Emeryville, California-based Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has expanded its board of directors to 11 with the appointments of John E. “Jeb” Bachman and Mary Kay Haben.
Bachman brings nearly four decades of leadership experience having served in various roles at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He is a boardroom veteran, having served on the board of directors of three public companies, including The Children’s Place, Wex Inc. and Scana Corp.
Haben brings knowledge and experience in managing businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry, having served in senior executive positions for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and Kraft Foods Inc., as well as on the boards of The Hershey Co., Bob Evans Farms Inc. and Equity Residential.
Bachman qualifies as an independent class I director and will stand for election at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. Credited as an “audit committee financial expert” under applicable SEC rules, Bachman will serve as chairman of the audit committee for Grocery Outlet. Haben qualifies as an independent class II director and will stand for election at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders.
“Jeb and Mary Kay bring impressive credentials with successful track records to Grocery Outlet. We are thrilled to add executives with their skills and experience to the board of directors,” said Eric Lindberg, CEO of Grocery Outlet. “Their expertise will help us to further enhance Grocery Outlet’s governance and guide our future growth.”
Until retiring in 2015, Bachman was previously the U.S. assurance operations leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a position he held for six years. In this role, he served as COO of the firm’s audit and risk management practice in the U.S., the largest operating unit with revenue of $4.2 billion, representing more than 50 percent of PwC’s revenue. Prior to that role, he spent three years as the firm’s U.S. strategy leader. Bachman earned an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate Business School.
Haben is a food industry veteran with demonstrated success in global brand management. She concluded a 33-year career with two iconic companies, Kraft Foods and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. After a 27-year career at Kraft Foods, where she led several multibillion-dollar divisions as president, Haben joined Wrigley (when it was a public company) as group VP and managing director, North America. Wrigley was acquired by Mars Inc. and sheKay then assumed additional responsibility for the former Mars confections businesses. She was promoted to president, North America. In this role, she led the integration of the Mars confection and Wrigley gum businesses, and led the growth and development of these businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Haben earned an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
