling with my family.
SPEAKER_00 (26:51):
There you go.
If you could live in any city,any country, where would you
live?
SPEAKER_01 (26:58):
I don't know.
Maybe maybe Paris.
SPEAKER_00 (27:00):
Okay.
Uh if you go back to school,back to university, uh, what
would you study?
SPEAKER_01 (27:07):
I think medicine.
I think it's it's needed.
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
Okay.
Is there a facet of your jobthat uh you really like, you
really enjoy, that you'd like toknow more about?
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
Yeah, I would say artificial intelligence.
SPEAKER_00 (27:23):
Okay.
And is there a facet of your jobthat uh you maybe would like to
know maybe a little less about,not not to be as involved in?
SPEAKER_01 (27:31):
I love this one.
Uh legal terms and conditions orlegalities, and and there's a
lot of legal that kind of comeswith this type of a program.
SPEAKER_00 (27:40):
Okay.
Uh what motivates you whentackling challenges at Petro
Canada?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
That we every day get to serve one million
Canadians and and I want to helpthem keep going in the best way
possible.
SPEAKER_00 (27:54):
Okay.
And what do you draw inspirationfrom?
You know, what lights your fire?
SPEAKER_01 (27:59):
I get out of bed every day wanting to make a
difference.
SPEAKER_00 (28:02):
There you go.
Uh what's one skill you youwould like to learn?
SPEAKER_01 (28:07):
I would love to learn how to play the guitar.
SPEAKER_00 (28:10):
Okay.
Excellent.
Well, manage.
SPEAKER_01 (28:13):
You didn't see that one coming, did you, Mark?
SPEAKER_00 (28:14):
No, I did not see that coming.
Uh I have a couple in thebasement you can have that I
don't play anymore.
So uh the Ah, there you go.
Yeah, um, well, great.
Well, thank you very much fortaking the time to join us
today.
Uh it was great having you onthe Executive Spotlight.
I think uh your passion that youshared for mentorship and kind
of just nurturing relationshipswith both employees and uh your
customers uh came through veryclearly and strongly.
(28:37):
So it was uh great to hear youknow all the different things
you advocate for and have thepassion for.
SPEAKER_01 (28:41):
Thanks for having me, Mark.
Nice to see you.
SPEAKER_00 (28:43):
Absolutely.
And thank you everyone fortaking the time to listen today.
Uh join us every Saturday for anew Executive Spotlight
interview.
Until then, have a wonderfulday.
Good afternoon.
Good morning.
Mark Johnson from Loyalty360.
Welcome back to our Loyalty360executive spotlight, which is
part of the Leaders in CustomerLoyalty Program.
In this series, we featureconversations with some of the
leading minds and influentialpersonalities behind the most
successful and respectedcustomer loyalty programs in the
(00:24):
market today.
All of whom are proud members ofLoyalty360.
Stay tuned as we uncover thestories of individuals driving
innovation and impact in theworld of customer loyalty.
Through these interviews, you'llgain insight into the people
working behind the scenes tobuild and sustain award-winning
customer loyalty programs.
We'll explore their personaljourneys, their passions,
(00:46):
backgrounds, successes, and evena few challenges they've
overcome along the way.
Today, we have the pleasure ofspeaking with Amanda Mitchell.
She's the head of loyalty atPetro Canada.
Welcome, Amanda.
SPEAKER_01 (00:58):
Nice to see you, Mark.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
First off, for those who may not know, can you share
a little bit about Petro Canada,what you guys do, how you do it,
and also it would be great toknow a little bit more about
your role at Petro Canada?
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
Sure.
So Petro Canada is one of ourcountry's largest fuel and
convenience store chain.
We have over 1,600 locations forgas and convenience stores.
And we also have the country'slargest network of car washes.
We have over 250 locations alsofor fueling heavy haul trucks.
(01:31):
And today I sit in the role ofleading our loyalty program,
Petro Points, where we have over4 million active members in our
program, and we have a millionpeople that visit us every day
in Canada to keep moving aroundour country.
SPEAKER_00 (01:45):
Excellent.
We love to know how people getinvolved with customer loyalty,
right?
It's not taught in school.
Those who are involved in theindustry kind of have various
paths to get to where they are.
