HBC, Canada’s largest diversified merchandise retailer, operating the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters, and Fields, has struggled in the retail market and it is Bonnie Brooks’ job to make sure that, for the Bay, those days are behind them.

Revered by colleagues who have had the pleasure of working with her, Brooks is an inspiration to working women everywhere. After only one year at the reins, she has put designer brands such as Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Stella McCartney in the hands and homes of consumers.

It was just over a year ago that Brooks, then Holt Renfrew’s executive vice president of merchandising, took over the reins of the Bay. As the first-ever female president and CEO of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Brooks has been responsible for their transformation in the retail market, making HBC an internationally recognizable household name.

With a retailer’s dream resume, Brooks has spent over 25 years working with various department stores around the world, transforming their brands and revolutionizing each market with her personal flare. Her task with HBC was to recreate the Bay as a brand, improving the quality of the products and services it provides, and developing an overall, in-store “customer experience.”

With a BA from the University of Western Ontario, a term as editor-in-chief for FLARE magazine, and having extensive knowledge of international business practices, she has also been fortunate enough to be a part of the consumer demographic she is trying to reach. And what better place is there for her to be?

It might not be your classic fairy tale, but Bonnie Brooks is leading the Bay down the path to its very own happily ever after.

Terri Winter is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Click here to read Terri's blog.