As an African-American little girl born in Alabama in the 60's, there weren't any expectations for her future. However, a supportive family taught her that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to. And she did! As Group Director, Business Development Retail at Catalina, Phyllis Johnson is responsible for leading a team that manages the needs of retail clients by demonstrating Catalina’s value in the marketplace. She also participates in advancing Catalina’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. Phyllis measures her success as a leader in terms of how she is helping others. Helping others is her primary purpose in her workplace and personal life.

Phyllis has over 25+ years of retail expertise and experience. During her career, she has worked with numerous US retailers such as Ahold, Southeastern Grocers, Giant Eagle and Price Chopper assisting them with private brand strategy development which included: Private Brand Portfolio Optimization, New Brand(s) Creation, and Private Brand Sales and Penetration Growth. Phyllis also spent time in London, England working with Sainsbury and their private brand supplier community. She led a team of 45 associates who covered Sainsbury’s total footprint to enhance private brands on-shelf positioning/merchandising and to drive expert bakery training for in-store associates.

Phyllis is known throughout the industry as a true professional who strives for results without compromising her integrity. She is a proven leader who leads by example and puts service to her team first and foremost. In 2021, Phyllis was awarded the Store Brand 2021 Game Changers Award by StoreBrands Magazine. The award recognizes people, private brands and company innovations that are taking store brands to the next level. In addition, she was named one of WISE’s 2020 Top Women in Store Brands. She now sits on the WISE Board of Directors and mentors the WISE Junior Board. She is also sought after as a speaker/panelist for various industry conferences, such as the Velocity Diversity Conference on August 4, 2020. Her topic was “A Seat at the Table: Why Diversity Matters”. It explored issues relating to both black industry professionals and consumers and how retailers and their brands can create more diverse and inclusive organizations, experiences, brands, and products.

Prior to joining Catalina, Phyllis worked with various celebrity chefs, TV personalities and their agencies assisting them in bringing their brands and products to the retail marketplace.

Phyllis loves giving back to the community and supports various nonprofit organizations by volunteering her time to teach and mentor young and upcoming business professionals. She is also a fitness and health enthusiast.

Contact @: LinkedIn: Phyllis Johnson (She/Her), Instagram: phyllisjohn77, TikTok: phyllisj1963