But you know, as I feel, and I'msure you do as well, it's one of
the coolest industries to be inbecause you get to look at all
different facets of marketing,right?
And kind of the data, theinsight, and truly understanding
(02:07):
the customers.
It's just a very cool role.
But most people struggle withgetting into it.
It's not taught.
So can you tell us a little bitabout your journey into the
customer loyalty industry?
You know, were there roles thatled you to the current position?
SPEAKER_01 (02:20):
Yeah, this is a great question.
I do think there are tons ofpeople in the industry that have
been in loyalty for a very longtime, and you can build a career
in that specific area.
However, in our organization,um, I have come a very
unconventional path.
I'm a business leader that findsmyself in loyalty.
And to your point, Mark, thathas served me really well.
(02:40):
I think understanding thecustomer, I've been in marketing
before, but I've also been indepartments of strategy or
logistics and looking at thedata, as you mentioned, in terms
of how are customers behaving?
What are the offers that theywant, and really thinking about
how to drive thatincrementality.
Um, so I've been in lots ofdifferent roles.
I've been with this company foralmost 20 years and been in a
(03:02):
bunch of different roles, but Itotally agree with you.
Working in loyalty isfascinating.
Uh, I can't peel the onionenough to know enough about my
customers.
How are they uh transacting andhow can we give them what they
want and keep them coming backto our business?
SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
Okay.
When you look at the fuel andconvenience uh retail industry,
another uh unique industry, uh,you know, what drew you to
working within the fuelconvenience and even kind of the
manufacturing industry?
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
Yeah, that's a good question.
I had a lot, I have a lot offriends over the years be like,
you work for a gas company.
It's kind of an interestingchoice.
And what I would say is Istarted in the company as an
intern.
Um, they had a new graduateprogram where I got to move
around to different areas in thecompany and learn about
different parts of the business.
And I would say what has kept mehere is really the people.
This company has fantasticpeople, uh, people that are
(03:52):
willing to mentor you andsupport you and learn about the
business.
And this company really hasinspired me to always be
improving.
We're always trying to helpCanadians move and get where
they want to go.
And we're always trying toreinvent our business and make
it more easy to transact with usor, you know, improve our app
and our digital capabilities.
And so the people and ourinterest to do better for
(04:14):
Canadians is is why I'm I'mstill here.
SPEAKER_00 (04:16):
Okay.
When you look at customerloyalty in your space, in your
vertical, you know, how do youthink it may differ from maybe
traditional retail orhospitality or B2B?
I mean, how is it unique in thatregard?
SPEAKER_01 (04:29):
Yeah, I think there's two layers from my
perspective.
One is that in Canada, loyaltyis is a big uh approach to
retailer uh success, whetherit's uh, and and Starbucks is
obviously an internationalbrand, but when you look at
Starbucks or Sephora or all ofthe gas brands are partnered
with credit cards, loyalty is avery big part of how we do
business.
And I think part of it isbecause we are a convenience
(04:52):
play or we are a commodity.
And so it really is about how doyou differentiate yourself in a
commodity business?
And loyalty really allows you toknow that customer, talk to that
customer, and try to bring themback with things that are
differentiated because yourproduct really isn't.
SPEAKER_00 (05:07):
Um, for those who may not be familiar with the
retail landscape in Canada, it'svery unique, right?
Uh coalition is big or coalitionfor um, should I say
partnerships that are framed ison a mini coalition?
There's a number of big bigplayers in that industry, right?
They're kind of doing some coolthings.
So, how is customer loyaltyunique?
And you may not think it'sunique because you obviously you
live in Canada, but how maybe itbe different than maybe
(05:30):
traditional loyalty in the US?
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
Yeah, I think the big difference is that our
population is so small, right?
So we're a country of you know,less around 40 million people.
And so because there is asmaller market population,
brands are really fighting forthat share of wallet, that share
of mind, and really trying todrive that connection with the
customer.
Uh, and they have to work prettyhard for it compared to a larger
(05:54):
population like the US.
Uh, and then yeah, I thinkthere's different brands that
are specifically Canadian.
And so, to your point, Mark,about how do you create those
coalitions with brands that aremaybe Canadian, you might get
some halo and connection topeople because of the partners
that you choose to be with.
Uh, and I think also the priceof goods in Canada can be higher
than America.
