Executive Leadership Team

Michael Medline was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. in January 2017. Mr. Medline is a proven leader with a strong track record of success in Canadian retail. He has held senior retail leadership positions at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), including President & Chief Executive Officer of CTC. He began his career working with the Ontario Securities Commission, followed by two years practicing law with McCarthy Tétrault. He was Corporate Counsel for PepsiCo Canada before moving to Abitibi Consolidated Inc. where he held a variety of roles including Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development. 

Mr. Medline serves on the Board of Directors for Scotiabank, the Board of Trustees for SickKids, the Board of Governors for Huron University College at Western University, the Board of Directors for The BlackNorth Initiative and The Sobey Foundation. He is past Chair of the Retail Council of Canada as well as The Grocery Foundation, and was formerly on the Board of Governors for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Board of Directors for SickKids Foundation.

Mr. Medline holds an MBA from Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William & Mary; an LL.B. from the University of Toronto; and a BA from Huron University College at Western University. 

Matt Reindel is the Chief Financial Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. Mr. Reindel joined Empire Company Limited in 2019 as Senior Vice President, Finance Business Support. During his time in this role, Mr. Reindel led the Company’s finance operational and business support functions, where he was responsible for the commercial side of the business, across all regions, banners and business units. 

In his role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Reindel established himself as an invaluable leader and an anchor in positioning the Company’s Project Horizon strategic plans for success. Notable highlights of his tenure include his leadership in the Longo’s acquisition and his facilitation of large-scale enterprise initiatives.

Mr. Reindel has extensive experience in grocery retailing and the consumer-packaged goods industry, gained from almost 20 years working at Nestle. Prior to joining Empire, Mr. Reindel was the CFO at Nestlé Nutrition North America, where he spearheaded that company’s transformation strategies. Mr. Reindel has extensive international experience, having lived and worked in North America, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Reindel holds an Honours BA in Economics from the University of Nottingham (UK) and received his UK Chartered Accountant designation in 1995.

Simon Gagné is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. As leader of the company’s People, Performance and Development strategy, Mr. Gagné is the principal counsel and steward of Empire’s talent attraction, retention and development initiatives, as well as the organization’s succession and career planning, leadership development and people engagement initiatives.

A native of Matane, Québec, Mr. Gagné has more than 30 years of experience in food retailing, and private and public transportation. Between 1985 and 1997, Mr. Gagné held a variety of progressively senior management positions with Cabano Transport in both Montréal and Ottawa, and with the Montreal Urban Transit system (STM).

In 1997, he joined the Oshawa Group as Director, Employee Relations, and in 2000 was appointed Vice President, Human Resources and Internal Communications, Sobeys Québec. In 2010, he assumed additional responsibility for the company’s Distribution and Logistics function in Québec and was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer for Sobeys Inc. in 2012.

Mr. Gagné has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Laval.

Doug Nathanson is Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer and General Counsel of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. In addition to heading the company’s Legal function, Mr. Nathanson has leadership accountability for Real Estate, Corporate Strategy & Development, Strategic Sourcing, Communications & Corporate Affairs, Government Relations and Sustainability.

Prior to joining Empire, Mr. Nathanson was General Counsel at Canadian Tire Corporation, overseeing all legal matters across the Canadian Tire family of companies, including those related to new business opportunities, partnerships, and acquisitions. He also served as Canadian Tire’s Chief Human Resources Officer, led the petroleum business, and managed the corporate strategy group. Prior to Canadian Tire, Mr. Nathanson was the Associate General Counsel at MI Developments, Magna International’s real estate operating company. Earlier in his career, he worked in Toronto and New York at major international law firms and served as a clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Mr. Nathanson is a member of the Bar in both Ontario and New York State and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University (High Distinction) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law where he won the Angus MacMurchy Gold Medal.

Sandra Sanderson is Chief Marketing Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. She oversees marketing across a broad portfolio of banners. Ms. Sanderson is accountable for banner brand strategies, integrated marketing, Scene+ loyalty program, private label marketing, sponsorships, community investments, marketing technology, consumer insights and an in-house creative studio.

Ms. Sanderson has held notable positions in the marketing field. She began in consumer packaged goods at P&G, Kraft, and Coca-Cola and later became the General Manager of Brand Marketing at Canada Post, and Senior Vice President of Marketing at Universal Studios. Transitioning into the retail sector, Ms. Sanderson held the roles of SVP Marketing at Shoppers Drug Mart and Chief Marketing & Quality Officer at Walmart Canada. Her professional journey even extended into the United States, where she served as SVP Marketing at White House Black Market.

Ms. Sanderson currently holds positions on the boards of both Special Olympics and Scene+. Furthermore, she has played an active role in fostering the marketing community, has also previously served on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Marketing Association and as the Chair of the Retail Council of Canada’s Senior Retail Marketing Committee.

In 2023, she was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends and received the CMA’s Marketer of the Year award in 2020. She also received the Marketer of the Year award in 2012 and 2021 for her work at Shoppers Drug Mart and Empire, respectively. Additionally, she was honoured with the Star Women in Grocery Award in 2015.

Ms. Sanderson holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University.

Pierre St-Laurent is the Chief Operating Officer for Empire Company Limited. Mr. St-Laurent leads merchandising, retail operations, and supply chain nationally across our grocery and related businesses.

Throughout his impressive 32-year career at Empire Company Limited, Mr. St-Laurent has amassed a wealth of experience and profound business acumen. His journey within the company has seen him excel in various key functions, including finance, distribution and logistics, retail operations, and business development. More recently, Pierre St-Laurent played a pivotal role in driving Empire’s transformation under our Sunrise and Horizon chapters where his disciplined, decisive approach helped establish Empire as an industry leader, as well as in leading the continuity of our operations and servicing of our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Keenly focused on operational excellence, collaboration, and disciplined execution, Mr. St-Laurent’s track record and reputation are widely respected throughout the industry. In 2020, he was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Executives by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine.

Mr. St-Laurent holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and is currently Vice President of the Board of Directors at the Fondation Charles-Bruneau.

Julia Knox is the Chief Technology and Analytics Officer (CTAO) and Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) for Empire Company Limited. She is responsible for Technology, Cyber Security, Enterprise Data, Advanced Analytics and the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO). She joined Empire in 2021 as SVP, Merchandising Services and Retail Enablement, bringing extensive retail experience as a highly accomplished executive at Giant Tiger, where she was SVP, E-Commerce and Chief Merchandising Officer for the non-food businesses, leading both merchandising and e-commerce. She also held senior roles at H-E-B Grocery Company and worked in strategy consulting at Monitor Group. 

Ms. Knox’s leadership extends to community service; she serves as the Chair of the Board of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and is a founding activator of ShEO, a non-profit venture capital fund supporting women entrepreneurs. She is also a member of the Grocery Board for GS1 Canada.

Ms. Knox holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University.