Catherine Wieckowska

About me

I was born/grew up in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I now live in: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

I completed my training/education at: Sheridan College & York University

What I do at work

The main focus of my role is to make sure there is great communication between our membership, Government, community and key stakeholders. Managing people and relationships is a must in my role. As VP, I have the ability to create and manage special projects that support our strategic plan. I also have the honour of managing our You Be The Chemist program. This program allows me to work with the education community, teaching elementary school teachers on the simple, hands-on, chemistry experiments for grades 5 - 8.

My career path is

My career path has taken all sorts of directions. I participated in an internship with McCain Foods while I was in school. This gave me exposure to a corporate environment. I enjoyed it and decided I wanted to be in a career that allowed for growth and change. Following school, I worked at GE Lighting. Here I worked as a marketing coordinator for their automotive lighting division. My mentor there had a huge influence on my career and future decisions. After three years with GE, I took a job with one of our member companies as a product coordinator. This gave me industry experience but I felt I needed to make a difference. So when the opportunity came to work at the association as a manager of member services, I took it. Ten years later, I have grown into my role as VP and appreciate that all my various roles have made an impact on the manager that I am now.

I am motivated by

My career matters because it's our job to ensure our companies are acting responsibly. This has a direct impact on the community and future. We bring together experts from the industry to make sure we are meeting and exceeding safety guidelines. In addition, You Be The Chemist allows me to make an impact on children and their educational future. If we can inspire one child to take an investment in chemistry, then we have made a difference.

How I affect peoples’ lives

Our association manages our Responsible Distribution program. This program ensures our member companies are handling and shipping their products in a responsible manner for the community, the environment, and their people. Safety for all is critical in our business.

Outside of work I

I am a mother of three so my life outside of work, revolves around them. As a family, we love to travel, play sports and participate in anything that allows us to be in a creative space.

My advice to others

It sounds cheesy but I believe in it - listen to your inner voice. If something doesn't feel right, make a change. Also, listen to the mentors around you. School can teach you many things but listening to the people who you work with, is a way to learn A LOT, really fast.