Meet Lori Nikkel, a visionary leader and champion of social and environmental justice issues related to food. As CEO of Second Harvest Lori has developed a national food recovery network that redistributes healthy surplus food to thousands of communities in need.
Lori’s guidance has changed the way Canada manages food loss and waste. She is a co-author of the The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste, a world first evidence-based research project. She was globally recognized by the United Nations as Canada’s Food is also a Clean 50 recipient, one of Canada’s 2021 Women of Influence. In 2021 Lori was named one of Waterstone Capital’s Most Admired CEOs and appointed to the Order of Ontario.
What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
At age 14, my first job was at Burger King - I was the ‘Fry Girl.’ I quickly learned that it wasn’t for me; all that oil. In fact, I hated it. I lasted about a week before moving on to work at Mother's Pizza on Dundas in Mississauga. I was a hostess there, which was a much better fit. I’m always full of energy and love being around people - I definitely was not meant to be a ‘Fry Girl’! So really, the first things I learned were a) quit what you don’t like, and b) make sure you have a plan B. You can’t just quit into nothing, plain and simple!
If you think back on leaders who inspired you in your career or leadership style, who were they and why were they inspiring?
I had several managers and leaders, and I picked up bits and pieces from each that shape how I lead today. From one, I learned the importance of giving staff autonomy over how they work. It teaches you to be accountable for the results and figure out how to actually get the work done. “Go find the money and then build the program - figure it out.” Another leader I had didn’t care what others thought of her. She was smart, direct, and no-nonsense. Then there was Bonnie Brown-Fischer, my best boss, who was the principal at my sons' school. As a single mom of three with no money, I noticed many other families at the school also struggled to get nutritious food for their kids. Bonnie pointed me in the right direction to get the people and funding I needed to set up a volunteer food program to offer mid-morning meals to all the students. She was a huge help in getting the student nutrition program started. She was a strong person that really cared about the success of those around her.
What motivates you every day?
Second Harvest is amazing - we love our work! It’s fun, and we’re passionate about changing the food system. We’re an environmental organization with a social purpose.
Did you know that 61,000 not for profits need food in Canada? Our organization supports about 14,000 food programs, including shelters and food banks.
We try to make an impact every day!
What do you want to change in the world and why?
I want to change our food system so that we drastically reduce food waste and make sure that people have good, healthy food to eat. And why? Because it ends up in landfills, creating greenhouse gases and methane. It’s a direct contributor to the climate crisis. Canada is heating up faster than any other region in the world. We’re facing wildfires and floods - it’s horrible. Do you know what the number one use of drinkable water is? To make food. And do you know what the number two use of drinkable water is? To make food that we waste. Isn’t that outrageous?
What is the purpose and vision of Second Harvest? And how has being clear about your purpose and vision benefited you and your company?
Our Vision is “No Waste, No Hunger”. Our Mission is keeping food where it belongs, on plates and out of landfills.
Our purpose is to divert as much surplus, excess healthy food as possible to charities and non-profits that need it, thereby supporting both the environment and people. Being clear on this message makes it easy for people to understand and want to help. We are also heavily involved in trying to solve the problem, through research like our world first Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste report, advocacy to create public policy changes and training and education.
Our employees are very passionate about our mission, which helps us attract and retain them. But it’s not the only thing that keep our employees engaged. It’s critical to have a great culture that is fun, motivating and provides the resources required to do whatever role your in. It’s also very import to treat people well and that includes a pay structure and benefit package that is competitive with private industry.
What one piece of advice would you give other CEOs and leaders regarding leading with purpose?
Don’t compete against other organizations—compete against your own.
Competition in the charitable sector doesn’t make sense for me as a general rule, however often funding dollars can be tight and I’ve watched charities chase money instead of sticking to their purpose, this never turns out well. Stay in your lane. If you find yourself doing too much outside your lane, go back to your vision and mission and build out your strategy, while it’s important to be flexible, I think one of the reasons for Second Harvest success comes from being very true to our mission and vision.
What one question would you like to ask other purpose-led CEOs?
What do you like most about your board and how you work together?
One question from the two co-founders we interviewed before you, Jaime Hackett and Erin Prohaska from Bite Body.
Have you ever reached a breaking point - wondering whether you should continue? If so, what was the root cause, and how did you get yourself back on track?
Not in my current role, but previously, I held a leadership position at a charity where I realized that many of its services were not required. I hadn’t done my due diligence before taking the job and discovered the Ontario government was already providing those services at a world-class level. There was no need for this charity to exist in its current form, so I resigned.
Honestly, as a charity leader, your goal should be to go out of business. You shouldn’t aim for your charity to run forever. If you can close a charity, that’s a success - outside of education, health care and a few others. Charity often exists where there is a lack of good public policy, so while it’s important to fill the gaps required in society it’s as critical to advocate for policy change to fix whatever the underlying problem is.
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