Featured Employee: Franie Villaruel

Role: Learning and Development Manager – Sporting Life Group

I began my Sporting Life journey in 2012 as a Men’s Softgoods Associate at the Yonge Street flagship store.

At the time, I was studying sciences and even exploring a career in healthcare. I would finish volunteer shifts at Sunnybrook Hospital and then walk over to Sporting Life to work — and soon realized I looked forward more to my time in the store than in the hospital ward.

That was the spark that shifted my career path.

Over the years, I grew into management roles in stores, including Training Coordinator at Yorkdale. My store manager saw my potential and encouraged me to take ownership of recruitment, onboarding, and coaching. That experience gave me the confidence to help launch new store openings. From there, I transitioned into the Store Support Center (SSC), strengthened my HR knowledge through certificate programs, and ultimately stepped into my current role as Learning and Development Manager.

My focus is on building engaging learning programs, designing training content, and partnering with leaders to identify skill gaps and create development paths. I also manage our org-wide cultural initiatives like the Get Out and Play program, ensuring our people are connected to sports lifestyle and motivated to grow their career with us.

My go-to brand at Sporting Life is Patagonia — I love the down sweater for its versatility and packability. It’s traveled with me everywhere.

I live my sporting life by practicing yoga, staying active through running, and spending time on the golf course.