Celebrating The Top Women in Convenience

The new Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) Connections luncheon at the 2026 NACS Show on October 8 will complement the traditional awards gala and honor a record class of 115 women in front of a crowd of more than 500 attendees.

TWIC recognizes and celebrates female senior-level leaders, rising stars and mentors from across the industry’s retailer, distributor and supplier communities. Linda Lisanti, the event's presenter and editor-in-chief of Convenience Store News, said the media brand is “immensely proud" of this programming addition to the NACS Show. 

“The 799 TWIC honorees we've recognized to date and this year's record class of 115 honorees are all examples of women who are succeeding in this field,” she said.

Ahead of an evening awards gala, Lisanti said the 2026 class of TWIC honorees and alumnae will engage in a fast-paced luncheon, giving attendees time to connect, build relationships and share leadership strategies. The centerpiece will be a panel discussion with past TWIC winners, under the theme "Empowering Women Leaders: Insights on Driving Career Momentum, Navigating Challenges and Forging Connections."

The TWIC program continues to shine a spotlight on women in the industry, who are increasingly advancing beyond store management roles, Lisanti said.

When TWIC launched in 2014, “Women had long held a significant percentage of the store manager positions in the convenience channel but were starting to make great strides in middle- and upper-management positions, breaking the glass ceiling in what was once a male-dominated industry,” she said. “We started TWIC to honor and bring awareness to the achievements of women in convenience retailing.”

Each year, Lisanti said, candidates are nominated by their companies and industry peers and evaluated on accomplishments achieved during the previous year. Selection criteria include innovative business initiatives, financial and strategic leadership, problem-solving capabilities, mentorship efforts, charitable involvement and “any other attributes that go above and beyond the call of duty.”

Yet, despite the progress women in the convenience industry have made over the past decade, Lisanti said there’s still room for more advancement. The TWIC program aims not only to recognize achievement but also to inspire continued advancement and leadership development for women across the industry. 

Female leadership in the convenience industry differs notably from men's leadership in this field, Lisanti said. According to her, research has shown that when women are in leadership roles, “they have a higher emotional intelligence, apply more inclusive decision-making and focus more on talent development than men.”

“We see this reflected in the TWIC nominations as well,” Lisanti said. “This year especially, so many of our honorees were lauded by their nominators for their impact on others—coaching, mentoring, championing, etc. They’re described as ‘a trusted advisor and teacher,’ ‘passionate about mentoring others and creating opportunities for growth,’ ‘plays an active role in developing future leaders’ and ‘has a real gift for seeing potential in people, sometimes before they see it in themselves.’ These are just a few of the words spoken about this year's winners.”

Convenience Store News is an EnsembleIQ brand.