Purdy’s Chocolatier CEO recognized for leadership

A Canadian company with a 112-year legacy of employing Canadians is being recognized for their CEO. Purdys Chocolatier CEO Karen Flavelle has won a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award honouring the Top CEOs in 2019.

Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, released its annual award recognizing the Top CEOs, which highlights top leaders that employees love working for in countries throughout North America and parts of Europe. Among chief executives recognized by employees in Canada, Flavelle received an impressive approval rating of 98 per cent based on the anonymous and voluntary reviews Purdys employees shared on Glassdoor throughout the past year. The average CEO approval rating is 69 per cent across the approximately 900,000 companies reviewed on the site.

“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. I recognize and deeply appreciate the strong foundation and supportive, family culture that we have here at Purdys as a result of our rich history,” says Karen Flavelle, CEO of Purdys Chocolatier. “I truly believe in the importance of leadership getting out into the stores, onto factory floor and across every part of the company.

This gives us the opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas, hear about opportunities and obstacles and create connections between teams. It also shows our employees how much we value their work and them as people.”

Flavelle has been President of Purdys Chocolatier since 1997. Under her leadership, Purdys has grown from 42 to over 80 locations across BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario and been named an AON Best Employer nine times. Karen has been recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women and inducted into the WXN Hall of Fame. In recent years, she has received the EY Family Business Award of Excellence and a YWCA Women of Distinction Award, in addition to serving on many boards including the Young Presidents Organization and the Retail Council of Canada.

“It’s an honour to recognize incredible leaders who, from their employees’ perspectives, exemplify exceptional vision, trust and communication. Glassdoor’s Top CEOs award continues to be more competitive every year, and I congratulate each leader on their achievement,” said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor president and chief operating officer. “Today’s job seekers are looking for leaders who share their values and will empower them to bring their full selves to work. More and more, we’re seeing Top CEOs make decisions to shape the culture of their organizations to help recruit and retain quality talent, which has a direct correlation to fuelling business success.”