(06:14):
Also, again, uh just giving theability to transport them from
the US uh or from othercountries.
And so loyalty really allows usas brands to give back value to
people that are loyal to us.
And so really creating uh someopportunity for savings for
Canadians.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
Okay.
When you look at the fuelconvenience industry, uh very
unique front court, backcourt.
Do you control the front court,the backcourt, some of the
unique challenges with regard topotentially building
relationships with customers inthe, you know, at Pump and in
store, you know, how how do youview customer loyalty and maybe
how is it viewed within yourorganization and you know, the
opportunity that presents?
SPEAKER_01 (06:53):
Yeah, loyalty is a key pillar of our strategy.
And I think to your point, Mark,there are physical places where
we believe we can leverage oursite to communicate with folks.
So whether they're gassing up orif they're in our store or if
they're going and getting a carwash.
And then the the kind ofadvancement is that digital
place.
Where can we communicate withthem from a media perspective or
(07:13):
also in our tools like our app,where our app today, you can
start the car wash withoutrolling down your window.
You have a code and you can turnit on, making it a better
experience, particularly whenit's a cold winter day,
similarly to fueling.
How do we advance our app so youcan activate the pump within
your car, the warmth of your carin your app, uh, and really
trying to give them offers and agreat experience digitally.
(07:35):
So we always are trying tostrategize about our physical
presence, our digital presenceto really try to make that
experience great for customers.
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
When you look at in the 1600 locations, you also
mentioned you had the largest uhkind of collection of car washes
across Canada.
You know, how do you see yourrole in in kind of the larger
ecosphere, right?
You have two different touchpoints that you have with
potential customers that cancreate value within both of
them, right?
So when you look at uh, youknow, the Canadian uh kind of
(08:04):
loyalty landscape, how do yousee your role in kind of shaping
that with your unique brand andkind of your touch points?
SPEAKER_01 (08:12):
Yeah, I think the car wash is a really important
business to us.
And I think as we think aboutthe customer always at the
center, you know, there areseasons in Canada where it
really is advantageous and needyou need to get a car wash,
whether we think about thewinter, slush, uh spring and
fall.
And so, really, as I think as aloyalty leader, it's how do we
(08:33):
look at our loyalty program andour membership, look at the
seasonality of what's happeningin Canada?
What do Canadians want and whatdo our members want?
And how do we give them valueback when that moment is right
to wash your car?
What can we give them to make iteasier for them to choose Petro
Canada?
That's our job, is to yourpoint, Mark.
What are the things we're tryingto sell?
And how do we create anexperience for customers at the
(08:55):
right time that makes them go,this brand is different?
This brand is really helping meand supporting me and giving me
what we what they want.
SPEAKER_00 (09:03):
You mentioned value.
That's a pretty consistent uhtopic we hear in the
conversations we have with ourmembers.
We have uh lunch and learnsessions we do every week, and
you've done uh a couple of them,which is appreciated.
But you know, value is a frontand center right now, but that
can take many different formsand factors, right?
It could be giving the customerswho may be asking for more
values or discounts or maybeeven convenience.
(09:25):
So when you look at value, is itfuel savings?
Is it convenience?
Uh, is it uh providingsimplicity in the kind of the
customer loyalty approach?
How are you looking at value andespecially in regard to keeping
it top of mind for yourcustomers?
SPEAKER_01 (09:39):
It's a tough one, right?
So if I asked you value, youmight answer differently to me.
And so I think that is thechallenge is when you look at
millions of people that buy fromyou, how do you get a common
sense of what value means?
And so how our business does itis looks at segmentation.
And so there are differentgroups and classes of people
that we look at them and say,what do we assume that they
(09:59):
want?
And we do research to validatethose assumptions.
And then we can tailor ouroffers to make sure that they're
getting value from us and it'stheir definition of value.
So people that drive a lot,their value might be
over-indexed if they buy a lotof gas, if they're driving
professionally, their valuemight be a cheaper price or a
(10:21):
more discount back from being aloyalty member.
Whereas, you know, maybe it'ssomeone who's more of a road
tripper, the value might be ondiscounts on in-store snackable
items.
And so it's really about uslooking at these different
groups of customers, looking attransactional behavior, doing
research to understand thosecustomer groups, and then
accordingly giving them value.
