Andrea and Ayeman show why Loblaw is a top employer

It didn’t take long for Ayeman Bhatti, Digital Product Owner, for the PC Financial^® brand, to realize product management was her “bread and jam,” as she puts it.  

She’d always been interested in finance, but after graduating from university, she realized she wanted to do product management in the digital space.  

“Bringing an idea to life and being able to see how it performs in the market is extremely rewarding,” says Ayeman. “And improving existing features and executing in an agile environment is what keeps me motivated and excited.”  

It’s no wonder when she came across the Digital Product Owner role, she felt like it had her name written all over it.  

But it wasn’t just about the role; it was also about the company. Ayeman knew that Loblaw was big enough that there would be ample opportunities to learn and explore, and she’d heard good things about the culture, resources and people.  

And since joining Loblaw, all those positive things were confirmed. “I feel very lucky to be here working with a team that is passionate about what they do,” she says.  

That’s why she’s not surprised Loblaw was recently named one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People by the Canada’s Top Employers Project(Open in a new tab). The project recognizes the Canadian employers that offer the best workplaces and programs for young people at the start of their careers. Criteria include tuition assistance, the availability of internships, co-ops and work-study programs, professional development, career management programs and any other initiatives that can help younger workers advance faster within an organization.  

Andrea Karrys, Manager, Product Owner, Banking Sites, isn’t surprised, either. Her journey to Loblaw was a little different than Ayeman’s — she comes from a management consulting background. And while she’d worked at financial institutions before, it wasn’t in the digital space, so she faced a steep learning curve. But the chance to expand her skill set, not to mention help build and launch an online bank, was more than enough motivation for her to join the company.  

Neither colleague has been with Loblaw for long, but they’ve both seen ways it supports its young employees’ growth firsthand. However, as a largely brick-and-mortar presence in Canada, we are working to show STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students why we should be a top-of-mind tech employer — and Andrea and Ayeman are proof of this.  

After less than two years at the company, Andrea has helped build most of the PC Financial brand’s digital platforms.  

Ayeman is currently building an ecommerce site for The Mobile Shop brand, as well as the ongoing innovations with the Virtual Mobilist program, which was launched due to the pandemic, allowing for customers to connect with mobilists from the comfort of their homes. 

“This program keeps on innovating,” says Ayeman. “Innovative technology and solutions are what keep our customers happy and why we build what we build. We can’t wait to start embedding artificial intelligence into the program to help customers reach solutions faster than ever.” 

Andrea adds: “We get to leave work knowing we’re helping make the lives of Canadians better, be it in grocery, health care, or banking. Being part of the Loblaw team means you have an impact. Everyone in the enterprise feels that and is so willing to help coach and empower those around them to reach higher.”