Progressive Grocer Honors 400 Women in Grocery
The 20th annual Top Women in Grocery program recognized honorees in Orlando, Florida, on November 6.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Consumer Goods
Progressive Grocer honored about 400 women at its 20th annual Top Women in Grocery gala in Orlando, Florida, on November 6. Honorees were nominated by peers and colleagues across three career-stage categories.
Why it matters
The program recognizes women who have reached significant career milestones in the grocery and consumer goods industry. Its two decades of recognition highlight the growing visibility of women in retail leadership.
The gala recognized about 400 honorees across three categories: Rising Stars, Store Managers and Senior-Level Executives. The program has run for 20 years since launching in 2012, and the source does not report nomination totals.
The players
Progressive Grocer
A long-running trade publication covering the grocery retail industry, which produces the Top Women in Grocery program.
Pamela Stewart
A senior consumer goods executive who serves as chief customer officer at The Coca-Cola Co.
Valerie Jabbar
A retired retail executive who previously served as SVP of retail divisions at Kroger.
Megan Chickrell
A loyalty and personalization manager at Ahold Delhaize USA, a major international grocery retailer.
Inmar Intelligence
A retail technology and data services company that sponsors the Andy Jump Continuing Education Award.
The details
Pamela Stewart, chief customer officer at The Coca-Cola Co., received the CPG Trailblazer Award. Valerie Jabbar, retired SVP of retail divisions at Kroger, received the 2026 Retail Trailblazer Award, and Megan Chickrell, manager for loyalty personalization at Ahold Delhaize USA, received the 2026 Andy Jump Continuing Education Award from Inmar Intelligence.
Timeline
2012: The Top Women in Grocery program began.
November 6, 2026: The 20th annual gala was held in Orlando, Florida.
Industry Recognition
The 20th anniversary of Progressive Grocer's Top Women in Grocery program, which began in 2012, extends a two-decade record of spotlighting women across retail careers. The honors fit a pattern of industry awards that track advancement from rising talent through senior executive ranks.
For shoppers, the awards recognize the people who shape product assortment, loyalty programs and in-store operations. The recognition is an industry milestone rather than a change to prices or product availability.
The takeaway
Recognition programs like this one spotlight the women steering grocery and consumer goods companies, offering a window into who is shaping the industry's direction. Following such honorees can give readers a clearer picture of leadership trends in retail.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in Consumer Goods for context on the sector's leadership and industry trends.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Progressive Grocer.