(10:43):
And so I have my perception ofvalue, you have your perception
of value, Mark, but I think it'sabout us organizing groups to
give different value todifferent people so that they
feel, hey, this brand gets me.
This brand is giving me value.
Uh, and so I'd really suggestthat it's not anchoring your
business to one valuedefinition.
SPEAKER_00 (11:02):
Now that that's a that's a very salient point, I
think, uh, especially withbecause your segments are gonna
be different psychographic,demographic, attitudes,
opinions, interests.
But being able to understandthem, first off, listening to
and understanding them is a bigchallenge, but being able to
action on them is kind of achallenge.
But with having, you know, kindof the organizational alignment
you have around customer loyaltythat we've seen, does that make
(11:23):
it easier potentially?
And using kind of the theloyalty program as a fulcrum to
drive that uh that value uh tothe customers in the in the in
the way they would like it.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Yeah, I think you need organizational alignment
and a strong strategy to usethat segmentation to be able to
execute on it.
So to your point, what we'reable to give members comes from
a strong financial um kind ofplan and a strong strategy to be
able to make sure that you'redelivering on your promises to
(11:57):
those customers.
I think without that internalalignment and that plan, it's
hard to make uh your behaviorsin the marketplace, the customer
actually feel like you're givingthem value.
And so I do think those pieceshave to be true in order for you
to be be able to deliver foryour customers for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (12:14):
Excellent.
When you look at uh kind ofgreat customer experience,
what's the single biggest factoryou feel that drives a you know
memorable customer experience inthe fuel and fuel retail
industry?
SPEAKER_01 (12:28):
I think what's tough about that question is
memorable, right?
Creating a memorable experienceis hard in today's society.
And I would say, I know youasked me for one thing, um, but
I believe our business and mepersonally is passionate about
two pieces of creatingmemorable.
One is everyday value.
And so really being consistentwith members to say we treat you
(12:51):
better because you're loyal tous.
And so I think that's memorableif you can deliver that
consistently.
And then the fun part is wheredo you build in surprise and
delights for those customers?
And then that's even morememorable where they didn't see
it coming, and you're going,hey, I want to give you
something special because you'reloyal to our program.
And so we we think aboutmemorable as the promise that
(13:14):
our brand gives to customers andCanadians every day.
And then when people are reallyloyal to us, we want to create
joy and bring more than kind ofan everyday promise with those
surprise and delights.
And that's how we believe we canbreak through and be memorable.
SPEAKER_00 (13:29):
Well, I think you mentioned uh in the previous
question, we were talking aboutvalue and value being very
personal, right?
And everyone's focused onpersonalization and making sure
you can actuate uh aroundpersonalization.
So memorability uh could be verypersonal as well, right?
What's personal to you uh couldbe different to me.
And I think that's that's thekey.
If you have that focus on onvalue and listening to it and
(13:53):
driving the innovation,memorable is is going to be
disparate, but it sounds likeyou're doing a great job of you
know responding in kind to whatcould be memorable.
SPEAKER_01 (14:03):
There's always more you can do with being memorable,
right?
Um, I think that's the challengeis you know, a lot of brands are
trying to break through and it'ssaturated communicating with
customers.
Uh, I'll share quickly with you.
We did do a recent offer wherewe gave a VIP experience and uh
a VIP shopping with one of ourpartners.
(14:24):
And so what was cool is we sentout this communication to all
our members, and it was like,you are VIP, but we didn't have
the value or the exact discountin the note because when they
went to the store of one of ourpartners, every brand in the
store had offered discounts andthey were all different prices.
But I'll tell you, I took myfamily and we saved a ton of
(14:44):
money and it was a greatexperience.
And at the end of the day, yougot this receipt and it said,
you're a Petro Points VIP, andhere's your savings.
And it was like, that was agreat, memorable experience.
My daughter got a full soccerkit and a bunch of new stuff
that she needed for her sportsthis fall.
And so those are the exampleswhere I think it's like, how do
you do things that might costmore?
(15:06):
You can't do them as frequently,but that's where that may stand
out for a member to say, wow,that program isn't just every
day.
And you're constantly trying newthings to see if it lands.
SPEAKER_00 (15:16):
Absolutely.
So I know uh we know each othera little bit uh outside.
I have a number ofconversations.
