- By Carmela Serebryany, President, Upper Crust

Last week, I was privileged to speak with several of our female employees, supply chain partners and industry colleagues about the importance of International Women’s Day and wanted to take a moment to recognize them. It’s amazing to reflect on how far along we have come that a collective commitment to celebrate women’s achievement and work towards a more gender-balanced world is no longer a controversial idea. At Upper Crust Bakery, we strive to support women through every step of their professional journey, ensuring that gender is not a barrier to success. But while this idea is widely supported, many women still struggle to find opportunity, particularly in the traditionally-male-dominated manufacturing sector. That’s why it was critical that we took this day to reflect on our work and listen to employee voices to ensure Upper Crust is the inclusive, equitable workplace we strive to be.

This past fall, I was honoured to work with the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), as well as our partners at Fiera Foods, to present scholarship awards to highly deserving, highly-motivated women in manufacturing. As a woman who was fortunate to grow up with role model parents who shared a belief in hard work and commitment regardless of gender, I see it as a personal responsibility to support women of a younger generation as they seek to grow and thrive in manufacturing.

Whether it’s supporting scholarship opportunities through our work with the CME or prioritizing inclusion and fairness at every stage of our manufacturing process, I am proud of the steps we have taken and optimistic about the work we can accomplish together. That’s why I, on behalf of Upper Crust Bakery, thank our female employees and partners for making us a stronger, more diverse company – on International Women’s Day and every day.