Health wellness is somethingthat you're really you're very
focused on, and also giving backto your community.
When you look at health andwellness, how does that help you
in in your career?
SPEAKER_01 (15:31):
Oh, I to get started.
I love this question.
Uh, I think health and wellness,whether um for me it's really
about a healthy body, a healthymind can take on any challenge
of the day.
And so I would say I've I'vebeen an active person my whole
life, but in university, uh Ireally had a great uh
relationship, and my auntinspired me to start running.
(15:53):
Just with my crazy universityschedule, I started running.
Uh, and in a few short years,she had helped me and I'd
qualified for the BostonMarathon.
And since then, I've run uh over10 marathons, um, traveled all
over to have those experiencesand see different cities, which
was amazing.
Uh, I then had my daughter, andthen after that, I started
(16:14):
training um into cycling.
So as my daughter was little andwould be napping, I would jump
on my bike trainer and switchedmy sport into cycling just
because it kind of fit thefamily life better.
Uh, and now I'm part of theSuncor cycling group.
So the company we're part of, wehave about 80 folks that ride
and raise money for charity.
Uh, and I would just say thatwhat I love about athletics is
(16:36):
it really helps my mind uh staygrounded and I can focus on um
being clearing my mind andfocusing and taking care of the
things in proportion.
And I can solve throughchallenges much more efficiently
and effectively, um, just givenit uh I have this priority of
other things outside of theworkplace that really do keep me
(17:00):
balanced and you know focused onwellness.
SPEAKER_00 (17:03):
That's awesome.
You know, how outside of healthand wellness and obviously
giving back to the community,are there other passions or
hobbies that uh that you have aswell?
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
I love to uh explore food.
I love to explore cultures.
Um, and you know, trying to findthe balance of integrating some
of this is a bit tough becausetime is scarce, right?
So um right now my key passionis spending time with my
daughter, um, spending time withmy husband.
We together, for example, willdo a bike ride to brunch.
(17:34):
Our new thing is looking at allthe trails in Calgary where we
live and taking a new trail on aweekend and going exploring a
new restaurant.
Uh so spending that family timetogether uh on the weekend is
one of my most exciting things.
I also love to read.
Um, there was a period of timewhere I was reading a lot about
business, a lot aboutleadership, and really focused
(17:54):
on how to improve myself.
I now am into some more kind offun, uh unrelated books to work.
It allows me to have a bit moreof an escape.
And so I just think it isamazing to balance yourself and
focusing on other things so thatyou can bring your best to your
workplace.
In terms of giving back tocommunity right now, my big
focus is mentorship.
(18:14):
Um, I've had the pleasure andbeen extremely privileged to
have some amazing mentors in mycareer and in my life.
And so I would say right now Ispend a lot of time um
supporting people who look formentorship and uh support in our
organization and outside to helpthem grow, whether it's
personally or professionally aswell.
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
Excellent.
Um, when you look at uh yourfamily life, you talked about
obviously sharing times andmoments with them, very
important.
Um your background growing up,uh, you know, where'd you grow
up?
Uh and where'd you go to school?
Uh, you know, how'd that start?
SPEAKER_01 (18:50):
Yeah, so I'm from a very small town in Alberta, uh,
Canada.
Um, I spent a lot of time in theoutdoors.
Um, I am of Ukrainian heritage,and I'm the oldest of uh all the
grandkids in my family, and I'mvery close with my grandfather.
So a big influence on who I amtoday uh is from learning a lot
(19:12):
from him.
And he taught me a lot aboutwork ethic, about also staying
humble and using nature toground yourself uh and to stay
present and to stay appreciativeof the things that that you
have.
Um so I grew up in in this kindof small uh small town Alberta
University.
I m I went over to Ontario.
(19:34):
Um I went to the University ofWestern and I um also did my MBA
in Ontario from the Universityof uh Queens.
And um that was a greatexperience.
And I currently now am back inAlberta.
Um, our company's head officehere is here in Calgary.
SPEAKER_00 (19:48):
Excellent.
When you look at your first jobafter school, what was your
first job after school?
Uh, and is there something thatstands out that it was very
impactful from an experiencedperspective that may have, you
know, also helped shape whereyou are and what you do today?
SPEAKER_01 (20:04):
Yeah, my first job out of school, I worked in a
photo lab, and and many peoplemaybe you know, going forward,
be like, what's a photo lab?
And so I had to take film andprocess it through chemicals,
change all of the colors to it,and then print it out of these
machines back when all of ourcameras were of this film that
needed to be processed.
(20:24):
And there were two things Ilearned from this job.
The first was time management.
You know, people would bring infilm and say, I want my pictures
in an hour, um, and I want themeight by ten, or I want them
four by six, I want them five byseven.
And so you got to change thechemical, you got to change the
paper size, and you've reallygot to be uh multitasking to
accomplish all of these taskswithin the dedicated time.
(20:45):
So I did learn very well how tobe a bit of a time master in
that job.
And the second thing I learnedwas the importance of
leadership.
In this photo lab, there weresome amazing leaders that asked
the right questions that werevery empowering, that were very
supportive, that congratulatedand recognized people who could
rise above kind of the averageproduction and that kind of
(21:08):
thing.
And so I would say from thatfirst job until now, it's been
amazing uh the exposure I've hadto great leaders that has kind
of informed my approach toleadership as well.
SPEAKER_00 (21:19):
Okay.
When you look back at some ofthe challenges you faced in your
life, uh, is there been, youknow, one challenge that may
have been bigger than othersthat uh may have influenced or
shaped uh who you are today andand how you lead and manage?
SPEAKER_01 (21:34):
This is such a good question.
Um I've faced many challenges.
I don't think there's one maybeto call out.
But what I would say is at thetime when I was facing these
challenges, I don't think Irealized how helpful that was in
making me a stronger, smarter,more resilient person.
(21:57):
And so I think if anybody'swatching this podcast is kind of
going through challenges orthinking about their challenges,
for me, it's just the gratitudefor those hardships and how they
can build you into a per intothe future person that you want
to be.
Um, I have this thing on mydesk.
It says, do something today thatyour future self will thank you
(22:18):
for.
And so when I think of thechallenges, these are beautiful
moments that come into your lifethat you face, that you can
choose to crumble, you canchoose to stay knocked down, or
you can choose to say, I learnedsomething, I'm gonna get up, I'm
gonna do that again, and I'mgonna do it better.
And so I've I haven't had anykind of big challenges worth
noting, but I think the biggestthing about challenges is just
(22:40):
receive them with grace and bethankful for them because I do
think they can really help youget to greater in the future.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Uh absolutely, yeah, that's a good perspective.
I think kind of be beingcognizant of the present and and
and looking for the past, and Ithink uh looking towards the
future is is a great perspectivefor sure.
SPEAKER_01 (22:59):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:00):
Um, so this one may not be as applicable, but uh, if
you could go back and change onething uh about your life uh or
career, you know, what wouldthat be?
SPEAKER_01 (23:12):
I think the thing I would change, and I have changed
it over time.
So it's about being bold.
I think sometimes as we figureourselves out, as we mature and
grow into our careers, we mightbe more hesitant or looking
around for the right answer orfor someone to approve that
you're going in the rightdirection.
(23:34):
And I I would just say to gowith courage and to be bold, to
learn and back to the challengesis if you fall down, I think
you're going to be able to learnearlier in your life if you take
more risks and if you are morebold.
And so I have learned that.
And I think that is my approachto leadership today is let's be
courageous.
(23:54):
Like, what could we do that willdisrupt?
What's something that's reallyhard that we can take it on?
Because I think if we thenachieve it, we'll be more proud
and it will make a biggerimpact.
And so to not hold ourselvesback, I think that's where um
I'm trying to build that into myeveryday is to do bigger and
better.
SPEAKER_00 (24:13):
Okay.
Kind of we like to wrap these upuh with advice for uh you know,
someone who may be new tocustomer loyalty.
You talked that you're veryfocused on mentorship and and
and uh uh nurturing uh thoserelationships.
But when you look at uh customerloyalty, someone who's started
out uh who wants to elevate uhtheir experience and their
(24:34):
success uh in the customerexperience and customer loyalty
arena, you know, what what wouldyou suggest to them?
SPEAKER_01 (24:41):
Well, I I think being part of the association
that you've created, Mark, Ithink is amazing.
Like Loyalty 360 allows you tolook at other industries and
other businesses and how they'redoing it, to be curious, ask
questions, and to always bewondering how to do um what
you're doing better.
I think internally to yourorganization, if you're working
(25:03):
in loyalty, it's really aboutunderstanding two things very
clearly.
The first thing you need tounderstand very clearly is what
are you serving the customerwith?
What is what is your offering orproduct or service to the
customer?
What do they want?
And how can you give that tothem?
And then, yeah, what are yougoing to do and what what tools
do you have to drive growth inyour business?
(25:25):
What are your businessobjectives to match what the
customer wants?
So I think if you if you knowwhat the customer wants, if you
know what your business istrying to accomplish and what
you have to engage thatcustomer.
And then if you look outside toorganizations that help you see
best practices or how othercompanies are doing it and
asking great questions, I thinkthat you'll you'll be very, very
(25:47):
successful.
It's always helping curious,right?
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
I'm a big fan of curious reading, uh always uh to
trying to read as much as youcan, I think, and looking at it,
uh you mentioned earlier fromanother's perspective, right?
How are other industries lookingat customer loyalty?
And I think that's one of thethings that we do a good job of,
and I enjoy is just looking atcustomer loyalty, customer
experience, new technologies,what's working, what's not
working.
I definitely think you can takeuh pieces from you know other
(26:15):
industries that are working, andalso you can uh you forewarn
yourself about challenges thatmay exist within other
industries that you may not havethought of.
So I think that kind of groupthink uh is is is very very fun
to be part of.
Uh well now we have our ourquick fire questions.
Uh I know you've done thisbefore, but this is a different
group.
So uh, you know, how would youdescribe your work life?
SPEAKER_01 (26:38):
Uh exciting.
SPEAKER_00 (26:39):
Excellent.
Uh if you have a day or a weekoff from work, what are you
doing?
SPEAKER_01 (26:47):
I'm cycling or traveling with my family.
SPEAKER_00 (26:51):
There you go.
If you could live in any city,any country, where would you
live?
SPEAKER_01 (26:58):
I don't know.
Maybe maybe Paris.
SPEAKER_00 (27:00):
Okay.
Uh if you go back to school,back to university, uh, what
would you study?
SPEAKER_01 (27:07):
I think medicine.
I think it's it's needed.
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
Okay.
Is there a facet of your jobthat uh you really like, you
really enjoy, that you'd like toknow more about?
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
Yeah, I would say artificial intelligence.
SPEAKER_00 (27:23):
Okay.
And is there a facet of your jobthat uh you maybe would like to
know maybe a little less about,not not to be as involved in?
SPEAKER_01 (27:31):
I love this one.
Uh legal terms and conditions orlegalities, and and there's a
lot of legal that kind of comeswith this type of a program.
SPEAKER_00 (27:40):
Okay.
Uh what motivates you whentackling challenges at Petro
Canada?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
That we every day get to serve one million
Canadians and and I want to helpthem keep going in the best way
possible.
SPEAKER_00 (27:54):
Okay.
And what do you draw inspirationfrom?
You know, what lights your fire?
SPEAKER_01 (27:59):
I get out of bed every day wanting to make a
difference.
SPEAKER_00 (28:02):
There you go.
Uh what's one skill you youwould like to learn?
SPEAKER_01 (28:07):
I would love to learn how to play the guitar.
SPEAKER_00 (28:10):
Okay.
Excellent.
Well, manage.
SPEAKER_01 (28:13):
You didn't see that one coming, did you, Mark?
SPEAKER_00 (28:14):
No, I did not see that coming.
Uh I have a couple in thebasement you can have that I
don't play anymore.
So uh the Ah, there you go.
Yeah, um, well, great.
Well, thank you very much fortaking the time to join us
today.
Uh it was great having you onthe Executive Spotlight.
I think uh your passion that youshared for mentorship and kind
of just nurturing relationshipswith both employees and uh your
customers uh came through veryclearly and strongly.
(28:37):
So it was uh great to hear youknow all the different things
you advocate for and have thepassion for.
SPEAKER_01 (28:41):
Thanks for having me, Mark.
Nice to see you.
SPEAKER_00 (28:43):
Absolutely.
And thank you everyone fortaking the time to listen today.
Uh join us every Saturday for anew Executive Spotlight
interview.
Until then, have a wonderfulday.
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